Matvei Michkov and Connor Bedard set to face off for first time since 2021 U18 World Championship

It has been a while since Matvei Michkov and Connor Bedard squared off.

But if it’s anything like that May 2021 game in the heart of Texas, there’s a good chance it will be entertaining as the two battle it out for bragging rights.

The two prospects, who wouldn’t even be drafted until 2023 — Bedard went first to the Chicago Blackhawks and Michkov was nabbed No. 7 by the Flyers — went toe-to-toe in the gold medal game of the 2021 U18 World Championship. They each played a hand in the game that eventually went to the North American squad.

» READ MORE: The language barrier makes coaching Matvei Michkov difficult for John Tortorella. Here’s how he’s adjusting.

In the opening frame, Bedard, 15, cut through the Russian defense and whipped a backhander past the netminder to tie the game at 1. The goal came after he was upset on the bench following an unsuccessful penalty shot and a bad backcheck on Russia’s opening goal. He told TSN during the first intermission that he knew he “needed one to pay the guys back.”

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Russia’s opening goal came off the stick of Michkov. At just 16 years old, he dominated the Frisco, Texas, tournament.

His goal came after defenseman Brandt Clarke, now a member of the Los Angeles Kings, stepped up to play Daniil Lazutin in Canada’s defensive zone. Michkov had just come off the bench and scooped up the shot before whipping the puck past goalie Benjamin Gaudreau from the slot. He added two more assists in the game.

Russia would lose, 5-3, but Michkov was named the tournament’s MVP after netting 12 goals — two fewer than the record held by Alex Ovechkin and Cole Caufield — and 16 points. Bedard, the youngest gold medalist in the tournament’s history, finished with 14 points and equaled the Canadian points record set by Connor McDavid.

“It will be a regular game, like every other game, [but] it’s really cool to play against players like Bedard,” Michkov said this week through a team translator. ”He’s very talented with a really good shot, very good vision of the field. It’s always great to play against players like this, but we will play for the win.”

The two teenagers enter the game on Saturday (1 p.m., NHLN, NBCSP) as they try to find their footing in the NHL.

Last season, Bedard won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie after notching 61 points in 68 games, but he has struggled in his sophomore campaign. He has 15 points in 20 games but hasn’t scored in 11 straight and was recently moved from center to wing.

“I could name 100 things [I could be doing better],” Bedard told reporters in Chicago on Friday. “I don’t know, man. It has been frustrating, for sure. I just don’t feel like I’m really doing anything. So [I’ll] just keep chipping away at it, I guess, and hopefully find my game again.

“It has been a tough stretch. You just feel like you don’t have it or whatever, and you lose a bit of confidence. And [it] just kind of goes on.”

Bedard is now the left wing on a line with Jason Dickinson and right wing Joey Anderson. The trio have been together for three games. And, while Bedard is struggling, Flyers forward Noah Cates said, “You give him an inch and he’ll take a mile.”

“I think you just got to be a little more aware,” Flyers forward Ryan Poehling said about Bedard’s being a winger. “I think as a wing, maybe you’re able to cheat a little bit more whereas a center you’re kind of waiting for the play to come to you down low, you can’t really read and react. So maybe that might be a difference.”

At the same time, Michkov is tied with Logan Stankoven of the Dallas Stars — who also played in the gold-medal game for Canada — for the most points by a rookie. He has six goals and 15 points in 18 games but has been a healthy scratch for a pair of games and is a “work in progress” when it comes to his defensive game and puck support at five-on-five.

“There’s still a lot of things that need to be worked on,” coach John Tortorella said Friday. “I think he’s been getting better [at] understanding me on the bench; that’s the hard part for me, is within the game itself. I don’t have enough time to go down there and make sure he understands. ... I think that’s getting better. I think he’s trying. I think there’s a lot we need to work on.

“We talked about this in the summer. We knew he was going to help our power play. The power play, I won’t say a word to him. Go play. He’s the one who sees the ice the way he does and does some great things with that. But the five-on-five play, we knew that’s going to take time.

“He’s coming here and in the best league of the world, 19-year-old, and he’s not going to pick everything up right away, so the onus is on us to try to help him through that.”

Having him paired with Cates has to be helping. Cates is a 200-foot centerman who has speed and a strong forecheck but is known more for his defensive game and strong stick and can balance out Michkov as he gets used to playing at the NHL level. For his part, Michkov does have a plus-minus of plus-2 in the three games they have started together; he was minus-5 in the 15 prior games.

» READ MORE: The Flyers see a young Sean Couturier in Noah Cates, who is emerging as the team’s top penalty-killer

“Yep, I think we talked about it a little bit, just staying close,” Cates said about Michkov’s puck support the last few games. “In the offensive zone making quick little plays. In the neutral zone, obviously, I think he has such a skill set where he can find that open space and get his breaks. But for 90% of the game, I think he’s been coming a little closer, but when he sees an opening he takes it. That’s part of maturing and learning this league and I think he’s done a good job of that.”

Tortorella doesn’t want added pressure on Michkov. He loves his competitiveness but wants to ensure that they “teach him the other part” of the game. The bench boss leans on assistant coaches Rocky Thompson and Darryl Williams to make sure he is understanding concepts and in-game adjustments — and an iPad. It’s a useful tool, but Tortorella also wants him to watch the action in front of him.

“He was taking that iPad every shift, I think watching his plays. But I think it’s really important that a young guy watches how the game’s being played, too, and watching the momentums of the game as far as what’s going on,” Tortorella said. “Because that may determine, instead of him trying to make a play and make a little backhand pass in the middle of the ice, when we’re getting it fed to us, sometimes even him has to get the puck in. We’re trying to let him go. But there’s certain times in the game we have to fight another day, I think he misses that when he’s always looking at the iPad.”

Goalie Aleksei Kolosov will start against the Blackhawks. ...Forward Travis Konecny did not participate in practice Friday. During Wednesday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, he was seen favoring his side on the bench early in the game. According to Flyers PR, he had a maintenance day. ... Tortorella wasn’t sure about his lineup for Saturday, but based on defensive pairings in practice, it looks like Cam York may return. York, who has been on injured reserve since Oct. 26 with an upper-body injury, took the majority of reps with his usual partner, Travis Sanheim. ... Tortorella did say that Saturday’s lineup was in flux because of roster spots and players on injured reserve, but did think Morgan Frost will suit up and is “really anxious to see him play.” The center was a healthy scratch for four of the last five games. ... Tortorella did not have an update on any of the injured defensemen, but Emil Andrae also took reps with the regulars, including on the power play. Jamie Drysdale practiced for the first time without a non-contact injury.

» READ MORE: The Flyers continue to play musical chairs on the blue line but reinforcements could be on the way

The Haverford Ice Hockey Club, a scholastic club for ice hockey in Haverford Township, is holding its annual “Night Before Thanksgiving” rivalry game between Haverford High School and Springfield High School. The two varsity squads will hit the ice at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at the Haverford Skatium in Havertown. Entering the weekend, Haverford (3-0-0) is ranked second and Springfield (1-3-0) is fourth in the Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League’s Central National Division. ... On Monday, Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education volunteers, including student-athletes, coaches, and alumni, will distribute Thanksgiving meals to residents of the Kensington section of Philadelphia. In partnership with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Snider Hockey will assist in providing holiday meals at the Scanlon Recreation Center.

Around the rink is a new segment every Friday, highlighting the local ice, ball, and inline hockey scene. Submit entries with the subject line: Around the Rink by Friday mornings to jspiegel@inquirer.com.