Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height / Weight: 5’10, 172 lbs
Born: Dec. 9, 2004 | Perm, RUS
Nation: Russia
Official stats: KHL Stats|Game Log VHL Stats|Game Log
Background
The greatest pre-draft goal scorer in the history of Russian hockey is neither Alexander Ovechkin nor Pavel Bure, who to date combined for nearly 1250 NHL goals. No, that distinction belongs to Matvei Michkov, a natural finisher who ran roughshod through Russia’s top junior circuit for two full seasons before earning promotions to the adult-age VHL and KHL, where is pacing to set new scoring standards for his age bracket.
With 68 goals in only 84 regular-season MHL games, Michov’s 0.81 goals-per-game average is the highest in Russian junior hockey history. But what’s even more impressive is the fact that he accomplished this feat in the two years before he reached NHL draft eligibility. Michkov outgrowing junior hockey before turning 17 will forever stand as one of the most remarkable feats ever accomplished by a draft prospect. Against adults this season, Michkov scored 10 goals in 12 VHL games while averaging nearly six shots a game before getting the KHL bump. In other words, he would have won the MHL and VHL scoring crowns in consecutive seasons had he not earned a KHL promotion, and all before he was even drafted.
Sadly, Michkov’s historic league and tournament production — which includes 20 goals in 12 U18 games at the age of 16 and winning tourney MVP over Connor Bedard at the 2021 U18 worlds — has been largely overlooked by mainstream draft pundits, who cite his lengthy KHL contract that runs until 2026 as the basis to down-rank him. This certainly wasn’t the case following Michkov’s historic 2021 U18 worlds, when the generational tag he already earned heading into the tournament was firmly affixed, and that was six months after he signed the long-term deal with SKA in the KHL.
Scouting Report
Skating and Stickhandling
Michkov doesnt get cheated during a given shift, as he consistently stays in motion for the duration. He has remarkable balance and strong wrists which keep him on his desired route of advance (as well as the secondary or tertiary options) despite being hounded or harassed by a bigger checker. Michkov’s ability to create time and space for himself seems effortless, and he packs a quick first step to beat the opposition to an opening — once he gets there, good luck containing him. Remember, Michkov is a kid who suffered a serious knee injury that cost him most of September, yet his ability to accelerate to top speed using a long, powerful stride and quickly cover ground on the backcheck is both effective and reassuring. The idea that his skating could be a drawback is laughable — he’s always in open ice and it’s not from being lazy or disengaged.
Michkov uses a long stick that helps him play keepaway for extended periods. His lengthy puck-on-a-string displays are not for show, nor do they expose himself or his immediate puck support for a lose-lose situation. He uses feints, head fakes and shoulder shimmies similar to Patrick Kane, albeit not as pronounced.
Shooting, Passing and Playmaking
Michkov at this early stage of his development remains one of the purest finishers around, and neither his KHL contract nor the fact that he happens to be Russian should detract from that. His shot-release combination off the pass is reminiscent of a prime Brett Hull, although Hull favored the slapper whereas Michkov’s catch-and-release wrister is nearly as powerful yet just as accurate and deadly. He has the uncanny ability to place the puck exactly where the goalie is prone to open up, which is evident in the high number of goals he scores from distance without elevating every time.
But unlike Hull and Ovechkin, who did most of their damage from the off-wing circle, Michkov also dominates the low slot and net-front areas, where his elite hand-eye coordination, lower-body strength, and willingness to pay a high price result in a staggering number of tap-in goals. Additionally, Michkov is his generation’s master of “The Michigan” goal from behind the net, which in turn can turn both the front and back of the net into his office.
Michkov possesses elite vision and exceptional pass accuracy over long and short distances. His soft hands prove effective at handling pucks for rapid distribution as much as it does for catch-and-release shots off the pass. Much like Bedard, Michkov excels in the cycle game because nearly all of his hand-offs are perfectly timed and he can exploit the seam with crisp or saucered backhand passes. To maintain possession under pressure, Michkov delays, reverses direction, and shifts his weight when fixed against the half-wall or corner boards. It’s quite clear that Michkov’s rushed decisions under pressure — pass or shot — have a higher completion percentage than the average skater’s success rate when afforded more time and space.
Defense and Physicality
A brilliant and innovative offensive talent is bound to have warts when it comes to playing “defense”, and the same can be said of puck-rushing defensemen as it can for a net-filler like Michkov. His gaffes, however, are few and far between, as his team-first attitude, a visible hunger to be the best, and his generational-level IQ-skill combination make him an adequate, often effective, 200-foot winger. Michkov stays in shooting lanes using quick footwork and an active stick, and he will sacrifice his body to block a shot. Michkov also plays with a competitive edge and will respond to repeated attempts to hit him into submission by dishing out stiff shoulders of his own. For whatever reason, teams continue to target him with physical play without any tangible results to justify the strategy.
Michkov’s off-the-puck play is both structured and attentive, and maximum efforts are made to neutralize an opposing counter. Not only does Michkov consistently hustle on the backcheck, but for a goal-scoring winger, he spends more than enough time supporting his defensemen below the goal line or covering the low slot, even before his center recognizes to do so. He is a fairly aggressive forechecker who employs proactive read-and-react tactics with the primary objective being rapid puck recovery for counterattacks rather than static disruption methods or safe and deliberate retrogrades. He likes to jump routes for a reason, as his line — even on a bottom-feeder like Sochi in the KHL — usually gets the better chances on a given shift.
Hockey Sense
Filling the net at a record-setting clip at multiple levels of competition may seem like it comes naturally to finishers like Michkov. But he doesn’t find himself open multiple times a shift by simply standing around and waiting for the puck to come to him. Rather, Michkov creates his own time and space either on or off the puck by staying in constant motion while keeping his head on a swivel. Anticipation of puck travel and reading coverage are two of Michkov’s greatest attributes; attributes which deliver effective — often decisive — results regardless of the age or experience level of the opponents tasked with stopping him.
Michkov is the rare of example of a walking playbook; one whose habits, movements, and decisions serve as examples for coaches at every level to label as “what right looks like”. It’s highly doubtful that a trained eye can identify a smarter winger after Ovechkin who exploits an offensive-zone faceoff quicker than Michkov, who after three years of Russian league play has become a master of deception, especially from either circle on the power play. Outwitting the opposition not only seems to come naturally, but examples of Michkov’s ultra-advanced hockey IQ come in many forms throughout the course of an entire game.
NHL Projection
Perennial Richard Trophy candidate