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Matvei Michkov

NHL Central Scouting Releases Final 2023 Rankings

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The final rankings from NHL Central Scouting are out, and surprise, surprise, Connor Bedard is the top-ranked player for the 2023 draft. Bedard will almost certainly be the first-overall selection at this summer’s draft. Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr says this about the talented forward:

Bedard has the elite skills and attributes that elite NHL players have, and it’s the precision in which he reads the play, is always in the right place and how he executes and capitalizes on plays.

What places him in that Connor McDavid-special category is his natural presence of mind and instincts that allow him to channel all these attributes to dominate when the opportunity is there and when it’s needed most by his team.

Second place goes to Adam Fantilli, as expected, who recently won the Hobey Baker as college hockey’s top player. The 6’2″ power forward would lead the way in many draft classes, and will be a very nice consolation prize for the second lottery winner.

Notably, the North American list is dominated by forwards. The top-ranked defenseman, Lukas Dragicevic, doesn’t appear until no. 18.

The top ten North America skaters are:

  1. Connor Bedard, Regina Pats (WHL)
  2. Adam Fantilli, Michigan (NCAA)
  3. William Smith, USNTDP
  4. Matthew Wood, UConn (NCAA)
  5. Ryan Leonard, USNTDP
  6. Zach Benson, Winnipeg Ice (WHL)
  7. Nate Danielson, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
  8. Oliver Moore, USNTDP
  9. Samuel Honzek, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
  10. Gabriel Perreault, USNTDP

On the international side, Swedish center Leo Carlsson comes in at the top of the list, ahead of Russian sniper Matvei Michkov, whose path to the NHL is still unclear. The European group is much more positionally balanced, too, with three defensemen coming in the top ten, led by Swiss pro David Reinbacher.

The top ten international skaters are:

  1. Leo Carlsson, Orebro (SHL)
  2. Matvei Michkov, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
  3. Dalibor Dvorsky, AIK (Allsvenskan)
  4. Eduard Sale, Brno (Czech)
  5. David Reinbacher, Kloten (NL)
  6. Otto Stenberg, Frolunda (Sweden Jr.)
  7. Axel Sandin Pellikka, Skelleftea (Sweden Jr.)
  8. Lenni Hameenaho, Assat (Liiga)
  9. Daniil But, Yaroslavl (Russia Jr.)
  10. Mikhail Gulyayev, Omsk (Russia Jr.)

The NHL draft lottery will be held on May 8, with the Anaheim Ducks holding the best chance to land the first pick. The draft itself starts on June 28, with rounds 2-7 the following day.

Prospect Notes: 2024 Draft, Moore, Michkov

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The 2023 draft is just a few months away, but some teams have already moved their first-round picks and may be looking ahead to next year’s crop of talented youngsters. Today, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic looks at the 2024 draft class, putting Macklin Celebrini as the best prospect available.

Several impact defensemen, including a handful of familiar names, highlight the rest of the group. David Jiricek’s younger brother will be available, as will Lane Hutson’s. Celebrini, meanwhile, will be one to watch as he makes the jump to college hockey next season with Boston University.

  • Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports that William Moore has signed on with the U.S. National Team Development Program after recently forgoing part of its development camp. The Mississauga-born dual citizen could have potentially been the first-overall pick in the upcoming OHL draft. Instead, he appears to be maintaining his college eligibility by going the USNTDP route for his hockey development.
  • In a stunning and saddening story from this morning, reports have emerged that the father of top 2023 draft prospect Matvei Michkov was found dead. An investigation into the situation is ongoing, and little information has been confirmed to this point.

Corey Pronman Releases 2023 NHL Draft Rankings

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With the trade deadline now over and the playoffs approaching, the next big transaction frenzy won’t occur until the 2023 NHL entry draft. Several teams have positioned themselves to be active at the draft and today Corey Pronman of The Athletic released his 2023 NHL draft rankings. Pronman considers this to be an above average draft that is heavy on forwards, this is evident in the rankings as he has only defenseman in his top ten.

The top of the draft offers no surprises as Connor Bedard is still the consensus top overall pick. Bedard continues to be viewed as a franchise changing player drawing favorable comparisons to David Pastrnak, Patrick Kane, and Nikita Kucherov. The only knock on Bedard continues to be his size, as he stands just 5′ 9″ and weights 185 pounds. While he does play with a physical edge, Pronman wonders if he eventually gets pushed from center to the wing.

Russian born winger Matvei Michkov is Pronman’s second ranked prospect in the draft. He too is on the smaller size standing just 5’10” and weighing in at just 172 pounds. Pronman considers Michkov to be one of the best draft eligible prospects he’s seen inside the offensive zone. Michkov recently completed the best 17-year-old season in Russia’s junior league history, topping Nikita Kucherov. He is seen as a game breaking elite scorer with a mind that sees the game in a way that few players do. He is currently signed to the KHL until 2025-26, meaning any team that drafts him might have to wait a few years for Michkov to make an impact.

Slotting in at number three in Pronman’s rankings is center Adam Fantilli out of Michigan. He was ranked second back in Pronman’s January rankings and draws comparisons to Jonathan Toews. Fantilli is fresh off one of the best underage seasons in USHL history and is currently having one of the best seasons seen in the modern era by a first-year draft eligible college player. While his speed and hockey sense are ranked as NHL average, his puck skills are seen as elite. Fantilli projects as an elite NHLer and a number one center on a very good team.

Pronman views Bedard, Michkov and Fantilli as first overall pick type of prospects. But obviously there can only be one first overall pick this June in Nashville and it appears as though that will be Connor Bedard.

 

Pronman’s top ten draft eligible players are:

  1. Connor Bedard, Regina (WHL)
  2. Matvei Michkov. Sochi (KHL)
  3. Adam Fantilli, Michigan (NCAA)
  4. Leo Carlsson, Orebro (SHL)
  5. Nate Danielson, Brandon (WHL)
  6. William Smith, USA U-18 (NTDP)
  7. David Reinbacher, Kloten (NL)
  8. Danil But, Yaroslavl (MHL)
  9. Colby Barlow, Owen Sound (OHL)
  10. Samuel Honzek, Vancouver (WHL)

 

Pronman’s full list can be found here.

 

 

Big Hype Prospects: Sykora, Michkov, Huuhtanen, Poirier, Merilainen

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Welcome to PHR’s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name, we’re taking a look at the performances of top prospects from across the hockey world. We’ll look at drafted prospects who are rising, others who are struggling, and prospects for the upcoming draft who are notable.

Five Big Hype Prospects

Adam Sykora, LW, New York Rangers (HK Nitra, Tipos Extraliga)
37 GP 8G 12A 20pts

Despite not having a first-round pick at the 2022 NHL draft thanks to their in-season acquisition of Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets, it seems as though the Rangers still managed to nab a quality prospect with their highest pick in the draft, all the way down at 63rd overall.

While fast-rising Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson has attracted most of the attention for the way he’s laid waste to college hockey in his first season since being drafted, Sykora, the player selected immediately after Huston has had among the most impressive and attention-worthy seasons of the 2022 second-round as well.

With 20 points in 37 games played, Sykora has upped his point-per-game scoring rate from .37 to .54.

That scoring rate puts him third in U21 scoring in Slovakia’s top professional league, and the two players in front of him are aged 21 and 20, respectively. Sykora, on the other hand, is just 18 years old and will have to wait until September to turn 19.

In other words, Sykora is just over a month older than top 2023 draft prospect Adam Fantilli, and is already reaching triple-digit career games played in a solid professional league.

And beyond just his scoring rate, Sykora is one of Nitra’s most relied-upon players, often skating in more than 20 minutes a night and regularly contributing on both special teams units.

Sykora’s best asset is his motor, which is always running to the max on every shift. He’s extremely hard-working and has more skill than one might expect. While he may not end up an overwhelming points producer, it’s easy to see his game being quickly transferrable to North American ice. He was even drafted number-one overall at the 2022 CHL Import Draft, suggesting Canadian junior teams were similarly optimistic about his game’s translatability to the other side of the Atlantic, and he’s already signed to an entry-level deal with the Rangers.

While Nitra hasn’t been a great team as a whole this year, they play HK Poprad in a playoff series later this week and Sykora’s performance there will definitely be something for the Rangers and their fans to pay attention to.

Matvei Michkov, LW, 2023 Draft Prospect (HK Sochi, KHL)
27 GP 9G 11A 2opts (for Sochi)

With Connor Bedard routinely torching competition in the WHL and Fantilli piling up impressive scoring numbers in college hockey, it’s easy to see why they’re regularly viewed as the two main can’t-miss prospects eligible to be selected at the draft in Nashville. But tucked away in the KHL (and under contract there through 2025-26) is Matvei Michkov, who has all the talent to be in the conversation with those other two prospects but is highly unlikely to be a consideration for the top-two picks in the draft.

Michkov’s season began somewhat unevenly. He was playing well, especially at the second-tier VHL level where he scored 14 points in 12 games, but opportunities in the KHL were scarce. His club, SKA St. Petersburg, is regularly among the KHL’s juggernaut teams and could not afford him any sort of regular role. In fact, when he managed to get into the ice for two KHL games, he finished with less than eight total minutes played across both games.

A December loan to HK Sochi, a team that would be able to give him ample ice time, ignited Michkov’s game and gave him a chance to show what he could do in one of the most talent-rich leagues outside the NHL. Michkov ended up playing 27 games for Sochi, and he finished with 20 points in 27 games. While one might note that eight of those points game in two games against the Kunlun Red Star, the KHL’s Chinese club and one of the worst teams in their league, it’s also worth noting that Kunlun won 10 more games this season than Sochi did.

Michkov is a fantastically skilled offensive player and his scoring numbers in the KHL are extremely rare for someone his age to accomplish. Kirill Kaprizov managed just eight points in 31 games in his own draft year, while Alex Ovechkin scored 23 points (more than Michkov) but in 53 games, not the 27 Michkov played for Sochi.

That’s not to say that Michkov is going to have the type of NHL success either of those two players have had — one is an all-time great and the other is looking increasingly like a franchise-defining star — but it does indicate the type of rare talent we’re dealing with here.

While the uncertain timeline of when Michkov would be available to NHL teams will likely hurt him on draft day, as NHL GMs weigh the risks and rewards of investing such high picks in different players, Michkov’s form in Sochi has underscored just how much he belongs in the conversation for the most talented player available at the 2023 draft not named Bedard.

Niko Huuhtanen, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning (Jukurit, Liiga)
45 GP 16G 13A 29pts

While Huuhtanen, 19, was the 2021 NHL draft’s “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last player selected, to borrow from an NFL tradition, he’s quickly reached a point of relevance in the two seasons since earning the moniker. The Lightning saw something in Huuhtanen, a six-foot-two 210-pound winger, and used their last pick on him after he scored 20 goals and 34 points at the Finnish junior level.

He was selected second overall at the 2021 CHL Import Draft, and headed to the WHL to play for the Everett Silvertips the following year. As a later birthdate for the 2021 draft, suspicions that Huuhtanen might be a late-bloomer seemed to be confirmed after his WHL performance, as he became an instant-impact contributor for the Silvertips, and finished with 37 goals and 77 points in 65 games.

This season, Huuhtanen has taken his game even further and is now one of the top scorers for Jukurit, a team in one of the best professional leagues in the world. At just 19 years old, Huuhtanen manged to score 16 goals and 29 points for Jukurit, a total that led all teenage players in Liiga. Huuhtanen plays the type of game that is highly coveted among NHL teams, combining the prototypical power forward’s physical game with goal-scoring ability and some sneaky skill.

According to CapFriendly, the Lightning have all the way until June 1st, 2025 to give Huuhtanen his entry-level deal before losing his exclusive rights. But given the way he’s played the past two years and how pro-ready his game looks, it’s likely that he’ll enter their organization well before that runway ends.

Jeremie Poirier, LHD, Calgary Flames (Calgary, AHL)
53 GP 7G 29A 36pts

Oftentimes it can be a bit of a challenge for skaters (and especially defensemen) who score at the junior level to translate their impressive numbers to the professional level. There’s often the pressure for defensemen to become deferential in their game, to play with a lot more safety and lose the type of risk-taking offensive flair that made them successful at those lower levels. Those challenges can be even more greatly magnified by higher competition level, as the time and space with the puck players are often more easily able to generate at the junior level can quickly evaporate against pros.

For Poirier, a Flames 2020 third-round pick, those challenges have been more than capably met. Fresh off of a Memorial Cup victory with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, Poirier has stepped into the lineup with the Calgary Wranglers and become their most productive defenseman in his rookie professional season. With 36 points in 53 games, Poirier is not only Calgary’s most productive defenseman, he’s also the most productive defenseman aged 20 or under in the American League.

While the Flames have seemingly deemed him best served playing a full first pro season in the AHL without the potential interruption an NHL call-up would bring, Poirier has quickly played his way into the Flames’ medium-to-long-term blueline plans.

Flames head coach Darryl Sutter is notoriously demanding of his players, and it’s likely that Poirier will need to further refine his defensive game to have success under Sutter. But as far as adjustments from the CHL to NHL go, Poirier’s has been as smooth as one could reasonably have hoped it would be.

Leevi Merilainen, G, Ottawa Senators (Karpat, Liiga)

39 GP 1.94 GAA .920 SV%

While the Ottawa Senators got strong goaltending from Anton Forsberg last season and gave him a $2.75MM AAV contract extension through 2025, the team’s “goalie of the future” remains relatively unclear. Big 2019 second-round pick Mads Sogaard has done quite well in six NHL games, with a 4-0-1 record, 2.33 GAA, and .922 save percentage, but he has just an .898 save percentage in 21 AHL games this season. 22-year-old Kevin Mandolese is a big netminder, but his AHL numbers have been similarly shaky.

While 2020 third-round pick Leevi Merilainen’s uneven play last season in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs was far from the resounding step towards “goalie of the future” status many were hoping he’d take, his form this season in the Finnish Liiga has been exactly that.

Merilainen has played in 39 games for Karpat this season and currently ranks third among all league netminders with a .920 save percentage. He’s helped Karpat rise to the upper end of Liiga’s standings and has handily outperformed 2020 Pittsburgh Penguins second-rounder Joel Blomqvist. At six-foot-two, 180 pounds Merilainen doesn’t have the imposing size many NHL teams covet in their goalies, but he’s also big enough where size isn’t the sort of underlying concern it is for other prospect goalies.

The Senators signed Merilainen to an entry-level deal in 2021, and could be looking to have him cross the Atlantic and continue his development in their organization next season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NHL Central Scouting Releases Midterm 2023 Rankings

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The midterm rankings are out from NHL Central Scouting for the 2023 draft, and unsurprisingly, Connor Bedard takes home the top spot among North American skaters. The Regina Pats forward set a number of records at the recent World Juniors, and won’t turn 18 until July, making him one of the younger players in the draft. Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, has this to say about the WHL phenom:

Connor Bedard is an outstanding talent with the ability to utilize all of his skills and assets at top speed, placing him on a level of his own right now as the No. 1 prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft. He is one of the more natural scorers to come along since Patrick Kane with a Draft hype reminiscent of Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Like those three, Bedard is a player that can bring you out of your seat.

Adam Fantilli, another Canadian forward prospect with huge upside, ranks second behind Bedard in the NA list. A freshman for the University of Michigan, Fantilli has racked up 11 goals and 26 points in just 16 games. He is a good bet to go second overall but didn’t have the runaway World Junior tournament that Bedard experienced, which seems to have widened the gap considerably between the two.

The top ten North American skaters are:

  1. Connor Bedard, Regina Pats (WHL)
  2. Adam Fantilli, Michigan (NCAA)
  3. William Smith, USNTDP
  4. Ryan Leonard, USNTDP
  5. Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw (WHL)
  6. Oliver Moore, USNTDP
  7. Zach Benson, Winnipeg (WHL)
  8. Matthew Wood, UConn (NCAA)
  9. Samuel Honzek, Vancouver (WHL)
  10. Colby Barlow, Owen Sound (OHL)

Not to be forgotten is the international list, which could be considered an even deeper top-10. While the top-ranked Leo Carlsson from Sweden isn’t quite to Bedard’s level, he is a difference-making talent in his own right. The 18-year-old center is already in his second SHL season playing regular minutes, and has 15 points in 26 games for Orebro HK. The kind of two-way player that can anchor a lineup, Carlsson seems to do everything right, all the time. Marr had this to say about the top European:

Leo Carlsson is a competitive two-way forward with all the tools needed to excel. He is very athletic, a quick and fluid skater, strong on the puck and effective in battles. A very consistent performer capable of making the game look easy with his deceptive smarts and skills. He generates chances at crucial times and is capable of changing the momentum of games.

Beyond Carlsson though is a group of excellent talents that teams will be clamoring over in the summer. Matvei Michkov, a Russian forward that was once considered a potential rival of Bedard’s for the first-overall pick, comes in second. The dynamic Michkov constantly drives the puck to dangerous areas with slick skill and agility, while possessing a hard snapshot and one-timer that make him a weapon on the powerplay. Since a recent move to HK Sochi so that he could actually get some KHL playing time, he has four goals in nine games.

The top ten International skaters are:

  1. Leo Carlsson, Orebro (SHL)
  2. Matvei Michkov, Sochi (KHL)
  3. Axel Sandin Pellikka, Skelleftea (SHL)
  4. Dalibor Dvorsky, AIK (Allsvenskan)
  5. Eduard Sale, Brno (Czechia)
  6. Otto Stenberg, Frolunda (Sweden Jr.)
  7. Lenni Hameenaho, Assat (Liiga)
  8. Mikhail Gulyayev, Omsk (KHL)
  9. Kasper Halttunen, HIFK (Liiga)
  10. David Reinbacher, Kloten (NL)

The full rankings, including the goaltending lists, can be found here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Matvei Michkov

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Dec 20: SKA has officially announced the loan, sending Michkov to Sochi for the rest of the year.

Dec 19: As the 2023 World Junior Championship gets closer, hockey fans are focused on the next wave of talent. Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli will show why they are expected to go at the very top of next year’s draft, while competing against the best players in their age group from all over the world.

Well, not all over the world. Russia has been banned from the upcoming tournament because of its invasion of Ukraine, meaning Matvei Michkov – another top prospect – won’t get to compete.

Instead, Michkov is set to join the worst team in the KHL for the rest of the season as reports out of Russia have him loaned to HC Sochi. Though it may seem like a demotion, given his place with powerhouse club SKA St. Petersburg, it should allow the young forward to actually receive some regular playing time. So far this year he has played just a handful of shifts in the KHL, spending most of his time in the VHL, where he has 10 goals in 12 games.

Michkov, 18, is a very interesting prospect when it comes to the draft. Compared to Alex Ovechkin at times as he grew up, there is an expectation that he will become the next face of Russian hockey. If there weren’t other complicating factors, he would be pushing Bedard for the first overall selection.

The biggest of those factors is his contract, which will keep him in Russia through the 2025-26 season. This loan to Sochi does not extend or shorten his deal with SKA; it only gives him an opportunity to play through the end of the year.

Any team that selects him will have to wait, and though he is expected to come to North America when his contract is up, there is no guarantee of that just yet.

This opportunity, though, will be able to give NHL front offices a bit of a closer look (at least through video) before committing to a several-year wait. If he can show off for Sochi, even in a losing effort – the club is dead last in the KHL – the hype surrounding his future will only increase.

NHL Central Scouting Releases “Players To Watch” For 2023 Draft

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The 2023 draft is still months away, but fans of struggling teams are already salivating over the idea of adding talents like Connor Bedard, Matvei Michkov, or Adam Fantilli to their organization. Those three are among the 28 names that were included as “A” prospects in NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary “players to watch” list, released today.

The full group of top prospects is as follows:

D Cameron Allen – Guelph, OHL
F Colby Barlow – Owen Sound, OHL
F Connor Bedard – Regina, WHL
F Zach Benson – Winnipeg, WHL
G Carson Bjarnason – Brandon, WHL
F Daniil But – Yaroslavl, Russia Jr.
F Leo Carlsson – Orebro, SHL
F Nate Danielson – Brandon, WHL
F Dalibor Dvorsky – AIK, Sweden-2
F Adam Fantilli – Michigan, NCAA
F Ethan Gauthier – Sherbrooke, QMJHL
D Mikhail Gulyayev – Omsk, KHL
F Kasper Halttunen – HIFK, Liiga
F Riley Heidt – Prince George, WHL
F Samuel Honzek – Vancouver, WHL
G Michael Hrabal – Omaha, USHL
F Ryan Leonard – USNTDP
F Matvei Michkov – SKA St. Petersburg, Russia-2
F Oliver Moore – USNTDP
F Gabriel Perreault – USNTDP
F Calum Ritchie – Oshawa, OHL
F Eduard Sale – Brno, Czechia
D Axel Sandin Pellikka – Skelleftea, Sweden Jr.
F William Smith – USNTDP
F Otto Stenberg – Frolunda, Sweden Jr.
F Charlie Stramel – Wisconsin, NCAA
F Matthew Wood – UConn, NCAA
F Brayden Yager – Moose Jaw, WHL

These are the players who are listed as “1st round candidates,” though it should be noted that there will be several changes before the draft actually rolls around. If you are noticing there is a distinct lack of defensemen listed, you’re not wrong. The preliminary list for the 2021 draft had nine defensemen listed in the 31-player “A” group, while the 2022 group had five out of 23 players listed. This year, the defensemen are almost equal with the goaltenders, showing just how rare difference-making blueliners might be.

Speaking of goaltenders, having two in the preliminary group is rather rare. The 2022 list didn’t have any, and a netminder didn’t come off the board until Topias Leinonen at No. 41 when the draft rolled around. The 2021 group shows how much things can change though. When their preliminary list came out, Jesper Wallstedt was the only goaltender listed as an “A.” While he did end up going in the first round, Sebastian Cossa – ranked a “B” prospect at this point two years ago – was the first goalie off the board, selected 15th overall.

For that matter, Kevin Korchinski, who went seventh overall to the Chicago Blackhawks just a few months ago, was a “B” prospect at this point last year. Korchinski had a breakout season with the Seattle Thunderbirds and skyrocketed up draft boards – something a handful of players do every year.

So while the “A” players may be early favorites to go in the first round, there’s a reason why the whole list is dubbed the players to watch. These are the names you’ll hear bandied about in the months to come, with arguments about upside and floor happening on bar stools and bleachers all across the hockey world.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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