First Connor Bedard vs. Matvei Michkov NHL Matchup Is a Long Time Coming – The Hockey Writers Philadelphia Flyers Latest News, Analysis & More

On Saturday, Nov. 23, two of hockey’s most promising youngsters will face off for the first time in the NHL. This matchup, between Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers, both 19 years old, has been a long time coming.

What exactly makes this game, which will be at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, such a special one? Though taken six spots apart in the 2023 NHL Draft, they have been big names for quite some time. This won’t be the first time they’ve played against one another, either.

2021 Under-18 World Championship: Bedard and Michkov Clash for Gold

The last time we were exposed to a Bedard and Michkov showdown was in May 2021 (minus a pre-tournament game ahead of the 2022 World Junior Championship). But for context, let’s rewind a bit.

In their 2020-21 seasons at 15 and 16 years of age, these two were already top-end players for their junior leagues. Bedard was one of the top scorers in the Western Hockey League (WHL) as an exceptional status player. Albeit over a shortened campaign, he put up 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 15 games. Good for a rate of 1.87 points per game, he was already in the 99th percentile for scoring in a league with players up to five years older than him. Bedard’s unprecedented scoring pace made him a generational prospect—nobody has ever touched these numbers.

Michkov, on the other hand, lit up Russia’s Junior Hockey League (MHL) to the tune of 38 goals and 56 points in 56 games, putting him first in the goal-scoring category despite being among the minority of players in their age-16 campaign. For reference, only three players in the MHL have scored at least 20 goals at that age: Michkov, 2025 draft-eligible Ivan Ryabkin (29), and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov (24). Additionally, those are the only players with at least five games played to reach a point-per-game pace at 16 years old.

This set up the 2021 World Championship for under-18 players, which took place from April 26 to May 6, 2021. How did our two superstar prospects perform, you may ask? The two “rivals” dominated.

Connor Bedard says he and Matvei Michkov talk and text sometimes. They’ll face each other tomorrow.

“It’s funny: When you’re playing against people, you try to create a rivalry, but usually you’re friends or you want to see the other guy succeed. I’m always rooting for him.”

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 22, 2024

In the end, the World Championship’s top three scorers were the following: Michkov (16 points; 12 goals, four assists), Bedard (14 points; seven goals, seven assists), and Shane Wright (14 points; nine goals, five assists). Because of their incredible showings, Michkov’s Russian club and Bedard’s Canadian club faced off for a chance at gold to seal what was an amazing tournament. The kids put together one of the most intense hockey games you’ll ever see.

In a back-and-forth contest that saw both countries lead, Canada pulled away with the victory, 5-3. Michkov scored the opening goal and tallied two assists for three points, while Bedard answered Michkov’s goal with a beauty of his own and set up Wright for an empty-net heartbreaker in the final minute.

While he had to settle for silver, Michkov was still named the tournament’s MVP for his jaw-dropping performances. Bedard led his country to the ultimate prize and put up similar numbers, so both sides showed the world that they’d be a fun duo to go first and second overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Blackhawks and Flyers Hit the Jackpot

Except, the last part didn’t happen. Bedard went first overall to the Blackhawks, a team on a mission to land him, but Michkov wasn’t taken until seventh overall by the Flyers. Why?

Well, it certainly wasn’t performance. Bedard cruised to 143 points in 57 games in 2022-23 in the WHL, the highest point-per-game total for a 17-year-old in history. He was a human highlight reel for the Regina Pats, putting on a clinic for a rather underwhelming team (they barely won half of their games).

As for Michkov, he moved on to the Supreme Hockey League (VHL), playing with professionals. In 12 games, his 10 goals and four assists for 14 points made him one of the best players in the league despite his young age. Among players with at least 10 games played, he was first in goals per game and second in points per game. Clearly too talented for the VHL, he moved on to Russia’s top league, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). There, he put up the best point-per-game pace (0.67) of a player in their draft year in history, with 20 points in 30 games.

If we just look at the numbers and the talent of Michkov as a player, he probably should’ve been regarded as highly as Bedard. However, there were a variety of reasons why he wasn’t. Russian politics, being under contract through the 2025-26 season in the KHL, seen as a bad teammate, and in a draft class with many high-end talents who had lower risk attached to them, the Flyers got to scoop him up at seventh. But that doesn’t erase the history.

Related: Flyers’ Matvei Michkov Could Soar in 2024-25 Based on Historical Trends

In 2023-24, Bedard got a head start on his NHL career, winning the Calder Trophy by putting up 61 points in 68 games with the Blackhawks. Serving his contract in the KHL, Michkov had 41 points in 48 games, putting him in the 96th percentile in points per game (0.85) among forwards with at least 10 appearances. Bedard was pulling ahead, but Michkov was still on a superstar trajectory.

Bedard and Michkov in the Present

Thankfully for the NHL world, Michkov’s KHL contract was terminated two years early. This meant he was able to join the Flyers in 2024-25, setting us up for where we are today—awaiting his duel with Bedard.

Now that they’re in the same league, we can compare the two youngsters. Michkov has been red-hot, putting up six goals and nine assists for 15 points in 18 games with a minus-3 rating. Bedard is right there with him, sitting on three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 20 games with a minus-6 rating. Both the Flyers (8-10-2 record) and Blackhawks (7-12-1 record) have had underwhelming offenses to this point, but these two have done all they can to fix that.

This matchup could be one of many. Though it’s a contest between clubs at the bottom of the standings, there will be eyes on both Bedard and Michkov as they face one another for the first time in three years.

Stats courtesy of QuantHockey