MONTREAL \u2014 The silence said a lot.<\/p>\n
Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent has been coaching hockey at various levels for 30 years. He has seen just about everything there is to see, and he is an articulate man.<\/p>\n
However, every time he was asked about Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov after he lit up the Bell Centre in a rookie tournament game Saturday night, he paused.<\/p>\n
He looked as though he was searching for his words.<\/p>\n
He looked as though he had not quite seen something like this.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a smart offensive player,\u201d Vincent said. \u201cHe knows how to create space for himself so we can see his skills. I mean, he\u2019s an amazing player.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I got to know him this week, a little bit, not that much, and his passion for the game, for me, that\u2019s a skill that he has. He was disappointed after the game. He\u2019s not happy. He wants to win. We\u2019re lucky to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Vincent says Demidov knows how to create space for himself, this was just one of several examples of what he meant. It\u2019s not Demidov\u2019s finish on this play \u2014 it\u2019s how it started, the little puck touch into the air as he accepted Florian Xhekaj\u2019s pass and not only deflected it into the air past defenceman Seth Fryer at the offensive blue line, but touched it again in midair to propel the puck forward and settle it down for him to make that ridiculous move and beat Winnipeg Jets goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis.<\/p>\n
It is easy to focus on the move that beat DiVincentiis, but the move that beat Fryer might have been even more impressive.<\/p>\n
IVAN DEMIDOV EST BEL ET BIEN R\u00c9VEILL\u00c9<\/p>\n
CAN CONFIRM IVAN DEMIDOV IS AWAKE<\/p>\n
WPG 3, MTL 3#GoHabsGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dvVt44FIs6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) September 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think, no,\u201d Demidov said with a little grin when asked (stupidly, by me) if that whole sequence was done on purpose.<\/p>\n No?<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d he replied, \u201cfor sure it was.\u201d<\/p>\n Fryer, a 6-foot-7 defenceman who was a rookie camp invite for the Jets after he went undrafted in June, had already been victimized by Demidov earlier in the game. It seemed cruel and unusual for a player whose last game was with the WHL\u2019s Victoria Royals to have to face this in front of nearly 22,000 people at the Bell Centre.<\/p>\n Quelle s\u00e9quence d’Ivan Demidov! \ud83d\ude33 pic.twitter.com\/3xcEPmSRFF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 RDS (@RDSca) September 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n That sold-out crowd started doing the wave shortly after that shift. The already-charged atmosphere turned up considerably. The crowd was there to see Demidov, and Demidov gave them what they came for.<\/p>\n If his passion for the game is a skill, this is surely another. The stage never seems too big for Demidov, whether it\u2019s getting a goal and an assist in his first few NHL shifts<\/a>, competing and performing in an NHL playoff environment<\/a>, or shining brightest in a rookie showcase game where nothing less than dominance would be considered a success, and he dominates.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Demi made that move, that\u2019s just unbelievable talent,\u201d centre Owen Beck said, \u201cbut that just cranked up the game a notch.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canadiens\u2019 rookies lost this game 4-3 to the Jets\u2019 rookies, but that was an afterthought. The Canadiens\u2019 bright future was front of mind, regardless of the score.<\/p>\n Demidov has spent all summer in Montreal preparing, going on the ice twice a day for the better part of two months and getting to know his new hockey home.<\/p>\n However, the Canadiens\u2019 future is not only about Demidov. There were several potential pieces of it on the ice Saturday night, including another one that was drafted No. 5, just like Demidov.<\/p>\n Unlike Demidov, David Reinbacher\u2019s strengths do not necessarily bring fans out of their seats, nor do they get them to do the wave or gasp in awe of what they have just seen. Whereas Demidov\u2019s assets are very blunt and in your face, Reinbacher\u2019s are more subtle and require long-term analysis.<\/p>\n One makes big plays at big moments, the other piles up a steady stream of little plays that lead to those big plays.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to watch him,\u201d said a pro scout in attendance when asked about Reinbacher\u2019s game. \u201cIf you\u2019re a forward, you love playing with a guy like that because you\u2019re not only getting the puck, but you\u2019re getting it at the right time. He makes the right play over and over again \u2026 he\u2019s very good at the game management part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n That was later confirmed by Beck, who played with Reinbacher in Laval late last season.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s great at just taking his first option and making that play crisp and quickly,\u201d Beck said. \u201cYou know it\u2019s the right play and that he\u2019s scanning for you up ice. You can trust that there\u2019s not going to be somebody coming to clobber you. That also helps when you\u2019re playing with a defenceman as a forward \u2026 it\u2019s going to be predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n This was Reinbacher\u2019s first game at the Bell Centre since last October, when he injured his knee in his first preseason game for the Canadiens, costing him months of activity. And though he did not have his best game \u2014 Reinbacher got walked on the Jets\u2019 goal that tied the game 2-2 \u2014 getting over that hurdle of the injury and making the simple plays that are his calling card left Reinbacher just as satisfied with his performance as Demidov should have been.<\/p>\n They are both effective players in different, but equally important ways.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really good, confident,\u201d Reinbacher said. \u201cI felt way better, I would say, than a year ago. With the injury, it\u2019s out of my head, and I feel so good. I\u2019m just happy I can play.\u201d<\/p>\n A winning hockey team needs flash. A winning hockey team needs substance.<\/p>\n The Canadiens are not yet a winning hockey team, not to the extent this administration ultimately wants. And the Canadiens rookies didn\u2019t even win this game.<\/p>\n However, no one could have watched that loss and believed the Canadiens are not in an excellent position to win many, many games in the future \u2014 and perhaps the near future.<\/p>\n (Photo of Ivan Demidov in April 2025: Minas Panagiotakis \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n