Quoting: jonh514
In politics, a lot can change and will change in 18 months.
As for the skill at the MHL level, I would put it at least on par with the OHL. If a kid in the OHL was doing what Demidov is doing, he would be in contention to be 1st overall.
He just plays at a higher speed than the rest of them and he's extremely skilled. Yes he will TOTALLY have to reign it in once he hits the NHL, but he drives every play for his line and the puck sticks to him. The way he attacks the net... Have you watched his highlights? Even if he's alone on a medium danger chance, he carries the puck to the high danger area, dekes a defender, dekes the goalie, and scores.
I don't agree with the skill level comparison. OHL is basically every younger player in Canada and some other countries sprinkled in.
A hand full go to the NCAA and the NHL.
But in Russia, it's more than a handful have been moved up. I would be like talking the top 100+ players out of the CHL and then saying, ok, it's the same level as before right?
The best players were all sent to the KHL to fill ranks, because no one will go there to play. Its like a par down OHL.
Even that is a sketchy description of it because god knows how many guys have bolted out the country when they could.
You probably got a russian hockey team in Georgia or the UAE right now.
They say millions of people have fled, basically anyone who could.
So I'm not sure what to tell you other than I'm sketchy on the competition level over there at the moment.
Could he be really good, sure, but hell he's not even getting KHL level minutes at the moment.