Dec 20: SKA has officially announced the loan, sending Michkov to Sochi for the rest of the year.
Dec 19: As the 2023 World Junior Championship gets closer, hockey fans are focused on the next wave of talent. Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli will show why they are expected to go at the very top of next year’s draft, while competing against the best players in their age group from all over the world.
Well, not all over the world. Russia has been banned from the upcoming tournament because of its invasion of Ukraine, meaning Matvei Michkov – another top prospect – won’t get to compete.
Instead, Michkov is set to join the worst team in the KHL for the rest of the season as reports out of Russia have him loaned to HC Sochi. Though it may seem like a demotion, given his place with powerhouse club SKA St. Petersburg, it should allow the young forward to actually receive some regular playing time. So far this year he has played just a handful of shifts in the KHL, spending most of his time in the VHL, where he has 10 goals in 12 games.
Michkov, 18, is a very interesting prospect when it comes to the draft. Compared to Alex Ovechkin at times as he grew up, there is an expectation that he will become the next face of Russian hockey. If there weren’t other complicating factors, he would be pushing Bedard for the first overall selection.
The biggest of those factors is his contract, which will keep him in Russia through the 2025-26 season. This loan to Sochi does not extend or shorten his deal with SKA; it only gives him an opportunity to play through the end of the year.
Any team that selects him will have to wait, and though he is expected to come to North America when his contract is up, there is no guarantee of that just yet.
This opportunity, though, will be able to give NHL front offices a bit of a closer look (at least through video) before committing to a several-year wait. If he can show off for Sochi, even in a losing effort – the club is dead last in the KHL – the hype surrounding his future will only increase.
I wouldn’t compare him to Ovechkin. Ovi is a power forward, goal scorer, and big hitter. Michkov is silky smooth, smaller and a good setup guy. Comparable is Patrick Kane. The youngster closest to Ovi in style is Capitals draft pick Ivan Miroshnichenko
How can he be a set up guy when his stats are only goals? He’s hammering the puck every time I’m seeing him touching the puck. He miss foot step for his little size and tonight I’ve just watch three game of him in the VHL and I understand why he’s not playing in KHL, he’s unidimensionnal, he’s a compulsive trigger man, skating like a bloc, very few agility, we can see Matvei only on the PP, not at even strenght. Ovi at the same age was a very dynamic and a ”under your skin” type, he was agressive in forecheck and shooting from everywhere. He was creating turnover a lot, he was a very exciting player with speed. If you want to see a Patrick Kane, good news thats this year and that kind of breath taking guy are really rare, please follow Andrew Cristall, the guy is a so talented that you’ll need the replay fonction a lot, probably the most skill guys since McD. Bedard is very good in all aspects but Cristall is dominant in the skills category.