It is pretty common for NHL teams to bring out a former player, current player or special guest to announce their first-round pick every year.
The Montreal Canadiens upped the ante on that during the first round of Friday’s draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas when they brought out music legend Celine Dion to announce the selection of forward Ivan Demidov with the No. 5 overall pick.
As far as celebrities go, that is about as good of a get as the NHL could get for a moment like this.
Dion has had several long-standing residencies in Las Vegas over the years and has been a mainstay with the city’s entertainment scene. She is also a huge fan of the Canadiens so it was all a perfect fit.
As for the pick itself, Demidov is an outstanding selection for the Canadiens and a potential steal even at No. 5.
Demidov is arguably the second-most talented player in the draft behind only No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini. NHL teams, however, are sometimes hesitant to draft players out of Russia because they are never sure how long it will take them to make the jump over to the NHL.
Demidov could end up being worth the risk and could give the Canadiens the type of impact goal-scorer they desperately need for their rebuild.