The NHL could have a fun new rivalry brewing between two talented Russian playmakers and goal-scorers in the Metropolitan Division this season and beyond.
After getting out of his contract with SKA St. Petersburg two years early, 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers over the summer and seems likely to make his NHL debut in 2024-25. Meanwhile, Capitals’ 2022 first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko is returning for his second season in North America after playing 21 games with the Caps and helping the Hershey Bears win the Calder Cup during his rookie year.
The two prospects are close in age — Miroshnichenko, 20, is 309 days older than the 19-year-old Michkov — and have long been familiar with each other in their native country.
Wednesday, at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the pair reunited at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase — an event that allows Upper Deck to take photos of top prospects for trading cards.
“I’m really excited to be in an NHL game against him, and I’m really happy to see him here,” Miroshnichenko said through his translator for the day, Minnesota Wild prospect Nikita Chibrikov.
As for how he thought Michkov would do in his rookie season, Miroshnichenko smirked, “I think he should go back to Russia, no chance.”
Michkov had his chance to speak to the media later in the day and was asked about being in the same division as Miroshnichenko.
“Yeah, It’s great,” Michkov said through Chibrikov. “Now I have a chance and Miro to play against each other in the NHL. I think I will win.”
When told Miro said he had no chance against him and the Capitals, Michkov responded, “We’ll see.”
Miroshnichenko and Michkov have played together on five different junior teams together during their career. They suited up for the under-14 and under-15 “Team Center” at Russia’s Districts Cup in 2016-17 and 2017-18. They then made the U16 Russian national team and won a gold medal together at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics; Michkov was an alternate captain “A.” In 2021, they won silver at the U18 World Junior Championship with Team Russia and participated in the U18 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Miroshnichenko was captain and Michkov served as an alternate.
Both players are deeply competitive and have had one prior major dustup. In 2020, Miroshnichenko and Michkov got into a fight during a Russian junior team training session. Their trajectory seems somewhat reminiscent of Alex Ovechkin’s rivalry early in his career with Evgeni Malkin — though both stars became close friends later in their careers after the Capitals and Penguins won Stanley Cups.
Wednesday, Miroshnichenko and Michkov spent much of their time together, catching up as they revolved through different stations at the NHLPA event.
After the skate concluded, Michkov posted a photo of the pair standing beside each other and chatting on Instagram, acknowledging the importance of the moment for Russian hockey and their kinship. Miroshnichenko shared the picture on his timeline and his Instagram Story.
In the coming years, the Capitals and Flyers will continue to reload with a new younger core as they attempt to become division powers once again. Miroshnichenko and Michkov figure to be star players on those teams and they’ll play each other at least 3 times a year. Whoever can create the most offense or impose their will enough could decide the victor, promoting potentially prickly relations once again — at least on the ice.
But for now, their nationality and similarly difficult journeys to the NHL — learning a new culture and language thousands of miles from home — have brought them together and made them allies.
“I’m really proud to play against these players,” Michkov said. “It’s NHL.”
