ESPN Reveals Its Top 5 Prospects, Featuring Ivan Demidov and a Blunder with David Reinbacher
We all know it, Ivan Demidov is good, very good.
He proved it once again this week with a 4-point game, all assists, while playing for SKA in the KHL.
After this match, he had accumulated a total of 15 points in 19 games in the KHL. And this, despite often having very limited ice time...
It's no wonder the young Russian prodigy is turning heads, not just in Quebec but also in the United States.
Ivan Demidov at the top of the prospect list
Indeed, ESPN has ranked Demidov at the top of the NHL prospects who are not yet playing in the NHL.
The most talented player outside of the NHL, without a doubt.»
- Rachel Doerrie, ESPN
To complete the top 5 of this ranking, Demidov is followed by Artyom Levshunov (Chicago), Alexander Nikishin (Carolina), Zayne Parekh (Calgary), and Zeev Buium (Minnesota).
Notably, another Canadiens player is included in this ranking, and that is David Reinbacher. Ranked 27th, ESPN doesn't seem to account for the defenseman's injury.
DLC - David Reinbacher: ESPN doesn't seem to understand that he is seriously injured
Reinbacher projects as a middle-pairing defenseman, capable of playing in all situations and tilting the ice in his team's favor. If he can take a step forward in his development this season, he might get a few NHL minutes, but it's more reasonable to expect him to be a full-time NHL player next season.»
- Rachel Doerrie, ESPN
Despite the seemingly biased evaluation, seeing the defenseman in this top 50 is very encouraging.
Via ESPN - Ranking the top NHL prospects: Demidov, Levshunov lead list
