While last season may have been a rollercoaster, young Philadelphia Flyers star Matvei Michkov is turning out to be a much more polarizing figure for analysts than we may have originally thought.
On Wednesday, The Athletic prospects expert Corey Pronman released his ranking of the best U23 players in the NHL, including recently drafted prospects, and Michkov wasn’t given all that much grace.
Advertisement
His placement was far from the most controversial, but still disrespectful relative to his achievements in the NHL thus far nonetheless.
Michkov, 21, was ranked as the 35th-best U23 player in the NHL by Pronman, putting him just six spots ahead of the 41st ranked Jack Nesbitt, who was drafted 12th overall by the Flyers in 2025.
The Flyers’ Russian phenom placed just ahead of players like Roman Kantserov (37th) and Sam O’Reilly (40th), who have yet to play in an NHL game, while peers like Jimmy Snuggerud (33rd), Ryan Leonard (32nd), Ilya Protas (26th), Roger McQueen (25th), Viggo Bjorck (21st), Anton Frondell (20th), and Adam Fantilli (9th) were all well ahead.
Expert Names 2 Flyers Prospects Under Pressure Heading Into Next Season
Advertisement
That ranking of 35th is certainly unfair to Michkov, who has had to play for three head coaches in two NHL seasons while picking up a new language and culture on the fly in Philadelphia.
Despite coming into his second NHL season unprepared, plus those aforementioned circumstances, Michkov still finished his sophomore NHL season with 20 goals, 31 assists, and 51 points, leading the Flyers in scoring after the Olympic break to help spur the Orange and Black to their first playoff berth since 2020.
Yes, Michkov was mostly a no-show in the playoffs, but there would be no playoffs without him, either, and he did have the primary assist on Cam York‘s series-winning goal against the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the first round.
Michkov’s perceived upside varies by who you ask, as some are more bullish on the raw talent, and others, like Pronman, have reservations about the average skating and defending.
Flyers’ Matvei Michkov Flexes Physique In New Social Media Post
Advertisement
Still, Michkov’s offensive production makes him much more accomplished than many players ranked above him or near him, and the 2023 No. 7 overall pick ranking below similarly average defenders with not even half of the offensive upside is simply disrespectful and dismisses everything he’s achieved in the last two seasons.
