Matvei Michkov was one of the most highly anticipated rookies to make his debut in the NHL last season. The Russian phenom came into the league with a flurry of hype as the 2023 7th overall pick and thus far has delivered for his Flyers squad.
Michkov recorded 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 80 games last year during his rookie campaign. This tied him for 2nd amongst rookie scoring leaders with Macklin Celebrini. He finished 4th in Calder trophy voting, just missing out on being named a finalist for the award.
With that being said it was a tough year for his Flyers team, once again missing out on the playoffs. This resulted in GM Daniel Briere letting go of former head coach John Tortorella, who Michkov did not always see eye to eye with. Rick Tocchet will take over as the Flyers new bench boss this upcoming season as he looks to bring Philadelphia back to the playoffs. Tocchet heaped some high praise recently for his new young star via “B/R Open Ice.”
What did Tocchet have to say about Michkov?
Rick Tocchet had this to say about Matvei Michkov’s game: “He thinks the game two steps ahead. It’s like chess, it’s one of his special talents.” Matvei and the Flyers have a lot of pressure to perform this year under a new staff. Michkov is hoping to breakout in year 2 and take another step forward in his game. Based on these comments, Tocchet seems confident Michkov will deliver.
It will be fun to watch Michkov in his sophomore season as he looks to achieve greater success under Rick Tocchet’s system. We’ll see if the Flyers can improve and return to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
