Matvei Michkov on the Move in Bid for More Ice Time

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TJ Tucker
September 11, 2023 (3:50 PM)

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One of the top prospects in the most recent NHL draft is switching teams. Matvei Michkov is no longer a member of SKA St. Petersburg, the team that holds his rights in the KHL.

SKA coach Roman Rotenberg announced Michkov's move earlier today.

"Matvei Michkov will continue the season in Sochi on loan. I think this is the right decision - Matvei has his whole career ahead of him, he now needs to play a lot with men, to toughen up. In Sochi he will have such an opportunity. We talked a lot with Matvei and came to a mutual decision that this is the best option for his career. Michkov is a player of the first or second line, first or second powerplay. We do not want to keep Matvei in the reserves, we wish him maximum progress, we will closely monitor his play and at the first opportunity we will be glad to see him in St. Petersburg. Roman Rotenberg, Sport24.ru"

Michkov was drafted 6th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this summer. He likely could have went higher, but there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding his development. That uncertainty was justified when Michkov was a healthy scratch for several of the opening games of the season for SKA. Unlike the AHL, the KHL is not a development league, and young players will be scratched if there are better options on the roster. SKA has a roster engineered to compete for the Gagarin Cup. At this moment, Sochi does not.

Michkov was also loaned to Sochi last season, where he played 27 games, putting up 9 goals and 20 points as a 17-year-old.