LAS VEGAS – The way Kent Hughes tells it, the Canadiens hit the jackpot during Round 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas.
The Habs general manager was all smiles during his end-of-day media op at Sphere, after adding forwards Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage to the team’s talent pipeline on Friday.
Here are a few highlights from the third-year GM, as well as from the team’s pair of first-round picks.
Please note that some answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.
Hughes on adding offensive power in Round 1:
We’ve said that, and I’ve addressed that in end-of-year meetings—that we needed to continue to add offensive firepower to our group. We always knew that, it’s not like we woke up at some point this year and figured that out. We knew that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it was a process for us. We knew about Demidov last year—before we made our pick last year, we were already pretty excited about this guy, depending on where we ended up in the regular season. [...] Of all the ways things could have played out today, this was option 1 for us. I would say it fell perfectly.
Hughes on whether the team is close to trading picks on Day 2:
I don’t know about close, but we’ll go back, debrief, and try to sleep instead of thinking about the next thing. We’re not done trying.
Demidov on becoming a member of the Canadiens:
Today I met with Martin St-Louis, and it’s unbelievable... people like St-Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, I was playing NHL 07 with those guys, and now I’m shaking their hands. It’s cool.
Demidov on hearing his name called by Celine Dion:
It's unbelievable. It's like a book. Like a movie. It's… me. I know who it is, I’ve watched the movie Titanic.
Demidov on if he’s ready to be a game-breaking talent for Montreal:
I think so, yeah. My sports idol is Kobe Bryant and this season I tried to take his [...] killer instinct, and I think I won a lot of games and scored a lot of game-winning goals. I think I can be a game-breaker for Montreal.
Hage on the role his late father played in his development:
As a kid he pushed me hard and had high expectations of me. I think that’s why I hold myself to such a high standard, because of how hard he pushed me, and I expect a lot out of myself. Especially this year, I want to continue to do everything as if he’s watching, to the best of my ability. The biggest thing with him was always controlling what was in my control. A lot of the time, if you worry about what’s in your control, you do a much better job, and things usually work out a lot better.
Hage on speaking French:
[In French] All my family, my parents, were born in Quebec. I was born in Oakville, ON, but from the time I was four years old until I was 12, I went to a French school. After that I went to a hockey school that was English, but I still speak French with my grandparents when I visit Montreal. It’s a bit rusty, but I try.
