Matvei Michkov is an undersized winger standing at about 5'10". He played for HK Sochi this past year where he scored 9 goals and 11 assists in 27 games. He put up the highest points/game ratio to ever be produced by a u-18 draft elgible Russian in the KHL. Yes, higher than Ovechkin. He also played in the VHL, the minor pro league to the KHL, in which he scored 10 goals and 4 assists in 12 games. To end his season, he put up 4 goals and 3 assists in only 5 MHL games. There is a lot to unpack here. For starters, Michkov has a 3 year KHL contract (signed through 2025-2026). There is also the political atmosphere following Russian prospects and it has only gotten darker due to Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine. There has been some talk that maybe Michkov doesn't come to the NHL right after his contract and this may sway some teams from drafting such an unknown future. So to pick a player as early as top 5, there are some pretty big risks. Regardless of all the noise, I have Michkov ranked as the 2nd best player in the draft.
Michkov has an outstanding goal scoring ability. He has torched every league and tournament he's played in. Two years ago, Michkov scored 12 goals in 7 games at the iihf U-18 tournament. Last year he scored 8 goals in 5 games at the same tournament. The question is, how does he score these goals? He scores them anyway he can. He is a true goal scorer, whether thats by beating a goalie clean with a high rising wrister, pulling off the Michigan, or just sneaking by the defenders for a backdoor tap-in. His wrist shot is very accurate and has plenty of velocity to it. It is definitely one of his better qualities.
Michkov isn't some elite speedster by any means, but he is strong for his size and is a solid skater. He fits in with the pace of the KHL. Similar to Bedard, he has average speed and good acceleration. His edge work is smooth and he uses it to his advantage in the offensive zone. Another thing to note is he is quite shifty and hard for defenders to read. He is a really smart player, so he uses his skating very effectively to set-up plays. He isn't known for being an elite playmkaer, but is good at reading situations. If your team drafts Michkov, they are getting a high-upside winger that can be a 100+ point scorer in the NHL.
Below is his Elite Prospects page
Elite Prospect's page for Matvei Michkov3/4 Above Average
2/4 Average
4/4 Elite
4/4 Elite
2/4 Average
Below are some sources to look at for visual demonstration;