(Arlington, Virginia) There’s never a dull moment when it comes to Matvei Michkov.
For the entire year leading up to his draft, he was the biggest mystery on the hockey planet. It was ultimately the Philadelphia Flyers who selected him, seventh overall, in 2023. Then, a dramatic turn of events: while he was supposed to play in Russia until 2026, his transfer to North America was made official last July.
The electrifying forward then began to appear, in small doses, in the public eye. In recent weeks, he has skated with a few new teammates in Philadelphia. On Wednesday, he was among 35 players at the NHL Rookie Showcase, an event organized by the players’ association in partnership with hockey card maker Upper Deck.
The day began with a family photo on the ice at the Washington Capitals’ practice facility in Arlington, a suburb of the American capital. Spread out in two rows—unsurprisingly, Canadiens’ Lane Hutson was in the middle of the bottom row—the players were starting to get impatient as they waited for two latecomers. Michkov and his Flyers teammate Ivan Fedotov then appeared to the sarcastic applause of their comrades. Laughter could be heard all over the arena. The young man, with a hard face, did not join in the fun.
Less than an hour later, Michkov appeared before about fifteen journalists. However, although its CEO Daniel Brière had recently confided to The Press While the forward’s English was improving rapidly, it seemed he still had some lessons to learn. So organizers sent in Nikita Chibrikov, a right winger drafted in 2021 by the Winnipeg Jets, to act as interpreter. Chibrikov, who honed his English last year in the American League, had provided the same service a few minutes earlier to Ivan Miroshnichenko of the Capitals.
Unsurprisingly, Michkov did not make any earth-shattering revelations. The five-minute press scrum was not boring either.
Stoic
Very focused, even stoic, he spoke soberly of his enthusiasm to wear his orange Flyers jersey, marked with the number 39. He said he loves the city of Philadelphia and appreciates his first contacts with members of the team.
Asked by a reporter if he had spoken with head coach John Tortorella, he said yes, but said the content of the conversation would remain “between them.” An answer Tortorella wouldn’t have minded, come to think of it.
In fact, only three moments brought a brief smile to his face, or the closest Michkovian version of it.
First about Ivan Fedotov, 27, who has become a sort of big brother: “It’s good to have a Russian on the team. We follow each other everywhere.” Then about his first meeting with Daniel Brière: “I’m grateful to him and to the organization. I was quickly excited by the prospect of playing for the Flyers.”
Finally, and most importantly, in response to a question about Ivan Demidov, a compatriot drafted by the Canadiens last June: “He’s a very good guy. He can do everything on the ice. It’s just a shame he’s in Montreal and not in Philadelphia!”
Moreover, he did not want to talk about his goals or his expectations for the upcoming training camp, at the end of which he will make his NHL debut after a seemingly interminable wait.
“The season is still far away. I don’t think much about the future,” he concluded. Which is not without irony coming from a player whose budding career is one of the most debated topics of recent years.