KHL Preseason: An in-depth look at Flyers Prospect Matvei Michkov

Saint Petersburg played 4 games during the preseason, only managing to win one of four. Which does not mean much when the games do not matter but on Tuesday, SKA faced off against Russia U23 and it definitely had a playoff feel. A tough matchup with tons of hits, along with some scrums after whistles.

Matvei Michkov, the main focus for Philadelphia Flyers fans, had a solid preseason. He played all four games at center, opening a new window of possibilities for the already highly talented 18-year-old. Michkov, had only played one game at center before hand. Despite the new experience he did not look phased one bit, it actually gave him more confidence plus the ability to grow as a player.

The 18-year-old Russian played on the second line along side some other highly sought after prospects. 2024 NHL Draft prospect, Ivan Demidov and New Jersey Devils prospect, Arseni Gritsyuk. These three together created nothing but trouble for the opposition, generating the majority of Saint Petersburg's offence.

In game 1 against Avangard, Matvei Michkov, wasted no time getting on the score sheet.

A quick tick tac toe play between Ivan Demidov and Matvei Michkov, that leads to a beautiful shot from Demidov, himself. Michkov, was able to feed the pass through not one or two but three Avangard defenders. Leaving Ivan Demidov wide open, which allowed him to walk into the slot and rip it by the goaltender.

A skill that has gone unnoticed is Matvei Michkov's skill from behind the net. He uses it as a defender in order to create space between himself and an opponent. In the latter stages of the first period he executes a play from behind the net perfectly, feeding the puck on an angle to an open Gritsyuk well skating behind the net; taking the defender with him, Michkov peels off the d-man who pushes into the front of the net, leaving Michkov open back door. Things would quiet down for SKA, allowing AVG to battle back and take the game 3-2.

Saint Petersburg, hoping for a better result would meet Avangard again two days later. AVG jumped out to a two to zip start, flipping the script on last game. However, Michkov, would again find the back of the net after winning a faceoff in the offensive zone, he cut to the front of the net and berries one right on the door step.

That would end up being the only goal for SKA, with a final score of 5-1. In spite of the lose, Saint Petersburg second line created a lot of chances, building chemistry between Demidov and Michkov. The two had a handful of opportunities just could not get the bounces to go their way. Either hitting posts, bodies, or getting beat by the netminder. Nonetheless, the effort was clearly there.

Game 3, Michkov played against a former team that he was loaned to during the 2022-23 season, Sochi.
Off to other hot start, both Michkov and Demidov had three Sochi players focused on them, opening up the ice and set up Gritsyuk perfectly in the slot. The focus in this game appeared to be smaller things, like making sure to win board battles, completing passes, breakouts, winning faceoffs cleanly, etc. That was clearly highlighted throughout Michkov's game, even showing some grit at times. That is another thing that has gone under the radar, Michkov, won't take crap from anyone.

In game 4, fatigued played a big part in Saint Petersburg production. More or less in Matvei especially, taking off more than an edge at times. Anger may have been a factor along with him trying to find his legs in the first. Taking a heavy hit earlier in the period did not help either. In the same shift he caused a turnover but also completed a nice pass that lead to a scoring chance.

It took Michkov till the second period to get on the score sheet with a secondary assist on the power play. Assisting on yet another Ivan Demidov goal, this kid should be the Flyers main draft choice heading into 2024. Especially if both Michkov and him stay in the KHL for three years, the chemistry and talent between the two would be unmatched.

Michkov, to no surprise is seen as a goal scorer, he shows that day in day out. Goal scorers like to find new ways to score and all though the Michigan has now been around for awhile, it doesn't stop players from trying it. Which is exactly what happened in the game against Russia. Matvei Michkov, attempted it but just came up short.

Michkov, all though known for his shooting and goal scoring abilities. Did not shoot the puck a lot throughout the preseason, having 10 shots in 50+ minutes of ice time across 4 games played. Not to mention, he still scored two goals and probably had another six shots that just missed the net or rang off the post.

An area fans were concerned about, was Michkov's defence and back check. Against Russia his back check was more productive, skating hard to the puck, usually beating out Russia players or seemingly coming out of nowhere and swiping the puck off an opponents stick. He also used his size in order to crash the net and dig for loose pucks, not just to try and score but to get under players skin.

In total across four games, Matvei Michkov ended with 2 goals, 3 assists, for a total of 5 points. Had over 40 shifts, 54:48 minutes of ice time, 10 shots on goal, went 13-for-28 on faceoffs, 5 hits, and 1-for-3 in shootout attempts. He also did a lot that goes unnoticed due to it not being on the score sheet, tons of little things that will help SKA win a lot of hockey games this season.