VOORHEES, N.J. – While Matvei Michkov might be one of the most talented young hockey players on the planet, making the transition to a new lifestyle still promises to be formidable challenge.
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere hopes to make that switchover as seamless and as comfortable as possible.
That’s one of the reasons why he wanted to get his prized prospect over here to the Philadelphia area as soon as possible to start learning a new language, a new rink size and basically a new everything before the NHL season starts a couple months from now.
“It’s never easy what he’s going through,” Briere said during Wednesday’s press conference at the Flyers Training Center. “I was telling him yesterday that when I was 19 and came to the U.S. (from the French-speaking province of Quebec in Canada), I also didn’t speak English.
“Then the hockey terms helped me navigate and learn the language. You understand the terms and that’s how you learn to make sentences. Eventually you start to get the jokes.”
The Flyers hope Michkov can have a basic grasp of English as the season goes along.
Fortunately, the Flyers have two Russian-born players, Egor Zamula and goalie Ivan Fedotov, who can help with the language barrier.
Said Michkov: “It’s really comforting to have someone that speaks the language (Russian) on the team. Everyday I’m getting more and more English. Hopefully soon, I’ll be able to not only just listen but answer.”
Having those veterans around should help.
“It’s not going to be easy for him (Michkov),” Briere reiterated. “What we’re doing is we’re starting with a tudor. Re-signing Zamula, bringing in Fedotov, those are guys who hopefully will be able to help him.
“We also have a pretty tight locker room. Guys like Nick Deslauriers, Garnet Hathaway and Erik Johnson. . .they’re great veterans who understand and have been around a long time to make sure he fits in. They’re going to help him out. They’re going to go out of their way. That’s why having good veterans is a key when you’re playing young guys out of their comfort.”
Michkov’s mom (Maria) and little brother (Prohor) are scheduled to join their famous family member at some point.
“Eventually,” Briere said. “That’s the plan. It will be good to have his mom and his brother here with him. That’s something that will also help a lot.”
>The defining moment
Michkov didn’t get his hopes of joining the Flyers this year too high until late in the KHL season.
“The (extraction) process was long but I was not involved in it,” he said. “I’m very happy and looking forward to playing here.”
Briere had similar sentiments.
“I didn’t expect it, to be honest,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing. When we drafted him we had no expectations of him coming here until his contract was done.
“He probably would have gone in the top 2 or 3. It’s a great break for us, for the organization, to have him early at 19. We all know that he’s gifted offensively, very talented. But he’s going to learn the other side of the ice as well. That gets me excited. He’s going to get that phase early on. I think it’s just going to make him better for the rest of his career.”
>What Michkov can add
Briere emphasized he wants Michkov’s skills to fit into the team’s rebuild plan to get younger and faster.
“He’s another level of skill,” the GM said. “For me, it’s the internal growth. Our younger guys are getting a year older, a little bit more mature. To add a player of his caliber, hopefully, eventually, it’s going to make us a better team. Where we are in our (rebuild) timeline, it’s good timing.”
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