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Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov meets Phillies’ Rob Thomson, takes in his first baseball game

The Flyers prospect from Russia, who threw out the first pitch, gave Thomson a signed hockey stick and got back a No. 39 Phillies jersey.

Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Phillies played the New York Yankees on Monday.
Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Phillies played the New York Yankees on Monday.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Matvei Michkov picked a good matchup for the first baseball game of his life.

The Flyers’ top prospect arrived stateside last week and was photographed at JFK Airport wearing a Phillies hat. But Michkov, who is from Perm, Russia, hasn’t actually had much exposure to America’s pastime — he has never even caught a game on TV before. But that changed Monday when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the series opener between the Phillies and Yankees.

Michkov, making his first public appearance in Philadelphia, was accompanied to Citizens Bank Park by his translator, Slava Kuznetsov, and Flyers teammates Tyson Foerster, Joel Farabee, and Cam York.

Drafted seventh overall by the Flyers in 2023, Michkov was not expected to reach North America until 2026-27, when his contract expired with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. But the top prospect’s timeline accelerated significantly this summer when Michkov was granted a release by SKA and signed his entry-level deal with the Flyers.

Several Phillies stopped to chat with him in the dugout pregame. Michkov also met with Phillies manager Rob Thomson, a native of Sarnia, Ontario, and lifelong hockey fan.

» READ MORE: Matvei Michkov’s future teammates say his talent is ‘definitely not falsely advertised’

“He seems like a good guy,” Thomson said. “He’s excited to be here, he loves the city, and I’m excited to see him play.”

Michkov gave Thomson a signed hockey stick, while Thomson presented the new Flyers forward with a customized Michkov No. 39 Phillies jersey.