Flyers draft Russian winger Matvei Michkov with the No. 7 overall pick

NASHVILLE ―The biggest question entering the 2023 NHL draft was which team would select Russian winger Matvei Michkov. It turned out to be the rebuilding Flyers, who determined Michkov was worth the risk at No. 7 overall on Wednesday night.

Michkov, widely considered a top-three talent in this class, began the draft process as the consensus No. 2 pick behind Connor Bedard. But while eventual No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli had an outstanding freshman campaign at the University of Michigan, Michkov was far from the eyes of NHL front offices playing in Russia. Fantilli passed him in the rankings, but Michkov remained a top-tier prospect, albeit one with several question marks.

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

On the ice, Michkov’s offensive talent and upside are rarely questioned, as he’s regarded as the best Russian prospect since Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin were drafted in 2004. He possesses several A-level tools, punctuated by his elite hockey sense and vision on the offensive side of the puck. It is all the other context surrounding Michkov that makes him a risk and resulted in him sliding to No. 7 and being available for the Flyers.

In addition to the lack of live viewings to study intangibles like work habits and teamwork, there was also a lack of interaction. Michkov was hard to get a hold of, and he wasn’t at the combine earlier this month, making it hard to fully evaluate his character or physical measurables. However, the Flyers had the advantage of having scout Ken Hoodikoff in Russia, where he was able to watch Michkov several times in person. The Flyers were also one of the teams that met with Michkov this week ahead of the draft in Nashville to continue to finalize their evaluation of the player.

While the Flyers seem to have received the answers they were looking for in those conversations with Michkov, there are still some questions that remain. Michkov is signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL through the 2025-2026 season and thus will not wear orange and black for some time. No one can predict what the political situation will look like between the United States and Russia by 2026 either, and there are no assurances that Michkov will come over to North America as currently scheduled. But Michkov tried to ease some of those concerns in his first comments as a Flyer.

“[I’m] extremely excited and extremely happy to be with the Philadelphia Flyers,” Michkov said from Nashville through a translator. “This is [my] dream. This is the team [I] wanted to be drafted by.”

Michkov didn’t say specifically when he will be arriving in Philadelphia, but he did make it clear he doesn’t plan on the Flyers’ rebuild taking too long.

“I guess that means we’re going to start winning when I get here,” Michkov added.

Despite the questions, the Flyers now have a potential game-breaker in the pipeline. While not the biggest (the right winger is listed as 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds by NHL Central Scouting), Michkov isn’t purely a finesse player. His immense offensive talent and upside exceed that of other recent Flyers picks like Cutter Gauthier, Tyson Foerster, and Cam York.

The 18-year-old has earned comparisons to Ovechkin, a three-time MVP, due to his production both in junior hockey and as a teenager in the Russian pro ranks. As a 15-year-old, he scored 70 goals and put up 109 points in 26 games for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s Under-16. team. The following year, he scored 38 goals and 56 points in 56 games in Russia’s top junior league. And as a 17-year-old, he scored 30 goals in 28 games in that same league.

This past season, he scored 10 goals in 12 games in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league, before being loaned out by SKA St. Petersburg to last-place Sochi of the KHL. Despite being the youngest player with Sochi, he tallied 20 points in 27 games. His 0.74 points per game with Sochi — excluding his three games when he barely saw ice time with SKA — would be a record for an 18-year-old in Russia’s top league.

Michkov can take over games. He’s a natural goal scorer. He’s got silky puck skills. He’s creative. He’s confident. He also sounds like a competitive guy, based on his post-draft interview.

“Everybody that knows me knows I hate losing,” Michkov said. “I’m going to do whatever I have to. I’m going to work as hard as I have to to make a big impact in Philadelphia.”

On paper, Michkov seems like a major coup for an organization that badly needs to acquire and develop potential game-changers. He has bona fide star potential but he is a bit of a gamble given the aforementioned risks associated with him.

With his first pick as general manager, Danny Brière certainly made a big splash.

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ Kevin Hayes trade shows the reality of the mess Danny Brière inherited. Buckle up for a long rebuild.