Matvei Michkov caused quite the story all year long, viewed as the next best thing after Connor Bedard in this year's draft, the all-star in the making dropped all the way down to the Philadelphia Flyers, who spoke at the 7th rank.
The young Russian that's currently on everyone's lips is not Michkov; it's actually the 17-year-old Ivan Demidov who's about to give a run at Macklin Celibrini for the 2024 number one overall. Currently standing at 5'11'' and 170 pounds, the skilled winger is set to line up with SKA in the KHL alongside fellow young star Matvei Michkov.
Demidov was a standout last year in the MHL (Russia's Junior League), where he collected 62 points in 41 games. Celibrini was also a dominant force in the USHL, where he managed both the Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards. Demidov will most likely graduate from the KHL, whereas Celibrini will join the NCAA ranks at Boston University. Just like the Michkov VS. Bedard, a very interesting year is coming up, will the Vancouver Native once again succeed? Or will it be the Russian?
