Matvei Michkov’s game : In-depth breakdown

Having been able to compete with Connor Bedard on the international stage in recent seasons, Matvei Michkov entered the season as the closest pursuer of the young Vancouver prodigy. Unable to carve out a regular position with the formation of SKA St-Petersburg, he divided his season between the VHL circuit (the equivalent of the AHL in Russia) as well as with Sochi, the worst club in the KHL.

This Russian sensation is an innate talent that we don’t get to see often. We see it right away when he has the puck on his stick. He exudes that aura that only world-class players project.

What makes him so exceptional in this department is that he manages to bring a good amount of substance to a facet that is too often reserved for superficial players. While several talented young players make spectacular but ineffective plays, Michkov manages to maneuver through heavy traffic and uses his hands to gain the slot area like very few players I’ve seen before. No matter how many layers of defense he has to go through, he is able to attack the center of the offensive zone. He can create scoring chances out of thin air. This is what happens when you combine skill and determination.

Even in zone entries, it is remarkable to see him compose in front of a wall of 4 static opponents on the blue line who are waiting for him resolutely. One of the reasons he’s so good at handling the puck in heavy traffic is because he knows where to place the puck to keep it out of the reach of opposing defensemen’s sticks. Michkov has a wide skating base and he likes to keep the puck close to it, allowing him to fend off the stick of defenders with his wide leg if necessary.

The list of young prospects I’ve seen displaying their hands without knowing what concrete play was going to come from their exhibition is rather exhaustive. With Michkov, I don’t find this kind of immaturity in his game. Each time he makes a play like this, there is a bigger objective behind it ; simply to save time by avoiding a poke check while gaining the zone or along the boards, or to get rid of a player to open a passing lane to a teammate, he is always a play or two ahead in his head.

Just like his Canadian rival, Michkov is a very high-level shooter. However, he operates differently. Bedard can beat goalkeepers from afar with violent wrist shots, Michkov will rely more on technical plays to deceive his opponents and sneakily take advantage of the slightest opening. He can still beat goaltenders mid-range with surgical precision, but if he takes shots from that distance, he’s going to be at his most threatening when the play is already set up in the offensive zone, for example, in one of the circles during a power play. Because unlike Bedard, he does not have the speed necessary to push defenders back and be able to maximize his shot from this distance during counter-attacks.

He is particularly good at taking sneaky shots as well as taking shots in unorthodox positions. He has the dexterity of his hands and the balance on his skates to delay his shot by a second, distance the puck from his opponent’s stick and manage to take a dangerous shot despite not seeming to be in an advantageous position.

He has the gift of detecting the slightest opening in the technique of a goalkeeper.

To top it all off, he not only has the shot to score a lot of goals, but also the instinct and determination of any good scorer as he follows his puck to the net after snapping to grab a rebound.

As a playmaker, there are some similarities to his shooting abilities, that is, the ability to execute plays, even when covered. He spots holes in defensive coverage as well as in goalie position and can skillfully pass the puck on offensive cycling.

What makes him unique to me as a passer is his ability to see scoring chances that don’t appear to be there at first. It’s a bit hard to explain, but being an expert at getting out of cover in dangerous areas himself, Michkov knows when a teammate has the minimum amount of space and time to maneuver in those moments and he hands them the puck. It’s not something that would work with lower caliber players, but one would expect Michkov to play with the cream of the crop in the NHL. It’s like he knows what he would do in his teammate’s position, and when he plays with a player of very high-level talent, that leads to scoring chances. For example, when he played with Dimitri Buchelnikov in international events against Belarus this year.

I don’t see any limitations in his ability to make plays, but I don’t believe his playmaking ranks that high among his peers. It’s an aspect of his game where I disagree a bit when I see it being rise to a very high level in the evaluation some people makes of him.

Other aspects of his game, however, leave room for a bit of skepticism. His skating is not optimal for a player of his size. More specifically, it is his top speed that is not.

Regarding his agility as well as his balance on the ice, it is of a very high level. He is even unique in some ways, for example, he is going to use a 10-2 (heel to heel) technique, but instead of facing the play, he is going to do it with his back to his coverer and is going to use a wide base of skate to distance his opponent from the puck. He will look over his shoulder and still be able to make plays on his backhand. Viktor Neuchev, another Russian prospect, executed in the same way last year.

At his size, doubts will always persist about the physical game. However, he seeks to remedy this shortcoming by going himself to initiate contacts. Even when he has the puck, he will proactively engage the body with an opponent who comes to pin him along the boards. He will have to continue to gain physical strength because it is an aspect that left a slightly sour taste in my mouth at different points in the season.

He is not a peripheral player, however. His game is very center-oriented in the offensive zone, both with and without the puck. He’s attracted to high-danger areas.

The best place to blame him is in the defensive zone. You can see some shred of quality here or there because he’s an elite offensive brain himself, so he understands his opponents’ intentions with the puck better than anyone. However, his commitment to his zone is greatly lacking. I would even go so far as to say that his defensive involvement in the VHL circuit was practically non-existent.

Another small criticism I would make of him is that there is a notable difference between his offensive contribution at 5-on-5 and on the power play (I’m not talking about production here, but rather the number of chances generated).

We could pass these criticisms on the back of maturity, because it is clearly not a lack of will on the part of the player. Michkov possesses a desire to make a difference in the offensive zone that few other players possess. He is starving. And I don’t believe it was because he doesn’t give a shit either, as I saw him jump into a skirmish after one of his teammates was hit hard.

I also have some fears about Michkov because in some ways I feel like I’m seeing the same player I saw 3 years ago. I still wonder how much development there is in him. He remains an electrifying talent, but for me, his name no longer has a place alongside Connor Bedard. The idea of ​​seeing slip down in the draft seemed to create a kind of enthusiasm among fans of different teams. The main argument being made is that at the U-18 tournament in Texas in 2021, he competed with Bedard throughout the tournament and even put up better numbers. That’s all well and good, but the problem is that this tournament took place two years ago. Things have since progressed. When I look at Bedard, I see a player who has improved his speed, who has become stronger physically, I see a player who has made dazzling improvements in his playmaking skills, I see a player who has varied his offensive approaches, and many more. In the case of Michkov, I don’t see the variety in terms of passing skills, I don’t see a change in terms of physicality, nor in terms of speed, I also see a player who doesn’t have such a big impact at even strength and needs a center who does a lot of the work for him. In Russia, on bigger ices, defensive systems are usually structured to ‘collapse’ into the crease, grouping players together to protect dangerous areas, giving opposing players more time and space to maneuver from the boards to the center of the zone. On a regular ice like in North America, defensive systems are more prone to apply pressure and push opposing players towards the boards. With his current lack of strength, I believe that NHL defensemen will adapt to him and will be able to muzzle him effectively. As I say, he remains a very talented prospect, but it is wrong to believe that his passport is the sole reason that makes him go down the lists.

However, I had the chance to observe him closely for 3 years already. I saw his first steps in MHL, in VHL, in KHL as well as on the international scene at different levels, and one of his greatest qualities (and that cannot be measured on the ice) is his adaptability. He is a player who thinks and analyzes the game at an elite level. I remember seeing him start in the MHL at 15 and watching his first 2 games and thinking that he was quite a talent, but it looked like he was 15 in his decision-making and by the kind of play he would attempt on the ice, but guess what? The game after he no longer repeated those mistakes and completely dominated the ice.

As for his future, I don’t know if that’s a controversial opinion, but I believe that being signed to Russia for the next 3 seasons is actually a blessing in disguise. These days, some elite prospects take a year, if not two, to perfect themselves at different levels before making the jump to the NHL. Michkov, who still has maturity to acquire physically as well as on both sides of the ice, will be able to develop at his own pace. I am also of the opinion that a player should dominate at a lower level before taking the next step. So far, Michkov has failed to carve out a permanent position with a strong KHL team (he was loaned to one of the worst clubs). He will be able to establish himself with the SKA next year, and over the years, climb the club’s hierarchy and aim to dominate the scoring column in his last year of contract.