The ice has been touched: how Demidov, Nikishin and Gritsyuk open up in the NHL
This season, several young Russian hockey players have gained a full foothold in the NHL. Ivan Demidov shines in Montreal, Alexander Nikishin immediately became one of the leading players of Carolina, Arseniy Gritsyuk made New Jersey fans fall in love with him, and Danila Yurov is already playing in the top three of Minnesota with Kirill Kaprizov. Read more about our newcomers to the best hockey league in the world in the Izvestia article.
Demidov: gradual transition to leadership
Ivan Demidov was probably expected to score a little more than 19 (6+13) points in 24 matches, but so far the Russian striker is gradually coming to the role of the leader of Montreal's attacks. The Canadiens have Cole Cafield, Nick Suhuki and Juraj Slafkowski, and Demidov is no longer inferior to them in terms of level of play, but he is still not being used as actively. Sometimes Ivan plays for 12 minutes per match and does not enter the decisive segments when the team is leading the score. Plus, the game without Demidov's puck still leaves much to be desired.
Perhaps the main competitor of the Russian in the fight for the Calder Trophy (the prize for the best newcomer) is the first number of the 2025 draft, Islanders defender Matthew Schaefer. He's not inferior to Demidov in points, and he's not bad defensively. But Demidov still has time to assert himself, and it is especially valuable that Ivan scored five of his six goals in the third period.
—Demidov is doing great in his first full season," said Montreal head coach Martin Saint—Louis. — He is young and naive, so I was not afraid to introduce this talented player back in April, when Ivan had just arrived from Russia. Now he has improved his understanding of the game and goes out on the ice with great confidence. I feel like this season should be a success for him. We are counting on his effective actions.
Nikishin: leader of the Carolina defense
There was no doubt about Alexander Nikishin's success before leaving overseas. In recent years, the player who played for SKA has been the best defender in the KHL by a wide margin, and if it hadn't been for his long-term contract with the Army, he would have gone to Carolina a long time ago.
Nikishin is already playing almost 20 minutes per match, and in terms of "plus or minus" he has been leading the entire league for a long time. The stability and thoroughness of the Russian defender appealed to the Hurricanes head coach Rod Brindamore, so Nikishin has a great future at Carolina, and the team looks like one of the main favorites of the season in the East.
"Alexander still needs time to fully develop in the NHL, he needs to get used to the new environment," said Carolina head coach Rod Brindamore. — First of all, we are talking about the language barrier. However, his progress is visible day by day. Within a few years, in his person, "Carolina" can get an elite defender.
Hrytsyuk: Fans' love and a super throw
Arseniy Gritsyuk's adaptation in New Jersey did not take long, largely due to the fact that he speaks good English. "He has a fairly good English language base. He understands a lot, so he doesn't have to translate or explain. He asks for some things, but knowing the language is a big plus for him," says Evgeny Dadonov, Gritsyuk's teammate.
Arseny actively runs his Telegram channel, and after his NHL debut, North Americans who loved Gritsyuk's openness began to actively subscribe to him. But it's not just off—ice behavior that's good for a striker - Gritsyuk understands the game perfectly, knows how to complete attacks, and is already playing in the Devils' leading combinations.
—Gritsyuk is good without the puck, a good player with excellent reflexes," said New Jersey head coach Sheldon Keefe. "Most of the time we talked about his game with the puck and its control. This is a fine line for any talented hockey player: he is confident in his attacking skills and feels that he can do something. Gritsyuk loses the puck much more often than we would like, but at the same time he scores and makes draws. We need to continue working with him on the balance, hockey is getting better now, and the competition is higher. Then the control of the puck becomes even more important. So that's the next thing he's learning right now.
Yurov and Shabanov: rapid progress
Injuries to Ryan Hartman and Marco Rossi paved the way for Danila Yurov to join the first team of Minnesota. The NHL debutant is gradually getting used to the new league. Wild head coach John Hines used the striker in various combinations. And Yurov is absolutely ready to take on any position: at Metallurg, Andrei Razin developed versatile skills and improved his game in the center. Now he is in the top three with Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello.
Yurov started with the fourth three and minimal playing time, and now he goes out in the first tier and gets 15 minutes per match — an excellent increase over a month and a half of the regular season. So far, Danila is not playing in the first special team of the majority, but it's only a matter of time — Yurov has already achieved a lot, and this is only the debut season for the Russian striker.
The North American career of the Islanders rookie Maxim Shabanov did not start in the best way. Performance problems arose both in pre-season matches and at the beginning of the regular season. And as soon as the Russian gave out a series of two meetings with points scored, he immediately suffered damage, which caused him to miss as many as 12 games. Any hockey player without a big contract can lose his place in the base for such a period. What can we say about a beginner.
But after returning, Shabanov began to steadily score points, and in the match against Detroit he even made a double. The quintessence of Maxim's trust was the match against Philadelphia, in which the Russian striker spent more than 22 minutes on the ice. Shabanov should gain a foothold in the top 6 in the near future.
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