The Flyers starlet is still making everyone proud back home.
After two productive seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL, star forward Matvei Michkov has been nominated to receive permanent recognition from his hometown of Perm back home in Russia.
As first shared on X by our good friend Uggg, Michkov, 21, has been nominated for the 2026 Stroganov Prize by the Perm community, awarded annually to the person who brings honor and glory to the Perm Krai region through their endeavors and achievements.
Michkov has been nominated by the Perm community for, of course, high achievement in sports. Here's what they had to say on Michkov's candidate page:
"Matvey Michkov – the only Perm hockey graduate who was selected in the first round of the NHL draft," the page read.
"The 2024/2025 season was Matvey Michkov’s triumphant debut in the NHL. Twice recognized as the best rookie of the month in the NHL and became the most productive Philadelphia rookie in the 21st century. In the 2025/2026 season, Matvey reached 73 (31+42) points in 100 games in the NHL – the best figure for Flyers rookies since 1995."
Two years into his NHL career, Michkov now sits at 114 points in 161 games for the Flyers, recording 20 goals and 51 points this past season despite its perception as a hugely disappointing campaign for the youngster.
That success, though, has made the 21-year-old a local icon, and it's a matter of when and not if he earns permanent recognition, be it through the Stroganov Prize or something else.
"Matvey Michkov today is the brightest representative of the younger generation of Russian sports on the world stage. He is a model for thousands of young athletes of the Kama region and a worthy successor to the traditions of famous Perm athletes," the Perm community concluded.
It speaks volumes about Michkov to be looked upon in this way, and it only further proves he belongs with the Flyers as a big piece of what the organization is building.
Young standouts like Michkov, Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, Jack Berglund, and Jett Luchanko have all led by example on and off the ice in different ways, and that makes the Flyers' future look that much brighter going forward.