PHILADELPHIA (AP) — At last freed from his contract with Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, 2023 first-round draft pick Matvei Michkov signed a three-year, entry-level with the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
SKA Saint Petersburg let Michkov out of his contract last week, paving the way for the slick, playmaking forward to arrive in Philadelphia ahead of schedule. The Flyers selected Michkov with the seventh pick in the 2023 draft knowing he had three years left on his KHL contract.
“We’re excited to have Matvei under contract and we look forward to him joining our team at training camp in September,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said. “We’ve kept a close eye on his development since the draft and to be able to add a player like Matvei, who brings a high-level of talent, skill and game-breaking abilities, he will be a key piece to our future.”
The Flyers believe the 19-year-old has the potential to help change the fortunes of a franchise that has not won the Stanley Cup since going back to back in 1974 and ’75. Philadelphia is in the midst of a rebuild and has missed the playoffs each of the past four seasons. The Flyers have only won a playoff series only three times since their last trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.
Michkov was property of SKA St. Petersburg, where he appeared in one game before being loaned to HC Sochi for the remainder of the season. He had 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 47 games.
The 5-10, 176-pound right wing also was third on the team in assists (22). He recorded 11 multipoint games, including three three-point games, five separate three-game point streaks, including one four-game point streak as an under-20 year old player. He finished the season with five goals and eight points in his last nine games.
"Being in the NHL has been a dream for me since childhood," Michkov said. "I would like to say a huge thank you to the Flyers management for their trust. I will do everything possible to meet their expectations. I can’t wait to join my teammates and start preparing for the new season together, and I would especially like to greet our fans. We have the same dream to win the Stanley Cup and I promise that will do my best to help this team and make that possible.”
He is not expected to participate this week at the Flyers development camp at their New Jersey facility.
Flyers team President Keith Jones said in his state-of-the franchise address in early June that Michkov's arrival would not necessarily speed up the time for the Flyers to become a playoff contender.
“It really doesn’t affect it because, when we drafted him, the expectation was that he would finish his contract with SKA,” Jone said. “We absolutely love what he is going to bring to the Flyers. If that timeline is sped up, that would be wonderful, but we don’t know.”
The Flyers recently went through a bizarre saga with goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who was conscripted for Russian military service after signing his NHL contract in 2022 and returned to the KHL before they finally brought him over in March.
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