Matvei Michkov (Still Not Draft Eligible For 2 Years) Scores His First Goal Of The World Juniors
This upcoming summer there will be 32 young hockey players hoping to live out their dreams of hearing their name get called in the 1st round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Matvei Michkov's name will not be called. Heck, it won't even be called in the 2nd or the 3rd or 4th or 5th or 6th round. Matvei Michkov will have to wait another year because he just turned 17 and isn't draft eligible until 2023.
Now for the past few years everybody has been under the impression that the 1st overall pick in that 2023 draft will either be Michkov from Russia or Connor Bedard from Canada. This week we'll get a chance to watch both of those guys make their debuts at the World Juniors and after just 2 periods into his first game at the WJC, Matvei Michkov gets himself on the board. And what a bizarrely silky goal it was.
After a review it was determined that the puck crossed the goalline between the posts on its own and it didn't matter at that point that the net was knocked off its moorings. Michkov had been Russia's most noticeable player the whole game up until that point so you knew it was only a matter of time before he got himself on the board. What you didn't know is that he'd get himself right back on the board again just a couple moments later.
This is what Matvei Michkov does best. It doesn't matter where he's at on the ice, he's always looking to score. He's always looking to make something happen. And when you're that good and you have that mindset, good things typically happen when you get pucks toward the front of the net. What a debut for the kid.
P.S. - I said that Michkov was the best player on the ice for Russia. But the best player in the game so far has been Simon Edvinsson (DET '21). He was the 6th overall pick in last year's draft and looks every bit like another smooth skating, puck moving, massive Swedish defenseman who has become synonymous with the Detroit Red Wings.
3 powerplay goals for Sweden, and then this shorty from Edvinsson. Moral of the story is that you might want to play 60 minutes of 5v5 hockey against the Swedes if you want to give yourself a chance. But yeah. Only a matter of time before Edvinsson is kicking ass in a Red Wings sweater. He's so good.