Michkov the Magician

Flyers’ Rookie Matvei Michkov is Taking the League by Storm

Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov is turning heads with his goal-scoring, his dazzling playmaking, and his surprisingly hard-nosed play.

He’s also turning heads because, quite simply, he gets it.

Not just on the ice, but by the humble and unassuming way he carries himself — and by the way he treats his teammates and fans.

Example: In a 3-2 overtime win over St. Louis, Michkov scored the game-winner and his teammates presented him with the Player of the Game belt in the locker room. Michkov was grateful, but modest.

Goalie Aleksei Kolosov was more deserving, Michkov said.

“Koly was the best player,” Michkov, a right winger, said as he walked the belt to his teammate in the locker room.

Example II: With 16.3 seconds left in a 4-2 loss to visiting Utah on Dec. 8, Michkov was ejected and, as he walked to the locker room, a young fan leaned from their seat and asked for his autograph on a water bottle. Michkov, who had blood on his chin from a skirmish that got him ejected, obliged.

Now that’s getting it.

“Should have signed it in blood,” cracked Al Morganti on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast.

Could be Award Winner

Michkov just turned 20, and he could become the first Flyer to ever win the Rookie of the Year award. At the press deadline in mid-December, he led NHL rookies in goals (11), power-play goals (5), and points (27 in 29 games) – and had already established himself as the Flyers’ most exciting player.

By far.

Despite his small stature (5-foot-10, 172 pounds), the ultra-intense Michkov has also shown he will mix it up with bigger opponents.

 “He’s got some jam to him,” coach John Tortorella said.

But it’s his high hockey IQ that has been his calling card. His teammates, aware of Michkov’s uncanny ability to make a smart play in limited space, need to be ready to receive a pass at all times.

“He is really exceptional. His vision on the ice and his compete level are really high,” said Bill Barber, a Hall of Fame player who is now a senior advisor with the Flyers. “He sees a lot of things that a lot of hockey players don’t see, and he’s not afraid of traffic. He goes to the areas where you have to get a little bit dirty to succeed.”

Michkov is particularly dangerous – and creative – behind the goal line, and he has bolstered the Flyers’ power play. He shows off his creativity in three-on-three overtimes, where he has more skating room and has three game-winning goals – all scored when he was 19.

The Russian right winger is on pace to collect 29 goals, which would be the seventh-highest total in franchise history among rookies, behind only Eric Lindros (41 goals in 1992-93), Mikael Renberg (38 in 1993-94), Brian Propp (34 in 1979-80), Ron Flockhart  (33 goals in 1981-82), Dave Poulin (31 in 1983-84), and Barber (30 in 1972-73).

Michkov compares favorably with some of the Flyers’ recent stars. Former Flyer Claude Giroux, for instance, scored 16 goals for the Orange and Black during his first full NHL season, and Mike Richards managed 11 goals in his rookie year with Philly.

“He has a knack for scoring,” defenseman Travis Sanheim told reporters after Michkov deposited two goals in a 4-3 overtime loss in Boston. “He puts himself in a good position to score. That’s just the type of player he is.”

Flyers’ Gamble Pays

Michkov always had a high ceiling, always had a super-star-in-the-making label.

But because he was under contract with Russia’s KHL – and there were questions about whether he would ever come to North America – he slipped to No.7 in the 2023 draft, even though he was regarded as the No. 2 overall player, behind only Chicago’s Connor Bedard.

To their credit, Flyers general manager Danny Briere and draft guru Brent Flahr took a chance on Michkov, who has quickly become the face of the franchise.

“It’s pretty impressive what he’s done already,” Briere said.

When the Flyers signed Michkov in the summer, Briere was direct.

“We don’t have anyone like him in the organization, as far as a player, as far as the skill level.” he said at the time. “He’s got a lot to learn …. But we never thought that when we drafted him it would result in him coming over a year later, so that’s really exciting.”

When the Flyers drafted Michkov, they didn’t think he would play for them until 2026-27 because of his three-year contract in Russia’s KHL.

But Michkov was released from his contract by SKA St. Petersburg in June. Michkov wanted to go to the NHL, and his KHL team, knowing Michkov’s father, Andrey, died unexpectedly at age 51 last year, felt the young man deserved a break. According to Michkov, his father couldn’t wait for him to reach the NHL.

“For humanitarian reasons,” said Dan Hilferty, chairman of the Flyers’ parent company, Comcast Spectacor, “they decided to release him.”

That started Michkov’s introduction to the NHL.

Unlike many of the players the Flyers have chosen in the first round in the last decade, Michkov has lived up to the hype. He’s even thrived under taskmaster coach Tortorella, who benched Michkov for back-to-back games early in the season. “Just part of the process,” Tortorella said of the benchings. The coach loves Michkov’s competitiveness and fiery play but wants him to be more responsible on the defensive end.

After the benchings, Michkov went on a tear, collecting seven goals and 17 points in his next 15 games.

Language Barrier

Slowly but surely, Michkov is becoming more comfortable with the English language. The Flyers still provide a Russian translator when Michkov meets the media. The language barrier is still there, and it will take time before it fades away, but working with a tutor has helped the youngster. Ditto working with Russian teammates Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedotov.

“He speaks better as we’ve gone on here,” said Tortorella, who meets once a week in his office with Michkov and an interpreter to make sure they are on the same page, “but I don’t think he totally understands some of the things we’re going through.”

There is no barrier between Michkov and Flyers fans. If you attend a practice in Voorhees or a game at the Wells Fargo Center, Michkov Mania is in full swing as countless fans wear his No. 39 jerseys.

“I’ve never seen that many jerseys with my name on it,” Michkov said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

In a way, it’s ironic because the Flyers were slow to add Russian players to their roster. In the early part of the franchise, Flyers management tended to look down on Russians because of the Cold War. That has gradually changed over the years. None of the Russians, however, have had an impact like Michkov.

“We don’t see him as a savior,” Briere said early in the season.

Well, maybe not a savior, but a player who will one day lead the long-suffering Flyers into Stanley Cup contention.

“We hope,” Briere said, “the sky’s the limit for him.”