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Matvei Michkov finds himself among elite NHL company on his 20th birthday

by Gustav Elvin

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

From Day 1, it's been apparent that Matvei Michkov was no ordinary teenager. Through 26 games he has dazzled offensively with 11 goals and 25 points. His numbers are even better relative to his ice time.

How good exactly? Since Evolving Hockey started tracking points per 60 minutes in 2007-08, Michkov ranks among the best teens in NHL history for this particular statistic. With Michkov celebrating his 20th birthday Monday, here's a look at the five best seasons in terms of points/60 by a teenager over the past 18 seasons.

Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Connor McDavid

STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

Surprise, surprise, McDavid holds another record. Actually, he owns the best two points-per-60 seasons by a teen since 2007-08. He outdid his 3.39 points per 60 as a rookie by averaging 3.46 points per 60 in his sophomore campaign. Not bad.

Steven Stamkos

Yong Kim / AP

Before McDavid burst onto the scene and started gobbling up all these records, Stamkos' 3.39 points per 60 in 2009-10 was the gold standard. Like McDavid, the two-time Stanley Cup champ will have a plaque in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day.

Matvei Michkov

Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

While 26 games is a small sample size, Michkov's 3.37 points/60 places him in rarefied air. The birthday boy is on pace for 34 goals and 77 points. He's the only one of McDavid, Stamkos, and Auston Matthews not to be drafted No. 1 overall.

Auston Matthews

Cole Burston / AP

Another guy bound for the Hall of Fame, Auston Matthews has established himself as one of the top goal scorers in the NHL. In his second season in 2017-18, he averaged 3.36 points per 60, one tick below Michkov's current pace.

We're not putting Michkov into the Hockey Hall of Fame based on 26 games, but the Russian youngster's scintillating start, at least statistically, compares to that of some of the game's all-time greats. Now, isn't an exciting proposition for Flyers fans and the team's future?

Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
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