Montreal Canadiens Prospect Alexander Zharovsky IMPRESSES in KHL Debut!

Montreal Canadiens Prospect Alexander Zharovsky IMPRESSES in KHL Debut!

Welcome to a brand new week. There he is. Marco Demo with yours truly. I am Sean Star. Lots to get to today. Uh but right off the hop, let’s welcome some brand new partners uh to the Star and Demo Show right here on youtube.com where all of your favorite audio podcast platforms uh can be found. Say hello to our friends cheapest t-shirts.ca. You can find them where you need them at cheapest t-shirts.ca. If you’re looking for the cheapest prices on wholesale apparel in this country, you’ll find them at cheapest t-shirts.ca. They’re proudly Canadian and trusted by thousands of customers from coast to coast. And they deliver unbeatable value every day. You’ll always get the cheapest prices, plus sameday shipping and even next day delivery so your order arriv so your order arrives fast. With over 1,000 products and more than 36 trusted brands, head over to cheapest-shirts.ca, the go-to source for teams, businesses, events, apparel printing companies, and resailers. Proud sponsor of the show, Marco Demo. Good morning. Good morning, Sean. I mean, that’s that’s just the first of the of our announcements in terms of sponsorship for this year, but we’re very happy to have cheapest t-shirts.ca amongst our crew so that we can continue to bring some really awesome content for you guys, our listeners. Um, I mean, without further ado, I mean, we just talked about cheapest t-shirts. Um, one of one of the one of the next, uh, sponsors that we’re going to be introducing here is a little bit of an exciting prospect for me. Uh, we have, uh, the honor of bringing on MLAN’s Pub, uh, who, if you don’t know, is is a Montreal staple, known for its lively atmosphere, great beer selection, welcoming crowds. I mean, whether you’re going there to watch a hockey game or enjoying the live music or just hanging out with friends, it’s the perfect spot to soak in this city’s energy. I find uh it’s a true downtown favorite and it just delivers that classic pub vibe with that Montreal twist that you know I think you would want to be a part of, especially if I don’t know, maybe a Shawn Star and Marco Demo show happening live perhaps at a bar some October 22nd maybe. October 22nd maybe, but we’ll definitely get more details for you guys in that regard. So, we’d again just like to very much welcome on Cheapest T-shirts.ca and MLAN’s Pub. Uh, two of our main sponsors this year. Uh, I feel like it’s going to be a really good ride. And of course, uh, thanks as always to Little Bear and Littlebearonline.com. Uh, proudly serving your pets needs in the community. Uh, right across the street, of course, uh, from West Mount Square on St. Catherine. Uh, proudly familyowned and operated. Did they care about your pet’s needs as much as you do? Visit them online at littlebearonline.com. Marco Demo, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the Montreal Canadians offseason, which takes us overseas. Um, the latest edition coming from Alexander Zarovski as the Montreal Canadians prospect made his KHL uh debut. And uh good I don’t know if this is good news, bad news. He plays on a pretty bad team in the KHL, but could the could could the good news be that he’s not going to get the demol treatment, meaning he’s going to see a lot of ice time and get a lot of minutes? Your reaction here? Yeah, I mean, for a uh KHL season debut, I think he had himself quite a game. Obviously, a goal, assist, uh 15 minutes of ice time, two minutes of power play time, so seemingly going to use him in in a top six scenario. So, I I think you’re not going to see much of the politics necessarily unless obviously his game starts to, you know, tail off uh some of the details, you know, missing or, you know, missing defensive missions and stuff like that. That’s where you kind of see KHL coaches come down with the hammer a little harder than you would normally in North America, right? Because in North America, it’s all about development until you get to the NHL. In in Europe, quite the opposite. Uh they don’t really care. it’s what can you do for me today? And so as much promise as a guy like Alexander Sherovski does have, you gotta you got to be able to help at both ends of the ice. So that’s the that’s the one thing to watch with him. Now, obviously, if we’re going to talk about, you know, where he slots in. Um, at RG Media, we spoke to Ufa head coach, uh, Victor Klov about this, and he was adamant. He’s like, I’m not going to do him any favors, but man, there’s an opportunity for him to to steal a top nine role, if not a top six role on this team if he comes in guns ablazing. Now, the only thing that happened negatively with Jerovki, to be completely honest with you, wasn’t even an on ice thing. He injured his ankle playing basketball and was out for, you know, about 10 days accordingly. And so, missed the first couple uh missed the first two weeks, I believe, of KHL action. And so in his first game, one goal, one assist, one very pretty assist, may I add, if anybody hasn’t seen it, I invite you to go and look for it. Yeah. Um but again showing off the skill and the hands that made him such a coveted piece at the end of the second round where a lot of teams had they known and this is what I found out at the draft. A lot of teams had they known that he was going to be available or wasn’t going to be available past 34th probably would have made the move to pick him in the late first round. So it is an interesting pick. I’m still we still have to see in terms of his overall implication and commitment to to both ends of the ice and and obviously how he’s going to round out his game, but in terms of the pure offensive instincts, uh you definitely see what the Canadians liked in him. Just to expand on that, right, um it was a very very strong uh KHL debut for Zaroski. Uh as Marco alluded to, a goal, two points, two shots on net, uh close to 15 and a half minutes of ice time. And for me, uh, getting over two minutes on the on the power play, which, you know, I take you back to the first question, like that’s a good chunk of minutes, those are cherry minutes, especially on the power play. But as most fans, right, I mean, I I’m not deep on all things Continental Hockey League. I’m reminded of the time I was on a broadcast for a couple of seasons, uh, covering the Montreal Juniors, of which Pascal Venison was their head coach for a stretch. And, uh, everybody loves comps. Everybody loves talking about, oh, Louis has a Mike Richards similarity, uh, former Philadelphia Flyer forward, right? Like, everybody wants comps. Um, what can you tell the audience as we begin to learn more about Alex Zarovski and and the type of player? Not, you know, we’re not going to go crazy, but the similarities that perhaps are relatable to the NHL fan watching, listening to us today. I don’t that’s a that’s a tough one really to to look because yeah he has the size he has the elusiveness the hands right like you know stylewise whatever I say is going to be taken and thrown into every single article for the next seven days so at this point I’m I’m screwed one way or the other but I see like his the way he possesses the puck the way he touches the puck and is able to stick handle with the puck I there’s that Rick Nash element I find. Excellent. Right. Like you remember how good he was with that? I’m not saying he’s gonna be Rick Nash, but that that that kind of power um skill stick handling combination is exactly what we saw on his first go on his uh on his assist the other day. And I feel like again, he’s not he’s not going to be Rick Nash, but I’m saying, you know, that kind of style of of player is is the intriguing part because he does play he isn’t afraid to mix it up along the boards either. I’m, you know, I’m trying to think of a better comp like off the top of my head right now just to kind of see what like what kind of player would you could best compare him to. But, you know, it’s he the reason why it’s hard to find a direct comp for a player like that is because they’re rare, right? And that’s why when you see a player like that that can play, you know, the the gritty game, but also bring the skills and also has the hands and also has, you know, the the the vision for for for the offense, you know, it very much speaks to that unicornesque style of of play, right? Like the way I see it, he’s a stick handling more passer version of a Zachary Balzuk for example. If anybody wants like a a comparable style, which is the Canadians are looking for those kinds of players. Zachary Balzuk is more of a shoot first kind of guy. Obviously, you know, couple 50 goal seasons in the queue. I feel like Gerovski is more balanced but ers to the playmaking side of things, right? I I I’d still like to see him improve his shooting mechanics. Uh but you definitely see what they like in him. So it it’s it’s good to see that he can handle himself in the KHL. The only thing is, and I’ve always said this, in the KHL, it’s the first couple of games are fun. It’s interesting to see where these guys are in December, January. I think that’s the most telling. Like if your game continues to evolve, like we saw Deidov evolve last year and continue to to rise in terms of his performance. notwithstanding his minutes, just like his his game obviously took a took an upswing regardless of of the usage. I feel the same thing if it applies to Gerovski. You know, I’ve had a lot of folks in the KHL reach out and say like, you know, there’s a potential for this guy to be in the running for KHL Rookie of the Year. And I think that’s that speaks to the appreciation of a guy like Gerovski because a lot of people in the KHL that I’ve wrote spoken to are kind of knocking themselves for not jumping on this kid earlier and letting UFA, you know, a smaller market team Yeah. you know, get their hands on him. Well, I want to expand on that. I got, you know, a couple of more key points before we move on. Right. And by the way, thanks for uh being with us and thanks for obviously your loyalty as the march to 20,000 subscribers continues on and of course you’re part of that a journey a journey and a very integral part of it at that. But I I want to talk about um the advantage the Canadians have. Like reading about Alex Zarovski suggesting a lot of people are writing and saying that he has all the talent of a first round pick, but he wasn’t chosen in the he was chosen obviously very early in the second round at 34th overall. But I’m curious about do the Canadians with that with that being said, do the Habs have an a huge advantage with the Bobrav connection within the Canadians infrastructure as it relates to scouting Russian players that maybe fly under the radar? How big of an edge do the Habs have as far as you’re concerned? I think for all teams outside of the Carolina Hurricanes, um, you know, they want to see these players play live. I think that’s the key like their head scouts will put more value into the scouting reports if those scouting reports are done live and the issue is that there’s not a lot of there’s not a lot of like head scouts that have that are able to go to Russia but because Nick Babrov has the Russian passport he’s able to go and you know as he pleases and so when he went to meet with uh Ivan Deidov about 11 months ago uh He was also able to sit down with Alexander Gerovski and watch his games and get to know him and a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And obviously like his play caught his eye because Gerovski, you talk about progression curve, Jerovski wasn’t even ranked rated at this time last year and then by the end of the year he was the fifth ranked skater in the European uh section of central scouting, right? So, like that’s quite a jump. And so, you know, the Canadians caught out early because obviously Bob Brav has those connections in Russia and that’s what leads to being able to find some of these diamonds in the rough. I’m not saying that, you know, he’s going to be the next big thing. But in terms of taking a swing and and doing your homework and and and being able to really kind of get to the crux of it, I think yes, that’s an advantage for the Montreal Canadians. though, you know, I wouldn’t make it a habit of consistently spending your high picks in Russia just because, you know, because of that advantage. You also have to have a bigger picture, which I’m sure the Canadians do and and you know, the way that they were talking um and what I had known, you know, they had an eye not only on the KHL, but they they were also looking at players heading to the NCAA. So like there the advantage that you have is that drafting out of the NCAA, drafting out of Russia, it gives you time, right? You could space these guys out. It’s a whole lot better to play a guy like Alexander Zerovski an extra year in Ufa where he would be guaranteed top six minutes versus maybe sending him to Laval at the age of 19 and having him, you know, twaddle on a fourth line like we saw Florian Jackie and and Owen Beck towards the the tail end of last season. So that’s the strategy and I feel like that’s what makes it easier. Same same applies for a guy like Michael H for example who can go to Michigan and play uh as opposed to having to fight it out for a bottom six role in Laval this year. Yeah. And I suppose I guess that’s the you know the final point about you know where the Canadians are at. Whether you think their rebuild is over or not. I don’t want to debate that right here but they’re obviously a lot closer to the end of it than they are at the start of it. I think we can all find common ground there. So, with that being said, like you know, Ivon Deidov obviously had all of this mystique around him uh about his potential, the massive high ceiling, the undeniable skill set with the hands and and everything else. I get the sense that, uh, you know, the Canadian’s going to be a little bit more patient and I think the fan base will be a little bit more patient. Like, what do you figure the timeline is in terms of, you know, obviously we’re talking about a kid who just made his KHL debut. The timeline between the debut and when he comes to North America, how conservative do you think it’s going to be? His contract expires June 1st, 2027. That’s when he’s coming. It’s simple as that. Unless Ufa lets him go early, I’ll you know, the way that SCA let Demidov, you know, go a little early. And there’s an advantage to that. Obviously, if you let a player go, like if you if you come to a mutual contract termination like Scott and Demidov did, then you retain his KHL rights forever. So, that would be the logic in this case for UFA if it comes to it next year. But, they’re going through financial issues. So, we’ll see what team uh we’ll see what team Gerovski is playing for next year. Hopefully, it’s Ufa because he seems comfortable there. But right uh you know things are uh a little um unstable from a monetary fund in Russia. So we’ll see kind of what happens there. Uh as per the question of like taking your time I think that once you start putting blocks into place on the main roster that you would envision are going to be there even if it’s a stop gap like a Patrick Lene. I think it affords you more time with some of these other guys because I don’t think what’s going to make the Montreal Canadians a contender is necessarily just the players they the main players that they draft. What’s going to make them contenders is that they’re going to have a consistent wheel of younger players that are going to consistently try to grab roster spots and and and surpass themselves. And I go back to the Detroit model of the uh late 90s, early 2000s. Oh boy. Where they had guys just over marinating in Grand Rapids in the American Hockey League for two, three years uh to the point where teams would be calling, hey, what’s your plan with this guy? Uh and then eventually you you either make a move via trade or uh they push somebody on your main roster out and you you use that player that they leave for free agency or that you trade them for another asset to better your team. But at the end of the day, you’re consistently pushing the level higher because you have internal competition or that internal competition is turning into asset value appreciation. One way or the other, it’s benefiting your organization. And I think that’s a perfect segue. You talk about benefiting the organization in in the timeline, you know, with Zoroski’s contract in June of 2027 coming to an end. We’ll see what happens obviously, you know, as we move forward here. Um, but with the potential of Ivon Deidov well established as it relates to the Zarovski timeline, should he come over? Like I know we’re big on mentorship. We’re big on especially someone coming from a foreign land over here completely different culture, different language. Uh, it’s not easy for everybody to integrate themselves. Sometimes you need a little bit of help there. They are not saying Zarovski needs to be handheld, but I think having, you know, some comforts of home that are relatable in many, many different layers is obviously beneficial to a player’s development. So, uh, we’ll have eyes on this. Marco Demiko especially will have eyes on on this Canadian’s prospect as he made his KHL debut and, uh, looked pretty good in it with over two minutes of power play time and over 15 minutes of all-around ice time and finished with two points. Uh, there’s Marco De Mo. You can follow him at M and Demo. Read all the latest at RG. Big thanks to our sponsors at cheapestt.ca, littlebear at littlebearonline.com, and of course, your home for Montreal Canadians hockey, home or away, that’s MLAN’s Pub on Peele Street in downtown Montreal. Marco Demo, thanks as always and uh keep it locked to YouTube.com because we have a lot more content coming up starting tomorrow.

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Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Zharovsky just made a huge statement in his KHL debut! The young forward picked up a goal and an assist with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, showing why Habs fans should keep a close eye on his development.

Shaun Starr and Marco D’Amico break down Zharovsky’s first game, what this performance means for the Canadiens’ prospect pool, and how the KHL could help shape his path to the NHL.

Is Zharovsky a future impact player for the Canadiens? Can he bring his offensive game to Montreal in the coming years? We dive into his style of play, his potential role with the Habs, and how he stacks up against other top Montreal prospects.

If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan looking for the latest news, analysis, and updates on Habs prospects, this is the video for you.

📌 Topics Covered:

Alexander Zharovsky’s KHL debut highlights
Canadiens prospect pool breakdown
How KHL experience impacts NHL development
What Zharovsky’s future could mean for the Habs

More

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