Flyers’ Matvei Michkov blows minds at KHL 3-on-3 tournament

The Stanley Cup has been awarded and paraded around. The NHL Draft has taken place — painstakingly so through the first round. The Free Agent Frenzy is over, with a few stragglers still finding new homes.

It’s the dog days of summer. So, if Matvei Michkov is scoring goals, dishing assists, pissing off opponents, and winning hockey games — wherever they are? We’re writing about it.

Michkov played in the KHL 3×3 Fest on Tuesday in Russia. He joined a handful of NHLers as well as some KHL players on a smaller rink specifically made for 3-on-3 hockey. The 20-year-old winger, being the showman that he is, opened the scoring in the tournament. He took the puck and slid it past the netminder from a tough angle.

The Russian winger scored the first goal of the game six different times for the Flyers during his rookie season. Michkov was also the Flyers’ first goalscorer in three other instances.

Michkov scored another tough-angle goal later in the game to extend his team’s lead to 4-1.

According to NHL Edge, Michkov scored three goals on nine shots from that area last season.

Michkov displayed his patience, puck protection, and playmaking in the next game. He held the puck for over a dozen seconds before finding a teammate open in the slot.

(Yes, it’s just a 3-on-3 exhibition, but you love to see it.)

He then hesitated and threaded the needle with a great pass

It was Michkov’s secondary primary assist of the game to cut the deficit to 6-2.

With Team Orange staging a comeback, Andrei Pribylsky had something to say to Michkov after scoring a goal, and you know the Flyers forward gave it right back to him.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of a summer exhibition: Michkov isn’t backing down.

Michkov and Team Orange got the last laugh, taking home gold as champions of the KHL 3×3 Fest.

Seeing Michkov score goals and dish out assists immediately following the end of the Flyers Development Camp should excite some Flyers fans. Of course, it’d be a lot better if those highlights were being made in the playoffs, ideally into May and June, but we have to take what we can get for now.

But there’s a chance that we see at least a prospect or two that was at Development Camp play on a line with Michkov as soon as this upcoming season.

Porter Martone has an outside chance of making the NHL roster in his draft year. Alex Bump is turning pro and had a stellar run into the playoffs last year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms; I’d be shocked if he doesn’t make his NHL debut this season, potentially opening night. And of course, there’s Jett Luchanko, who didn’t participate in the on-ice activities last week but could very well make the Flyers roster once again this season.

It’s exciting to think about what Michkov might be able to do with even more talented linemates after putting up 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 80 games during his rookie season.