Oh, this is going to be a wild week.
During the very first on-ice practice session of the Philadelphia Flyers’ rookie camp, top prospect Matvei Michkov looked to make his presence known almost immediately. Among the powerful plays and actual goals scored, as soon as he gained an ounce of confidence on North American ice, Michkov attempted to score a Michigan.
It is not the most pretty or picturesque attempt — as it got blocked by defenseman Oliver Bonk almost immediately — but it is still such a beautiful sight to see. The gall to even just look for that type of shot, and then go for it in the very first little taste these fans are getting of you on the ice in quasi game action, is just so powerful.
Beyond the Michigan attempt, Michkov scored loads of goals and made some plays to set up other top prospects for their own goals. He partnered up with Jett Luchanko on a couple plays to beat whichever goaltender was in between the pipes, but also appeared like a man among boys who dared to try to show him some physicality.
With his newly listed and official 190-pound frame, Michkov reportedly went a little hard at much-taller Hunter McDonald after a couple plays and certainly held his own. The narrative of him potentially being too small or fragile for the game overseas has been completely disproven within seconds.
And we got the best news possible while he was on the ice. Confirmed by the team, Michkov will be playing during Friday’s Rookie Series game against the New York Rangers. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. ET. Both Rookie Series games will be livestreamed on the Flyers’ own website.
This is the first real feeling of hockey being back. Typically, we’re watching long-shot prospects battle it out and then head off to juniors or somewhere else — now, we get our first glimpse at a potential star in the making.
