What to know about top Flyers draft pick Matvei Michkov

The Flyers launched their rebuild with a big bet on talent and upside, taking Russian winger Matvei Michkov with the No. 7 overall pick in the NHL draft.

From a talent perspective, Michkov is widely considered to have one of the highest ceilings of any prospect in this draft class. But he slid to the seventh pick and the Flyers largely because of concerns over when he will make the move to North America. Michkov’s talent was ultimately too much for first-year general manager Danny Brière to pass up as the Flyers walked across the stage Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ big swing for Matvei Michkov could prove to be a ‘home run’ for their rebuild

Here’s everything you need to know about the newest Flyer and why we might not see him donning orange and black anytime soon.

Michkov is an 18-year-old right winger from Perm, Russia, a city located near the Ural Mountains. He has long been considered a top Russian prospect, and at seventh overall, he became the highest-drafted Russian forward since Carolina took Andrei Svechnikov No. 2 in 2018. NHL Central Scouting lists him at 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds.

Michkov is on the books at Kontinental Hockey League team SKA St. Petersburg (more on that later), but he spent most of last season on loan at fellow KHL side HC Sochi. As the youngest player with an overmatched Sochi team, Michkov racked up nine goals and 20 points in 27 games.

Really good. For most of the draft process, Michkov was ranked the No. 2 overall prospect, even to the extent that at points early last year some analysts were arguing that he should be in conversation alongside Connor Bedard to be the No. 1 overall pick. Michkov ultimately finished ranked No. 2 among European skaters (behind Leo Carlsson) on Central Scouting’s final list. He is regarded by several draft analysts as Russia’s top draft prospect since Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in 2004.

Michkov has excelled at every age level in Russia, posting an absurd 70 goals and 109 points in 26 games as a 15-year-old with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s Under-16 team. He followed that up with a 38-goal season and 56 points in 56 games as a 16-year-old in Russia’s top junior league, the MHL. At 17, he scored 30 goals and 51 points in just 28 games.

Last year, while on loan with Sochi, Mickov put up record-breaking numbers for an 18-year-old in the KHL. His 0.74 point-per-game clip with the team was the best ever for a draft-eligible player his age in Russia’s top league. He is viewed to have the second-best upside of any player in the 2023 class.

Michkov is a goal scorer first and foremost, but there are several other aspects to his game.

In addition to lighting the lamp, Michkov is a brilliant playmaker who thinks and processes the game at a different level offensively. While his shot and puckhandling abilities are also elite, his hockey sense might be his best attribute. This shines most with his vision and passing, as Michkov both anticipates plays before they happen and has the physical skill to pull them off.

Michkov tends to be direct offensively and creates chances at a high level. He is an offensive savant who has several tools, including a ruthless ability to score goals, that make him a nightmare for opposing defenses. The on-ice questions with him largely center on his skating and defensive commitment. While his skating is far from a liability, he isn’t a burner, and his effort in his own end could be described as inconsistent.

While being one of this draft’s biggest talents, Michkov slid to No. 7 because of availability concerns.

He is signed for three more years with SKA St. Petersburg, and is not expected to move to North America until the completion of his KHL contract. There is no guarantee he comes over then, either, although Michkov said Wednesday through a translator that “I’m hoping as soon as I can get out, I’m going to come over.”

» READ MORE: Russian prospect Matvei Michkov presents a dilemma for every team — but even more so for the Flyers

Given past contract delays with Russian NHL players like Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov, some NHL teams are wary of taking KHL players who are signed to long-term deals. The geopolitical relationship between Russia and the United States surrounding the invasion of Ukraine and how it has impacted sports in recent years could also theoretically complicate things further.

This played a role in the scouting process, as teams did not get many live looks at Michkov in the KHL and also missed out on seeing the player internationally with Russia banned from IIHF tournaments. The Flyers did have scout Ken Hoodikoff based in Russia. Hoodikoff scouted Michkov in person, and the team’s brass met with him twice once Michkov landed in the United States in the days leading up to the draft.

Probably not. The Flyers are clearly rebuilding, and if Michkov comes over in three seasons, that probably aligns well with their timeline for being competitive.

The Flyers aren’t in a rush for Michkov, and the organization and fans need to be patient. The sentiment that Michkov will never come over is far-fetched and the chances of that happening are probably close to 0%. Michkov said Wednesday: “I want to be a Flyer. I want to play in a hockey market.”

It is also important to clarify that Michkov’s situation is much different from that of goalie Ivan Fedotov. While Fedotov was blocked from moving to North America and joining the Flyers last season, that was due to an alleged evasion of military service, which would be a violation of Russian law. Michkov has not broken any Russian laws that we know of and we shouldn’t assume he won’t come over in three years.

While Ovechkin is the player most often associated with Michkov given both players’ prolific goal-scoring numbers as teenagers, they are different players stylistically for a couple of reasons. The biggest difference? He is not the brute physical force that Ovechkin was in his prime.

A better comp might be Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. Michkov’s size compares to Kucherov’s (5-11, 183 pounds), as does his vision and playmaking ability. While Michkov might project as more of a goal scorer, the way he attacks in the offensive zone has drawn similarities to Kucherov, a former Hart Trophy winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion.