Philadelphia Flyers select Matvei Michkov with No. 7 overall pick in 2023 NHL Draft

It looks like the Philadelphia Flyers have decided to take the chance on the high upside of Matvei Michkov in the draft.

The Flyers have selected right winger Matvei Michkov with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Michkov comes with a bit of uncertainty as a prospect mostly due to his current status with the Kontinental Hockey League. Michkov has a KHL contract until 2026, meaning that there are at least three years until he’s able to play for the Flyers. However, he is also one of the best players in the draft, so if the Flyers are patient enough, they’ll get a top-tier player almost right away if he develops well, much like Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and most recently Kirill Kaprizov.

The Russian spent the most time on loan with HK Sochi in the KHL, scoring 9 goals, 11 assists, and 20 points in 27 games. He also spent three games with SKA St. Petersburg, where he went pointless, played 12 games in the Supreme Hockey League (VHL) with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg, where he had 10 goals, 4 assists, and 14 points, and five playoff games with Kapitan Stupino in the Junior Hockey League (MHL), where he had four goals, three assists, and seven points.

Daily Faceoff’s own prospect expert Steven Ellis projected Michkov to go 4th overall in his mock draft of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Flyers selected him at No. 7. Ellis had this to say about him in his prospect rankings:

“It might be understated just how good Michkov’s time with Sochi was. Playing on the worst team in the league, he managed to finish with 20 goals in 27 games to finish fourth in team scoring. Six of the team’s nine wins came with Michkov in the lineup, and his 0.74 points-per-game during his time with Sochi is the best by a U-19 in league history – beating out Evgeny Kuznetsov, Eeli Tolvanen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Kirill Kaprizov and Artemi Panarin, among others. He’s special.”