Prospect Watch: Michkov Moves to Center in KHL Preseason

The hockey seasons in Europe typically begin -- and conclude - approximately a month ahead of the National Hockey League. The KHL is one of the earliest starters. For many clubs, preseason play got underway this week now that the calendar has flipped to August.

On August 3, at the Sochi Open in Sochi, Russia, SKA St. Petersburg kicked off their preseason schedule with a game against Admiral Vladivostok. Admiral erased an early 2-0 deficit to go on to win 3-2 in overtime. Two days later, SKA went down to a 5-1 loss to Avangard Omsk. The following day, SKA was unable to protect a 4-1 lead but pulled away in the third period for a 6-4 win.

Of primary interest to the Philadelphia Flyers was the strong performance of highly touted Matvei Michkov, whom the Flyers selected with the seventh overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Typically a right winger, Michkov has moved to the middle to center SKA's second line at 5-on-5 as well as the second power play unit. On the other end of special teams, the 18-year-old has seen periodic ice time on the penalty kill.

After the Admiral game, Michkov said that the experiment at center was of mutual interest between himself and SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg. Last season, while on loan to HC Sochi, Michkov played one game at center and enjoyed it. He hopes to see the experiment continue. The early returns have been promising.

From a Flyers standpoint, it would be very encouraging news if Michkov shows that he has the versatility to effectively handle the demands of playing center as well as the wing. If 2022 first-round pick Cutter Gauthier and/or Michkov ultimately show they can thrive at center to the same degree as when deployed on a wing, it would create a lot of intriguing usage possibilities when the prospects eventually graduate to the National Hockey League level.

In the exhibition opener, Michkov recorded a goal and a primary assist in the first period. He scored again in the Avangard game, and then chipped in a secondary assist against Sochi on Sunday.

The helper came on a precision cross-seam pass to 2024 NHL Entry Draft prospect Ivan Demidov, while the goal was of the Johnny-on-the-spot variety as Michkov got to the net and was in perfect position to finish off the play near the right post. On his eventual goal, Michkov made an initial centering feed from behind the net to start the sequence.

Over the course of last Thursday's game, Michkov was involved in roughly seven scoring chances. He also forechecked effectively, including a nice takeaway on a mid-third period shift along the half boards and some extended puck protection work along the boards (no scoring chance developed on that play).

Defensively, Michkov competed for the puck and worked diligently in all three zones. Especially considering he was playing center, he acquitted himself well in terms of the details of the game. He went to the right spots, battled for pucks and, if he lost a battle, buckled down on the next one. His hunger for the puck was palpable, even in a preseason game.

After the conclusion of Thursday's exhibition game, as sometimes also happens in the NHL season, there was a practice shootout between the two teams. Michkov converted his attempt successfully, as he scored through the five-hole and secured a 2-1 "win" in the skills competition.

Michkov played into some tough luck in the Avagard game. However, he tallied his team's only goal of the game. It started with the young forward winning an offensive zone left circle faceoff. He then skated unimpeded to the net, collected a loose rebound and quickly swept it home on the backhand.

On Sunday, SKA finally got its offense untracked. Michkov assisted on the team's second goal of the opening stanza. He made a play on the boards to start a scoring sequence, earning the secondary helper.

Michkov had one scoring opportunity in the match against Sochi. During a second-period sequence, Michkov made a hard cut inside from the right circle into the slot and fired off a shot attempt that missed the net. However, his overall attention to detail on both sides of the puck was very good in his third game at center. He continued to compete hard for pucks in all three zones, and showed a knack for winning 50-50 battles with regularity as well as creating turnovers or opposition icings with his forechecking ability.