Matvei Michkov just finished his rookie season for the Philadelphia Flyers but the 20-year-old winger is already being used as a benchmark to compare the next wave of Russian players to. One prospect that won’t be drafted until the 2028 NHL Draft, is getting some Michkov comparisons already.
In a brief report from the Sirius Cup, the major junior tournament in Russia that takes place before clubs start their official seasons that takes place just outside of Sochi, Elite Prospects’ Dylan Griffing made one key comparison for potentially the best prospect from overseas in his 2010-born age group.
Dmitri Ishkov came into this event already regarded as one of the best 2010-born prospects in the country. He spent the entirety of the 2024/25 season playing at the U16 level with Armiya-SKA, cementing himself as, arguably, the best player on that team despite his age.
He switched from Red to Blue halfway through the event, accumulating eight points in five games, with two goals and six assists. He has a lot of elements in his game that are comparable to Matvei Michkov. A smaller winger who loves to go between-the-legs on his first post-entry move, possesses an elite shot, dynamic handling ability, and advanced playmaking instincts, Ishkov has one of the strongest offensive toolkits out there. Adding in his explosive foot speed and the ability to chain together plays at high pace only makes him more unstoppable.
If there’s one name you should remember to try and impress all of your friends about upcoming it isn’t Gavin McKenna, or the projected top 2027 draft pick Landon Dupont — no, it’s now Dmitri Ishkov, who hasn’t even played the junior level of hockey in Russia, yet and is being compared to one of the best teenaged hockey players that country has seen in the last 20 years.
Dmitri Ishkov (2010) is his St. Petersburg counterpart.
— 19 (7+12) in 7GP at the U15 Districts Cup
— 68 (30+38) in 41GP with Armiya-SKA U16Also playing above his age group, he has an elite shot while being just as crafty and explosive as Sinikin. Two very talented wingers. pic.twitter.com/ogehsl0Acr
— dylan griffing (@GriffingDylan) June 23, 2025
Now we of course have to ask the question, given that this is now the comparison, if there is a chance that Ishkov could eventually make his way to Philadelphia and join this conglomeration of Russian talent the Flyers seem to be forming.
With 2028 being an entirely fake year that seems extremely far away, no one knows how the prospects will land in the first round. Just 12 months ago, everyone thought Ivan Ryabkin was a lock to be a top-10 pick in the most recent draft, and he dropped to 62nd overall to the Carolina Hurricanes, for various reasons. No one can truly predict it, but even if Ishkov remains a first-round talent, there is a possibility the Flyers are in the range to nab the player that has star potential right now.
Or, they have traded their 2028 first-round pick at that trade deadline, as they eventually go on a run all the way to at least the Eastern Conference Final and Michkov scores roughly 17 goals in the playoffs and rookie Yegor Zavragin wins the Calder and breaks records for first-year netminders in the playoffs.
Well, we can dream, but it is nice to see our Russian phenom already be an example of what a player can aspire to be, before he even enters his second NHL season.