Matvei Michkov is putting on a show at Flyers training camp

All eyes were on Matvei Michkov this summer as the Philadelphia Flyers winger needed a strong offseason after an up-and-down sophomore campaign.

Those eyes continued to be set on the Russian winger for the first three days of training camp last week. After coming into last year’s training camp out of shape, Michkov’s hard work this summer is already showing early on in camp.

Michkov’s first day of training camp couldn’t have gone much better, as he looked the part on the ice and conducted his first English interview afterward. It wasn’t just one day, though, as Michkov continued to put on a show on Friday and then in the intrasquad scrimmage at a packed Flyers Training Center on Saturday.

On Friday, Michkov showed off some of his passing skills from below the goal line.

In this first clip, with the puck reversing behind the net, Michkov passes it back to that side of the ice to Zach Aston-Reese, who was waiting in the bottom of the circle for a one-time chance.

That change of motion of the puck can catch the goaltender off guard, and is something we’ve seen Michkov utilize in games.

He made a similar move later on in a two-on-two drill, carrying the puck behind the net but sending a backhand pass to Denver Barkey at the side of the net instead.

These two plays remind us just how smart a hockey player Michkov is. While the simple and straightforward play is to keep the puck moving forward and battle, Michkov thinks one or two steps ahead to open up other avenues with the puck. It can’t hurt that the goalie has to keep the thought of a Michigan attempt in the back of his head, too.

Michkov noted in his press conference on Thursday that Rick Tocchet and the Flyers wanted him to work on his one-timer in the offseason. It makes sense, because if Michkov wants to play on the right side as a left-hand shot, having a good one-timer can be a huge weapon.

After the official practice session was over on Friday, Michkov was one of several players to stay out on the ice. He was working on that one-timer under the tutelage of his head coach and captain.

It’s great to see Michkov so confident with the puck in practice and then putting in the work to prepare himself for the regular season. And while it’s great to see in practice, it’s better to see in a game situation — even if it is just a scrimmage.

Michkov popped off in the scrimmage with several highlight-reel plays. His skill set was on full display in the 3-on-3 portion of the day.

After surveying the ice, Michkov elected to regroup and take the puck all the way back behind his net to come the full 200 feet the other way. He went on an end-to-end rush as a one-man zone entry to set up Alex Bump all alone in front.

Michkov controlled the puck for about 10 seconds while evading the defenders before Noah Powell finally lined him up for a hit in the corner. Powell has been one of the more noticeable rookies in training camp, largely due to his physicality, and Michkov didn’t back down. He continued to battle, taking a stick to the back while hunched over on the ice, and shoveled the puck out to open ice, where Oliver Bonk was waiting.

Those are the types of plays that we need to see from Michkov. He wasn’t great along the boards last season, but if he can protect the puck and win some battles, his vision will help him find open players in prime positions to score.

Once again, we’ll take these highlights with a grain of salt as it’s just training camp and an intrasquad scrimmage, but there’s almost nothing to hate and everything to love from Michkov’s first few days in Voorhees.

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