Golden Knights prospect Slava Demin eager for NCAA Tournament

DENVER — Slava Demin hasn’t had a chance to introduce himself to the Golden Knights fan base, so here are a couple of tidbits about the defenseman at the University of Denver:

He enjoys surfing.

“I haven’t had the opportunity too much just being away over the summers,” Demin said, “but, yeah, it’s still an activity I enjoy doing with my buddies when I have time.”

And he speaks fluent Russian.

“It’s useful to call my grandparents overseas because they can’t speak English,” Demin joked.

The Knights’ fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft will show off his hockey skills Friday when the No. 2 seed Pioneers (22-11-5) square off with third-seeded Ohio State in the West Region quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in Fargo, N.D.

The game will be televised starting at 1 p.m. Pacific time on ESPNU.

“It’s been kind of a whirlwind of a season coming in over the summer kind of right out of juniors,” Demin said after practice this week. “It’s been a long process for us as a young team to kind of grow together, string some wins together and be able to have this opportunity at the end of the year.”

Demin, whose full name is Stanislav, was born in northern California and introduced to hockey at age 2 by his father, Dmitriy.

His family moved to Cypress, California, when Demin was 8 years old, and he played in the Anaheim Junior Ducks program before spending two seasons in the British Columbia junior league.

Demin, who turns 19 on April 4, has four goals and 10 assists in 38 games, and the 6-foot-2-inch, 194-pounder leads Denver with a plus-20 rating.

“Slava has been a huge part of why we’re at where we’re at,” Pioneers coach David Carle said. “Really proud of his effort and how he’s been able to come along. It’s not easy for a true freshman to come into college hockey, in particular in this conference, and have the impact that he’s had.”

Demin did not participate in the Knights development camp after he was drafted but is looking forward to meeting other players in the organization this summer.

The Knights hold Demin’s contract rights throughout his college career, and he indicated he’s in no rush to sign and turn pro.

“I think for me it’s always been a patient approach to my development,” Demin said. “For me, just look at this weekend and then go from there.”

Workman Scholarship

The club announced the creation of the Mark Workman Scholarship, which will be annually awarded to a senior in the Vegas Junior Golden Knights program.

The scholarship is named after the late amateur scout and goes to the applicant who best exemplifies passion, sportsmanship, team play, work ethic, discipline, community service and academic achievement.

Applications can be submitted until 5 p.m. April 22 at www.vegasgoldenknightsjr.com, and the recipient will be announced in late May.

“We’re excited to introduce this annual award, which will recognize the commitment and character of a graduating Vegas Junior Golden Knights player and also pays tribute to Mark Workman’s impact on and dedication to growing the game of hockey,” said Vegas Golden Knights Director of Hockey Administration Katy Boettinger, who also serves as the Academic Advisor and Scholarship Committee Chair of the Vegas Junior Golden Knights.

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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.