You Won't BELIEVE What Matvei Michkov Is Doing... (2023 NHL Draft Prospect Highlights & Bedard Talk)

[@GravitehHockey]

MICHKOV HAS BEEN *INSANE* in the KHL Recently... What Are YOUR Thoughts On Michkov's Season? And Where Would YOU Have Him in YOUR Prospect Rankings? Below Carlsson/Fantilli? Top 2? ABOVE Bedard? I'd LOVE to Hear YOUR Thoughts! #GravGang #RoadTo65kSUBS

[@thebigbucktheory5488]

He's #2 / #3 overall no doubt about it

[@fredbmurphy]

He's not better than Ovi. Conner Bedard might end being so in years to come. What's only for certain now is: no one can touch the level of Connor McDavid. He's even better than Crosby or Ovechin in their prime. A Gretzky or Lemieux calibre.

[@iCoolaxe]

Michkov no doubt has the highest ceiling out of anyone not named Bedard in the 2023 draft class. Even with his contract situation you can still make the case he should go second overall, and certainly no later than fourth.

[@theharlequin2821]

C'mon man... really? Haha jk. You my friend Are EXACTLY RIGHT, iCoolaxe! Anyone that thinks Adam Fantilli is better, has probably never actually watched Michkov play, and I mean not just highlights, but in a full game against other high-level competition ie: the U-18's, where he scored 12 Goals (in 7 games) earning MVP honors vs. Bedard, who scored just a respective 7 Goals (in 7 games) or the WJC's, etc. I still believe talent wise that there will be another 'Crosby/Ovechkin-like' rivalry brewing. I mean mark my words Bedard and Michkov will be vying for the Rocket Richard one day, and I cannot wait!

[@godslayer8894]

He definitely does have the second highest ceiling in the draft class

[@Zaghzackio]

Bedard and Michkov both have the potential to lead the league in goals and points

[@godslayer8894]

@@Zaghzackio for sure

[@joshualayfield2294]

No. Fantilli

[@MrSharkFIN]

For some more context, Sochi recently broke the KHL record for the longest losing streak, at 22 I believe. They've lost 30 of their last 32 games... With decent teammates he could easily have way more points.

[@TsherrooumOfficial]

Such a shame we didn‘t get to see him at the World Juniors. He’s still #2 for me

[@akumasdeception]

Michkov is the only player in this draft than can compete with Bedard. If it wasn’t for his khl contract, people wouldn’t even be comparing him with Carlsson or Fantilli.

[@bolts_hockey_91]

this might be a hot take but I think that Michkov is better than Bedard but like you said that khl contract hurts

[@martinkolar8794]

I agree with you. I think if Michkov drop to 4th place its a steal for me. Bedard vs Michkov will be next Crosby vs Ovechkin.

[@theharlequin2821]

@@bolts_hockey_91 Agreed, as I said above (and as I'm sure you remember) Michkov nearly doubled Bedard's Goal total in the U-18 Tournament in Dallas. How did he do that with Way > Help? IMO it's JUST like Crosby & Ovechkin, meaning Crosby is the centerman, so he gets more Points, whereas Ovi is the winger, who scores more Goals. Same goes with Bedard & Michkov

[@godslayer8894]

@@theharlequin2821 I doubt Michkov will be as good as Bedards ceiling is higher he is a generational talent in the making michkov will be the second best player in this draft class and no michkov isn't better than Bedard.

[@theharlequin2821]

@@godslayer8894 Well, I didn't say "Michkov" will be better than Bedard". What I was stating, is that I think he is (IMO) the 2nd Best player in this Draft class, and could likely go on to score more goals than Bedard one day, or at least from the time he enters the league. But yes, if you're building a team around 1 player then of course I agree with you, that the best and smartest choice is Bedard.

[@regandonnelly4245]

Michkov is the second best prospect in this class and it isn’t close, it’s what it was last year and it hasn’t changed

[@LFC-mr6yb]

Imagine having him at 22 on the first year of an entry level contact… I wouldn’t blame a gm for passing top 5 because it still is a huge risk he stays in Russia and you can’t waste a top 5 pick but it would be so hard not to pick him.

[@draganbosnjakovic7173]

He's definitely the closest to Bedard in terms of talent but his khl contract is what's holding him back for being second.

[@frequentsee3815]

Would be crazy if the Wings drafted him considering they also drafted Buchelnikov who is in a very similar situation in Russia.

[@TheRightWillRise]

He won’t fall that far my friend….

[@frequentsee3815]

@NorthernEliteProspects not anymore.. Wings on a run. Game starts in 2 mints minutes against the Flames

[@MrSharkFIN]

Coaching was definitely an issue and SKA's management in general. He sat on the bench for so many games, which does nothing for him. So glad he got an opportunity for a new start and with how awful Sochi is, his qualities really show.

[@philliamjond]

russian teams, especially the prestigeous ones, never seem to care about that and always just play the older players, i feel like its a kind of respect your elders culture in general could be wrong tho

[@MrSharkFIN]

@@philliamjond Yeah. It really sucks, but glad he got away for now at least

[@Island1-b5h]

​@@philliamjond they do that to alot of players who are draft prospects for the NHL.

[@maxpatenaude2115]

1-Bedard 2-Michkov 3-Fantilli 4-Carlsson

[@TheDraftReport]

I’ve had Michkov number two in my rankings all year and that likely isn’t going to change either. He is a level above Fantilli, though I don’t think he’s on Bedard’s level, and if I’m an NHL GM I am taking him right after Bedard. Michkov’s KHL contract gives you time to build a solid foundation and him time to become an elite superstar. The hope would be that he arrives in 2026 and is already one of the world’s best players. I think he will be.

[@xxLilGam3rxx]

I always had him second on my list if we strickly look at the player and not at the KHL contract. Quick question, could he opt out of the KHL contract and come to North America?

[@sylvanmw]

I've been wondering the same, it seems unlikely but i'm wondering if it's possible for his contract to be bought out

[@coochycoo4395]

He could but with their homeland, I don’t think that’s a situation Russian players want to do. A lot of them love to have the khl to fall back on if the nhl isn’t for them so leaving early… I don’t see it happening

[@NoRoids_JustRage]

As a Blackhawks fan this draft is going to be game changing. SOOO much talent

[@gupdaddy]

Plus so many picks, 2 picks in all rounds 1-3 before the trade deadline trades

[@bryantlawson6270]

@@gupdaddy this and next year. More to come when kane and toews are likely dealt

[@Herrlorddonkoenigczar]

Hopefully Vancouver lands Mitchkov at the 4,5,6 spot….they already have the likes of Podkolzin, Kuzmenko and Mikheyev in the system…he would be a good fit in a few years when Petey is in his prime as a leader and looking for the next wave of new talent

[@yothythoty729]

Lol even mentioning Pod is laughable. Guys terrible. He’s Kristian Vesalainen 2.0

[@trippinout.]

No more freaken wingers please.

[@Herrlorddonkoenigczar]

@@trippinout. Yeah but, Boeser, Garland, Pearson among others will be long gone by then…you have to think 3-4 years from now, like I previously stated, “in a few years”, but I do get your jist of it, we do need more centres down the pipeline…but picking at the 4,5,6 range you have to take the best player available right

[@Island1-b5h]

​@@yothythoty729 relax Podkolzin is still young. He will get better. Tochett loves him.

[@ronaldjoe5529]

Hope he lands in Vancouver!! Mikheyev, Podkolzin & Kuzmenko will be waiting for Michkov.

[@mikeshane2460]

I don't know what to expect playing in these leagues but based on what I saw in the cancelled World Juniors games he looked ahead of everyone not named Bedard. If he played in the most recent WJ I think he would have put on a show. I think it just comes down to his KHL commitment, without that he'd be picked at #2.

[@finalguildis]

By the time michkov is in the nhl lane hutson will be ready same with Logan.. mtls powerplay would be deadly

[@arturw5556]

He is getting better, 3 points today!

[@Kshahdoo67]

7 points in the last 6 games as well.

[@marksbeats3053]

Hey Graviteh, want to let you know its actually pronounced "SKAH" not "S.-K.-A". Really enjoy your content! Thanks for the vid on Michkov

[@derek4044]

Matvei Michkov is what he's always been: a generational talent. He belongs in the same tier with Bedard. Who's better? Idk. You probably give an edge to Bedard. You definitely draft Bedard 1st given the contract situation. But what he's doing-and what he's done for years now-is special. Only Bedard can compare. The weird thing is... we all knew this. We knew it for years before this. And because of what's happening in Russia, we're already finding ways to justify his falling down the draft boards. He's gonna end up going 7th or 8th, and that team that finally drafts him will have drafted the one player on Bedard's level.

[@michaelkerber3337]

i doubt michkov will be generational, we'll have to see but for now too early to tell

[@Hassasin420]

Big time tanker advocate for Anaheim. If they don't get Bedard I want Michkov no matter what pick

[@BubbleGumPlant]

Would Michkov be on an NHL ELC for 3 full seasons starting in 2026-2027 and ending in 2028-2029?

[@michaelkerber3337]

i don't think so, i believe it would be a 1 year ELC like Kaprizov

[@Secretservice709]

He reminds me of Pavel Bure

[@animepopuproar281]

matvei is defenetly the best player in the draft imo said it since 2021

[@WD_Harris]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Island1-b5h]

Agreed

[@Roochfan20]

As a Ducks fan, I wouldn't mind taking Michkov as a consolation prize if the Ducks don't get the 1st overall pick. Wouldn't mind waiting a few years for Michkov to arrive and watch him and Zegras make magic!

[@regandonnelly4245]

Where do u watch khl games to be making takes like this about his play???

[@Skaliex]

2nd no doubt. I see Bedard/Michkov as the next Crosby/Ovi

[@2Jim2u]

Unsure of your ranking which one is better than the other guys, unsure. If you're telling me Fantilli is ranked number 2, I'm asking is his brother on the same NHL team? as he's been with him for the last 3 years, I don't know which one s/b ranked ahead of Carlson or behind or infront of Bedard, I'm just saying, Mishkov's season ends here in a month or so, due to the early start of the KHL.

[@KingOdin]

I hope he's a future Canuck. Knowing this management tho they would pass on him and he would go right after their pick lol.

[@Lebowski55]

Hypothetically if Michkov was playing in the WHL this year what kind of points pace would he be on at this time?

[@gemparaiso8408]

His CHL rights are held by the Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL, he would have to put up better numbers then Sidney Crosby did in his draft year.

[@godslayer8894]

@@gemparaiso8408 yeah no way

[@mr.nihilz3283]

@@gemparaiso8408 What does this response even mean?

[@olivierberube9305]

He is a risk I wouldn't take in the top 5 personnally, the draft is to good to risk it

[@rolieg81]

Might just fall to the Knux 🙏

[@KingOdin]

I would be over the moon if he came here, we already have some Russians why not add more lol

[@JollyCanadian]

A team like Chicago should draft him if they don’t get Bedard. They need the highest ceiling player available

[@Toedoro26]

SIGNED HIS ECL HES FLYER NOW. So MUCH FOR WAITING TILL 2026 WELCOME TO PHILLY MITCHKOV!!!

[@Steve-lk1eb]

Afficially?

[@LPW_]

The contract isn’t even bad if you’re a team going into a long rebuild KHL will grow him well most likely and won’t be on a a bottom 6 roll

[@rolcopster123]

I hope canucks get him

[@Herrlorddonkoenigczar]

I’m with you on that

[@yothythoty729]

Given their drafting I bet they’d pass and draft a bust lol. Lekkermaki is horrible. Don’t be surprised if they draft Dvorsky and he busts. Regime is god awful

[@frequentsee3815]

I hope the Canucks get nothing until all of the management they have now is gone

[@KingOdin]

Pleaseee

[@donnejivavou6754]

If he didn't have this KHL contrat he would be a second pick non negociable

[@guillaumeturcotte4523]

for me he's gonna 4th only because of his contract anaheim,arizona and mtl could be great fit

[@fireinside1984]

Given his size he would be easier to smuggle out of Russia to play for the team that drafts him in the NHL. Scouts should factor this in.

[@Gonar1212]

He's small. Ovi is big and a head hunter. No comparison.

[@salvatoredioguardi3132]

Michkov will surpass Bedard’ s 22 goals as a rookie.

[@robmonkey]

Your unique way of saying officially: "A fficially" 😜

[@edpottinger849]

Michkov should be number 2 to 3

[@trippinout.]

Blinky McBlink with the lowdown. Seems like Podkolzin had a similar story his draft year and slipped. Look for the same. My guess is 7-11 range. Everyone is an expert on this guy and it's all hearsay. How many games have the people commenting seen? How many experts on here know how to really scout talent. lol Bedard is a center and a level above everyone in this draft. Similar to McDavid being a level above everyone in the NHL. It's not close.

[@keir13]

Michkov has been amazing but his draft stock will likely fall due to his KHL contract and the fact that he wasn’t able to play at the WJC. But as good as he is, I wouldn’t say he’s the best or most desirable guy at the draft because he plays the wing which is obviously not nearly as valuable as playing C or D. I’m sure he will absolutely light it up once he cracks the NHL though.

[@eliaminator2313]

what a surprise to see Emelin has continued to be a complete tool

[@OmegaMaximuss]

Good body-check.

[@eliaminator2313]

@@OmegaMaximuss looked like a good knee to me

[@oilersfan3977]

Hot take, bedard is gonna become injury prone, michkov is going to become the best player to come out of this draft and become a top 10 player in the league. Bedard is going to go down as the league’s biggest what if.

[@SnapshotMC94]

Lol intimidated of bedard potentially becoming better than mcdavid one day? Lol

[@oilersfan3977]

@@SnapshotMC94 I couldn’t care less about that. I know my take is very unlikely, I’m just saying that it’s not impossible and you never know.

[@akumasdeception]

I think Michkov has a higher chance of being injury prone. Bedard is the same height but almost 190. The kid's built like Crosby.

[@oilersfan3977]

@@akumasdeception fair points

[@SnapshotMC94]

@@akumasdeception exactly and Michkov already missed 3 weeks from being laid out in the KHL

[@hakug2587]

Kaprizov 2.0

[@markandersen793]

They have no control of over what Putin is doing,!they shouldn’t be guilty by association.

[@Island1-b5h]

Pavel Bure

[@Thomas_667]

Last 10 games 1+3 so yeaaaah really dude?

[@thylacine519]

He played in the KHL as a 17 year old. That's as impressive as 15 year olds in the CHL.

[@Bedna711]

@@thylacine519 more impressive than that

[@upscalestew7850]

Last 5 games 1+2

[@2Jim2u]

yeah i knew he got injured earlier on.

[@theseanie9958]

cmon with the clickbait lmao. he has 5 goals this year, let's calm down

[@alid7192]

He also plays on a awful team

[@MrSharkFIN]

Watch Sochi's games..

[@GravitehHockey]

5 Points in the KHL is impressive for a draft eligible, let alone 5 goals.

[@theseanie9958]

@@GravitehHockey he's gonna be a stud, but the thumbnail saying "better than ovi?" cmon now lol. he's a top 3 player in the draft and he'll be picked top 10, but even with his recent uptick in performance, this season has hurt his stock more than helped it. he was the clear 1b to bedard before, now he's in the 2-4 conversation with fantilli and even carlsson maybe

[@MrSharkFIN]

@@theseanie9958 Statistically he's doing better than Ovi, on a worse team

[@Michael_RareZebra]

He's under contract in the KHL. Could he break that contract, move to the US or Canada and get compensated for any losses? Just curious.

[@Island1-b5h]

Iam sure an NHL team could talk to his KHL club and organize a deal.

[@edvinklarfelt6206]

KHL is also worse than ever with a lot of players not wanting to play in russia

[@ЮрийКастро-м5в]

It's still second in the world, and finally they got rid of Swedish and Finish rubbish.

[@juuhan4892]

@@ЮрийКастро-м5в Getting back belarus rubbish :D?

[@ЮрийКастро-м5в]

@@juuhan4892 it's not English, but if you think Belarus players didn't play in KHL, then OK🤦, what I said is that KHL took a lot of Scandinavian players that play hard, but have a very limited skill set . Great to get read of that Scandinavian crap!

[@juuhan4892]

@@ЮрийКастро-м5в Yeah I know. Many teams top scorer was Finnish or Swedish so no. League is now full of players on Belarus, China etc. KHL has gone downhill after the sanctions.

[@ЮрийКастро-м5в]

@@juuhan4892 it's about the stile, Fins, Swedes play slow, gritty, and kill dynamism in the game, but are unfortunately effective in KHL.

[@jusoduso84]

It's hard to compare KHL now to KHL 10 years ago when Kutznetsov and Tarasenko played there... The league has gone to shit after most of the foreign players left last year

[@Kshahdoo67]

Lol shit, the most dominant teams are the ones with the least foreigners on the rosters, like SKA, CSKA, Ak Bars. And other teams still beat them regularly. Europeans left the the league but a lot of NA players came, and players like Radulov, Jaskin, Tkachev returned, and they are actual stars on the KHL level. The league hasn't become much weaker, that's for sure.

[@joebillgatesbazoscom7529]

Should have been first but whatever

[@trippinout.]

Benson is better than Michkov. He will be drafted prior as well.

[@markandersen793]

Better than Ovechkin, that’s hilarious, talk click bait. You do know Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer in NHL history It’s like saying: Makar is better than Orr.

[@jeffmajor4869]

My prediction: 1- Bedard 2- Fantili 3- Michkov 4- Carlsson

[@mr.nihilz3283]

Carlsson will go 2nd, because he'll be NHL ready.

[@yothythoty729]

Lol literally nobody thinks that. Adam is going #2 regardless of anything

[@mr.nihilz3283]

@@yothythoty729 We'll see. Thanks for your opinion.

[@michaelkerber3337]

@@mr.nihilz3283 i could see Fantilli putting up more points but Carlsson has the better two-way game and more mature NHL ready game

[@mr.nihilz3283]

@@michaelkerber3337 Sure. But also points in NCAA vs SHL are irrelevant. We could argue that if roles were reversed point totals would be equal. Just a thought.

[@ucanemaleme]

3 more years of not learning how to play defense … pass.

[@MrXanderii]

Honestly due to the war in the Ukraine Russian based players should not be eligible in the draft.

[@zachstrafelda]

Horrible take

[@ЮрийКастро-м5в]

So what the world should do to Canadian and US players after Iraq and Afghanistan?

[@Al_Andaloussi85]

so that's the player's fault ? what a dumb statement....

[@Island1-b5h]

​@@ЮрийКастро-м5в yes 100% agreed, people here in the west always forget that because their minds are brainwashed and manipulated by western media.

[@Island1-b5h]

Michkov is the best player in this draft.

[@GloxZation]

Imagine this dude in the chl

[@bryantlawson6270]

I wish all prospects were in a singular league once they hit a certain age.

[@odeszaa]

With what’s going on with the war and tensions between russia and america getting ever worse I can totally see him dropping.