NEWSLETTER
Whenever we discuss the 2023 NHL Draft, the conversation centers around four players. Three of which (Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Leo Carlsson) skated in the most recent World Junior Championship and are expected to play in the NHL next season. The fourth, Russian forward Matvei Michkov, did not, because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And he won’t be in the NHL next season, because he’s signed until 2026 with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.
Because of the politics and the contractual issues, many believe Michkov will be the fourth player drafted in 2023. But his skill would make a case for him to be the second name called after Bedard. He’s dynamite.
Unfortunately, terrible news surfaced on Tuesday. Michkov’s father, Andrey, was found dead under “unexplained circumstances.”
The only reports out of Russia thus far are that Andrey left the house he has been renting with his son late Sunday night and was not heard from since. He was reported missing earlier on Tuesday, and his body was found in a pond near Sochi. He was 51 years old.
This is absolutely heart breaking for the prospect and something worth keeping an eye on.
