The Montreal Canadiens, in the middle of a playoff race, decided that Monday was a good time to debut their first-round NHL Draft pick from last year.
Ivan Demidov delivered, with a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
BetCanada.com, as part of our Canada sports betting coverage, used Hockey-Reference.com to find every NHL player who had exactly 1 goal and 1 assist in their NHL debut game since 2000. We then averaged out their point shares to show their average per season for 33 players who fit the criteria.
Trends For Players With 1G, 1A In NHL Debut
Average Point Shares Per Season | 3.0 point shares |
Where Would That Rank In 2024-25 Season? | 334th |
Highest Average Point Shares Per Season | John Tavares (8.0) |
Lowest Average Point Shares Per Season | Mark Cundari (0.05) |
Total Combined All-Star Appearances | 21 |
As the Stanley Cup playoffs approach, Canada sportsbook apps will have options galore for postseason wagering.
Demidov, a 19-year-old right wing out of Russia, was the No. 5 overall pick in 2024. He had been playing for St. Petersburg SKA of the Kontinental Hockey League. In 65 KHL games this season, Demidov had 19 goals and 30 assists.
In Monday’s NHL debut, he was involved in Montreal’s first two goals, getting an assist on Alex Newhook’s goal 6 minutes into the game, then scoring his first NHL goal 13:32 into the first period. In all, Demidov played 16:56 and had three shots, one hit and one giveaway.
Check out Montreal Canadiens betting odds at BetCanada as the Habs try to wrap up an Eastern Conference playoff spot in the regular season’s final days.
What Are Trends For Such Fast Starters?
There are some notable players who have had a goal and an assist in their NHL debut in the past 25 years. Some of the top names who had such a stat line in their first game:
- John Tavares
- Mason McTavish
- Gabriel Vilardi
- Elias Pettersson
- Jesper Bratt
- Charlie McAvoy
- Dylan Larkin
- Patrik Laine
- Max Domi
- Jacob Trouba
- Jordan Eberle
- Zach Parise
At Pinnacle Canada Sportsbook, the Canadiens have +2080 odds to win the Eastern Conference as of April 15. They entered Tuesday’s play needing just one point from their regular-season finale on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes to clinch a playoff spot. They could also advance before then if the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are four points behind Montreal with two games to play, lose tonight in Philadelphia against the Flyers.
USA Today photo by David Kirouac
