The debut of Matvey Michkov in the KHL has become the most anticipated and discussed event of the start of the season. The leader of the Russian junior team, at the age of 16, signed a professional contract with the St. Petersburg SKA and began to appear regularly at the base, and in the third match he replenished his scorer score. The young forward scored a double and an assist in the meeting with the "Admiral" from Vladivostok and went down in the history of the league.
For SKA, the confrontation with the "Admiral" turned out to be quite easy. By the middle of the second period, Valery Bragin's wards scored five unanswered goals and completely owned the initiative, and spent most of the end of the meeting in the majority. Over the past 11 and a half minutes, the guests earned four penalties in a row and allowed the special teams of Petersburgers to practice a lot. And it was at this moment that Michkov showed himself, having distinguished himself twice in unequal compositions.
It is worth noting that both of Matvey's goals turned out to be quite stylish, although in the first case nothing difficult was performed. Yes, he only closed the pass of Kirill Marchenko and hit an empty corner of the opponent's goal. But it is surprising how quickly the young hockey player assessed the situation and took advantage of the help of goalkeeper Andrei Kuzmenko, who closed the view, by directing the puck directly between his legs. And in the second case, Michkov demonstrated in all its glory why he is now considered a natural-born sniper and heir to Alexander Ovechkin. A powerful and accurate throw from the brushes to the near nine took Nikita Serebryakov by surprise. An accurate pass to a partner, who established the final score - 9: 2, helped to consolidate his success.
At first glance, this may slightly blur the impression of Michkov's first take in his adult career. Allegedly, the young striker, although he scored, did it in a game with a weak opponent, and even in the majority. But in reality, everything is not so simple. This meeting with "Admiral" really did not work out, but do not forget that three days ago, Alexander Andrievsky's wards fought on equal terms with the current owner of the Gagarin Cup - "Avangard", losing to him only in the shootout. Therefore, hockey players from Vladivostok should not be considered whipping boys.
In any case, at this age, many hockey players experience serious problems with adaptation not only in the KHL, but also in the VHL, as a result of which they cannot distinguish themselves for a long time.
Michkov, on the other hand, not only immediately established himself in the starting lineup of SKA, but also scored two goals.
And all this in 16 years 270 days.
So neither Evgeny Malkin, nor Nikita Kucherov and Artemy Panarin managed to start in adult hockey, except that Ovechkin scored his first goal a little earlier - at the time of the match with Salavat Yulaev in the 2001/02 season he was 16 years 115 days old.
Nevertheless, Ovechkin's achievement was established during the existence of the Russian Super League, and in the KHL, at a younger age, only two athletes managed to hit the opponent's goal.
At the age of 16, 254 days, Maxim Kitsyn did it, and Vladimir Tarasenko at the time of this event was 11 days older.
Such examples once again indicate that a bright start to a career cannot guarantee that it will continue as successfully. For example, Kitsyn showed himself brightly in the composition of the Novokuznetsk Metallurg long before coming of age, but subsequently did not succeed. In the KHL, he only twice overcame the bar of five points scored per season, unsuccessfully traveled overseas, and then returned to his homeland. Now he plays in the Higher Hockey League. And this is at 29 years old.
Tarasenko, on the contrary, fully realized his potential and not only became one of the leaders of the St. Louis Blues, but for the first time in history led him to victory in the Stanley Cup. Vladimir crossed the bar of 30 goals five times in a season in the NHL, became a member of the League Stars match three times, and also got on the cover of an NHL video game, which only emphasizes his status. Yes, the last years of his career were spoiled by injuries, but this does not detract from his merits.
The only question is whether Michkov will be able to continue in the same spirit and develop as the same Ovechkin and Tarasenko did. Yes, one meeting was enough for him to come close to repeating Alexander's achievement in his first professional season (2 + 2), and after such a start they will expect more from Matvey. Largely because of how highly the head coach of SKA estimates him. Earlier, Bragin already noted the young athlete's ability to perceive information and instantly draw conclusions, and after the victory over the "Admiral" he praised the hockey player.
“You yourself saw how after one of the collisions it was not Michkov who fell, but the opponent. He has a good inner core. We guide him. He needs to play correctly at this age. He played the second half of the match well. Few are given to score. It's a natural flair. The main thing is to lead it correctly and develop its qualities, "RIA Novosti quotes Bragin.
It is worth noting that Michkov has so far managed to meet the level of expectations assigned to him. Talk about the appearance in Russia of a player comparable in talent with Ovechkin himself appeared two years ago. Then he defended the colors of the youth team of Yaroslavl Lokomotiv and impressed with incredible performance. In 26 meetings of the season, he scored 70 goals and assisted partners 39 times. Over the past ten years, only Yegor Filin (72 + 65) scored more in the 2014/15 season. What is remarkable, as in the case of Kitsyn, the pupil of the Penza "Diesel" did not manage to reach heights. At the moment, the 22-year-old striker plays for the Moscow "Zvezda" - CSKA farm club.
Michkov was also one of the leaders in the Russian youth team, both at the World Championship and at the Glinka / Gretzky Cup.
Matvey became the top scorer of both tournaments and helped the national team win silver and gold, respectively.
And hardly anyone will be surprised if, after such an impressive performance, he is given a chance to try his hand at the 2022 World Youth Championship, which will be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Canada, from December 26 to January 5.
The possible inclusion of Michkov in the Russian youth team was discussed a year ago.
Then the head coach Igor Larionov promised to follow the young star and attract him to the training camp, but did not include him in the final application.
At the same time, after the end of the competition, he assured that both Matvey and his partner in the junior team Ivan Miroshnichenko would get a chance in preparation for the MFM-2022.
“At this age, the body changes a lot, the environment changes.
These are interesting guys, I don't look at age - I look at the game.
These guys will be brought in to pass the screening selection.
One or two years difference does not matter if they are ready to take a blow, ”Larionov told Sport-Express.
The former general manager of Salavat Yulaev Leonid Vaysfeld also agrees with him.
In his opinion, Michkov and Miroshnichenko will be given the opportunity to prove that they are ready to play for the U19 national team already in 2021.
“I think we will see Michkov and Miroshnichenko in the youth team in preparation for the Tournament of Four at the end of August.
It would be interesting to see how these guys will look in a team with those who are one or two years older than them, ”Weisfeld said.
But if Michkov is only strengthening his position, then Miroshnichenko is not doing so perfectly so far. Unlike his partner, he has not yet received the opportunity to prove himself at the heart of Avangard and is trying to adapt to Omsk Hawks. At the moment, he held one meeting in the VHL, but did not show any effective actions.