Matvey Michkov
Yuri Kuzmin/KHL
Welcome to our all-new column, Real Prospect Gossip. The idea here is to pull the curtain down a bit and provide insider information from people in the hockey world – team executives, scouts, agents, coaches, etc. Sometimes it will come from the players themselves. It can be a little silly at times, but overall it’s fun and educational.
Juniors in another world went back and forth without Russia. Russia is currently barred from international play due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. As he did in Texas a few years ago in spectacular fashion in the under-18 world. Before the invasion, Mitchkov was the obvious No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft, a player of similar size and skill to Bedard, but he played on the wing rather than center. Did he have the same dazzle factor as Bedard? Yes, he did.
But now Michkov’s draft slot is highly questionable. According to one of his insiders, the more interesting story is that Scout started raising issues with his Michkov character, so I’ll get into the details soon. Currently he is loaned to KHL Sochi by SKA-St. Michikov was dominant in the Russian version of the AHL, but it felt like a good move as he only managed three KHL games with SKA, the best team to runaway in the league.
So here’s the conspiracy theory. Are the scouts trying to get each other fired up about Mitchkov’s drafting? Last year no one talked about his character, and now he’s full speed ahead to 2023. If your team is 6th in the draft or he’s only 7th (or higher), it’s only natural to expect him to drop when he could easily be in the top 5. . .
even so, how high Russians will be this summer will be a hot topic again. Michikov’s contract with SKA famously runs until 2026, making it difficult for the league’s most powerful franchise to move him to North America early, especially given the current political climate. Worried about getting players, Michikov could be very similar in terms of timeline to Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov.
The question arises here: Which GM has the runway and the guts to go early for Michkov? Young people like Schillinger, Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko are already finding their way in Ohio. It’s also possible that Montreal will have two of his high picks thanks to Ben Kiarrot’s trade with Florida. If he safely chooses one of these options, he’s probably more likely to bet on one option, especially given his Michkov potential.
Overall, scouting Russian players has been very difficult for NHL teams this year. They still have their sources on the ground, but more videos are being made available – and you can’t know a child that way.
2022 saw two Russian-based kids advance to the first round (the first Russian recruit was OHL Saginaw’s Pavel Mintyukov). The first was Ivan Miroshnichenko, ranked 20th overall in Washington, teaming up with Alex Ovechkin, the world’s best Russian-North American hockey ambassador. Danila Yuroff finished second, losing to Kaprizov’s Minnesota Wild in 24th overall. Based on skill, at least her 3 or her 4 Russian kids should be in the first round. Michikov, Mikhail Gulyaev, Daniil Bhutto, Dmitri Simashev.but how many intention so expensive?
Next Post: Halifax’s Eduard Sale impressed me. The Czech right winger and 2023 draft candidate didn’t just hold onto the team’s top line alongside Jili Kulici (BUF) and Matthias Sapovariv (VGK). He has proven he belongs there. Serre has been playing for Cometa his Brno in the Czech best professional league, the Extraliga, with decent results. But I wanted to ask him if he was still thinking about next year.”I’d like to go to Canada,” he said.”Maybe I’ll stay, but I don’t know.”
Sale’s leading junior rights are owned by OHL’s Barry Colts, a team that has landed several big imports in the past (Colorado’s first round Oscar Olausson is a notable recent example). am). Sale was also drafted by Stanislav, a Columbus pick who moved to the CHL (in his case, Bedard’s Regina Patz) from Cometabruno after being drafted by Worlds his juniors alongside Svogil.
Finally, a Swedish insider was very disappointed with the World Junior Team, citing the lack of effort by many players. A shorthanded goal was needed. The team was also less exciting in Edmonton, but at least they played for the bronze as a sendoff to coach Thomas Monten, who knew he would be moving on after that tournament.More to the Swedes next year. I hope. They are hosting the World Juniors in Gothenburg and potential returnees Philipp Bystedt (SJ) Leo Carlsson (2023) and Axel Sandin Pericka (2023) are among the most competitive in the squad this year. They were three of the most effective players.
