Father of top NHL Draft prospect Matvei Michkov found dead

Andrei Michkov, the father of top NHL Draft prospect Matvei Michkov, has passed away at the age of 51.

According to the official Russian hockey Twitter, Andrei Michkov’s death came under “unexplained circumstances.” He was reported missing earlier on Tuesday, with an emergency alert saying he was missing as of April 2.

Match TV reported that Andrei Michkov left the home he rented with his son on Sunday night, saying the words, “I’ll be right back.”

A report from Russian outlet IZ.ru said Michkov’s body was found in a pond near Sochi, where his son had spent the second half of the 2022-23 season.

“He was a wonderful person, an excellent father who raised Matvei and gave him a start in life. Andrei’s death is a huge loss,” a statement from SKA St. Petersburg coach Romain Rotenberg said.

Not much else is known about the situation at this time.

Matvei Michkov, 18, had 20 points in 27 games with Sochi on loan after starting the year with St. Petersburg. He last played three playoff games with Kapitan Stupino in the Russian junior league playoffs, recording seven points in five games. Many consider Michkov to be one of the best prospects in the NHL Draft, but he’s signed until 2026 with SKA St. Petersburg, so an NHL debut wouldn’t come for quite some time.

Michkov is considered to be one of the most skilled prospects to come out of Europe in quite some time. Before signing his KHL deal, Michkov was believed to be the closest competitor to Connor Bedard to go first overall. With the deal with SKA St. Petersburg preventing him from leaving early, he’s expected to fall outside of the top three of the draft this year.

We send our condolences to the Michkov family after Tuesday’s horrible news.