Evgeny Kuznetsov returned to a KHL scoresheet on Sunday for the first time since scoring in SKA Saint Petersburg’s opening game of the 2024-25 campaign. The 32-year-old centerman played set-up man for 18-year-old linemate Ivan Demidov just 1:59 into SKA’s contest against HC Lada Togliatti.
Demidov’s goal was his first career marker in the KHL in his 11th game. The tally gave SKA a 1-0 lead, an advantage they would hold through the first intermission.
Kuznetsov posted up behind Lada’s net to set up the milestone tally. After looking to pull the puck onto his tape for a potential wraparound, Michigan lacrosse-style goal, he ultimately faked the move before feeding a wide-open Demidov at Lada’s net front.
The Montreal Canadiens selected Demidov with the fifth-overall pick in the most recent NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The young winger has been a standout in Russia’s junior MHL the past two years, racking up 122 points (42g, 80a) in just 71 games.
Demidov has previously called Kuznetsov a mentor. The blossoming phenom hopes to eventually make the same jump to the NHL that Kuznetsov once did.
“I immediately started communicating normally with [Kuznetsov],” Demidov told Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev in August, as translated by Google Translate. “If he sees any moments during the game, he immediately tries to give advice. It’s nice that he doesn’t throw mud at you, but on the contrary — he gives advice.
“We talked about [the NHL], but we haven’t discussed anything special yet.”
A moment he’ll never forget 🤩
Congratulations to the gifted Ivan Demidov, who scored his first #KHL goal this evening! Plenty more are on their way! #hcSKA pic.twitter.com/CHg48lgwsJ
— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) September 15, 2024
Kuznetsov is currently serving as an alternate captain with SKA’s regular captain, defenseman Alexander Nikishin, back in the team’s lineup. The former NHL All-Star donned the captain’s ‘C’ in the games that Nikishin missed due to an injury.
The assist on Demidov’s goal marked Kuznetsov’s first helper in the KHL since February 28, 2014, when he was still playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk before coming to the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
Kuznetsov now has 82 career assists in Russia’s top league. His previous single-season best in assists came with Traktor during the 2012-13 campaign, when he helped set up 25 goals.
The talented playmaker departed the NHL after amassing 402 career assists in North America, 397 of which came with the Capitals, which is good for fifth-best in Washington’s franchise history. He attempted lacrosse-style moves in the NHL a few times with the Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes.
SKA added three additional goals to come out 4-3 victors in the game. The team has two wins through five games this season, both coming against Lada.
Kuznetsov had just one point before assisting on Demidov’s goal. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion has been a positive elsewhere on the ice, winning nearly 68.9 percent of his faceoffs coming into Sunday’s action.
SKA’s head coach, Roman Rotenberg, has Kuznetsov playing 12:30 of ice time per game, with nearly three minutes of that (2:41) coming while his team is on their power play.
