Philadelphia draft Michkov, ready to wait for him

Matvei Michkov fulfilled one wish when the Philadelphia Flyers picked him 7^th overall at the draft. But he wishes one more thing – to honor his late father by winning the title in the NHL.

Two Russian players go back-to-back at the 2023 #NHLDraft!

#6: Dmitriy Simashev to @ArizonaCoyotes
#7: Matvei Michkov to @NHLFlyers pic.twitter.com/4MBm2nuFIR

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) June 29, 2023

Matvei’s father died in April at 51, as the Russian Hockey Federation reported.

Michkov (18), right-wing who already has games for the Russian national team, was thinking about his father as he put on Philadelphia’s jersey for the 1^st time.

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“At the moment, it’s crucial for me to finish the goal that my dad had for me, and that’s triumphing with the Stanley Cup,” the Russian shared through an interpreter.

Matvei credited his dad with developing his offense.

“Much of the contribution for my offensive game goes to my late father. He showed me the different ways of disguising my shot. I think he’d be very proud and happy for me and all the work we put in, and he’d be proud that I made it to the NHL,” the player added.

Flyers draft Matvei Michkov at 7

Is the second best player in the draft worth the long wait?
pic.twitter.com/lfB3uiA3Lz

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 29, 2023