Philadelphia Flyers top prospect Matvei Michkov loaned to HK Sochi
According to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) SKA St. Petersburg club, Philadelphia Flyers 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov will be loaned to HK Sochi.
The official announcement came from the club’s social media account.
Matvei Michkov will continue the season on loan with Sochi.
The mutual decision was taken for the benefit of his career following discussions between Matvei and the management.
We wish the forward a successful campaign! #hcSKA pic.twitter.com/r7hajXm56q
Michkov has been a healthy scratch through three of St. Petersburg’s first four games but appeared in just one game with the club, where he was held pointless and saw just 6:12 of time on ice.
Last season in Sochi, 18-year-old Michkov tallied nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 27 KHL games, leading the team in points per game. Sochi has three losses in their first four games this season, their only win coming against 2023 Gagarin Cup finalist Ak Bars Kazan.
The Flyers’ seventh-overall selection returns to a club he is familiar with and saw success with last season, which is good news for Flyers brass. However, Michkov’s contractual obligations to St. Petersburg extend until the 2025-26 season, granting the KHL significant control over his developmental path. Now, both the patience of the Flyers and Michkov will be tested through this next stage of the development process, with him switching teams.
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis shared his thoughts on Michkov’s recent deployment, “If he can build upon that tremendous 2022-23 in Sochi, and I fully believe he’ll blast those numbers out of the water, Matvei Michkov will be totally fine.”