With the NHL activities being on a hiatus during the Olympics, Montreal Canadiens players who were not lucky enough to be selected to represent their country in Milano-Cortina, or whose country cannot participate, have some much-deserved time off. Even hockey-obsessed players like Ivan Demidov can enjoy a bit of a break.
The Russian rookie who delighted Habs fans over the Christmas break by taking to a Bleu, Blanc, Bouge outdoor rink with teammate Lane Hutson was spotted on a flight to Florida yesterday. Where is he headed? Well, according to his significant other’s Instagram account, Demidov is headed to Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
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While the winger was playing in the Canadiens’ last game before the break, Katya Yakovleva was posting pictures in front of the iconic Magic Kingdom’s Castle and of all the wonders she spotted in Disney.
Katya Yakovleva Instagram account
Demidov’s rookie season is going just as planned, with the 20-year-old leading the rookie scoring race at the break with 46 points in 57 games, on pace for a 66-point season. Which is the same amount of points Hutson put up in his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season last year. Before Hutson, the last Calder winner to put up 66 points was Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Demidov’s name should be pencilled in as the Calder Trophy winner just yet; he does have some great competition in Anaheim Ducks Beckett Sennecke, who only trails him by two points, and New York Islanders stand-out defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
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The 18-year-old has taken the league by storm and is the odds-on favourite. Graduating to the NHL straight out of junior and taking over the Isles’ number one defenseman spot left vacant by Noah Dobson’s departure. The youngster has 39 points in 56 games, a plus-nine rating and averages over 24 minutes of ice time per game and has scored four game-winning goals, including two in overtime. He skates on Patrick Roy’s first pairing and quarterbacks the first power play unit.
While Demidov also plays a big role for the Canadiens and leads the rookie scoring race, he faces an uphill battle for the Calder Trophy. With 25 games left on the Habs’ calendar, the youngster still has time to make up some ground, but it won’t be easy to overtake the young defenseman. When NHL action resumes, Canadiens and Islanders’ fans will be treated to a first duel between the two young players as the Habs will take on the Isles on February 26 at the Bell Centre.
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