Ivan Demidov Prospect Profile: Is he a Future Chicago Blackhawk?

Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson has shown that he will take the best player on the board when it's his turn to make a selection in the 1st round. Thus far that has resulted in the likes of Kevin Korchinski (NHL), Frank Nazar (NCAA), Sam Rinzel (NCAA), Connor Bedard (NHL), and Oliver Moore (NCAA). That's quite the list of talented players in the system in just two drafts. To add a player of Ivan Demidov would put a true finisher in the midst of these other talented forwards.

While not the fastest draft eligible skater, Demidov shows excellent edge work when finding the soft areas in between the dots on offensive cycles. He is, if not the best in class, one of the most naturally gifted offensive IQ forwards in the 2024 draft class. This should get him drafted anywhere from #2 to #11 on June 28th in Las Vegas.

Given that this draft has so many different type of prospects in the mix for the top 10, it stands to reason that Demidov has just as good of a chance to go inside the top 5 as a Sam Dickinson, Cayden Lindstrom, Konsta Helenius, or any other talented draft eligible. The Blackhawks, in particular, are in desperate need for offensive finishers to pair with their franchise center Connor Bedard.

Ivan Demidov would provide a player that projects as a scorer. Perhaps not the two way bigger forward most fans would clamor for at the moment, Demidov could be that elite wing complement on the top line that currently isn't in the system. Would the Blackhawks go all in on the young Russian with such an important pick? That seems to be the question.