About Last Night: Habs add talent on offence with Demidov, Hage picks (2024)

The Canadiens selected talented SKA forward Ivan Demidov fifth overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Later in the evening, they opted for another forward with the 21st pick, selecting Michael Hage from the USHL’s Chicago Steel.

Before the draft, the club acquired the 21st pick from the Los Angeles Kings. Montreal sent the 26th, 57th, and 198th picks the other way.

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In grabbing the 6-foot, 192-pound Russian, the Canadiens might’ve erased any lingering discontent the offence-starved fanbase had about the club taking defenceman David Reinbacher over Matvei Michkov in last June’s draft. The Habs surprised The Sphere — a stunning venue, based on the broadcast — by getting homegrown star Céline Dion to make the pick.

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Forget Dion, though, the Liveblog commenters were all about the selection. Will Demidov become the elite offensive driver Canadiens fans have long coveted? They may not have to wait long to find out. He’s expected to come over at the conclusion of the next KHL season if all goes according to plan.

Demidov dominated the junior-tier MHL in Russia with 60 points in 30 regular season games. He added 28 points in 17 playoff games.

Some prognosticators expected Demidov to get snapped up before the fifth pick. After the San Jose Sharks surprised no one by selecting Macklin Celebrini first, the Chicago Blackhawks took Belarussian defenceman Artyom Levshunov second. Things got more unpredictable after that, with the Anaheim Ducks taking forward Beckett Sennecke third and the Columbus Blue Jackets going for Cayden Lindstrom fourth. For all the talk of this being a defence-heavy draft, six of the first 10 picks were forwards.

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Lots of wheeling and dealing was expected on the draft floor. In the end, only picks were swapped. General manager Kent Hughes held on to the 21st pick and used it on Hage. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Mississauga native is headed to the University of Michigan this fall. Hage’s parents are from Montreal and he grew up a Habs fan. His father Alain passed away in an accident last July.

Hage was emotional when giving his post-draft interview.

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Hughes told Sportsnet that Hage was the player he was targeting when he traded up for the 21st pick. Hage came on strong in his second season in the USHL, notching 75 points in 54 games to lead his club in scoring.

The pair joins a growing group of young players 24 and under in the organization, including captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Joshua Roy, Filip Mesar and Oliver Kapanen at forward.

Elsewhere in the draft, zero players were selected from the QMJHL, and only one Quebecer was picked: USHL centre Sacha Boisvert to the Hawks at 18. Even stranger, no Swedes were taken, but two Norwegians got first-round calls for the first time in draft history.

So even though the Canadiens didn’t make a splash on the trade market, they emerged from night one of the draft having filled a major need for talented forward prospects.

The draft continues Saturday with rounds 2-7. Montreal doesn’t have a pick in the second round, but they have picks 70, 78, 102, 130, 134, 166, 210, 224. After that, free agency season begins on July 1.

The Liveblog commenters unanimously praised the picks, especially Demidov. How often does that happen in Habland?

3. “Demidov and Hage what a draft. MERRY FREAKING CHRISTMAS.” -Rick Woods

2. “They’re showing some Demidov goals. WOW!!! I think we’re going to love this kid.” -Marc Taillefer

1. “So after the last 6 months of arguing who we should pick, now what are we going to talk about? LOL.” -Bob Taylor https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/14767170/

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