Michkov became an important piece of the puzzle for the Philadelphia Flyers earlier than expected. The No. 7 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft had a three-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, but the final two seasons of that contract were terminated June 25, 2024, and Michkov signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers on July 1.

The future became brighter when Michkov scored his first two NHL goals in Philadelphia's 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Oct. 15, his third NHL game four days after his NHL debut. He required the fewest games by a Flyers player to have his first multigoal game since Vinny Prospal scored twice in his second game, a 3-2 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 8, 1997.

Michkov had 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 48 games playing on loan with Sochi in 2023-24, most among any under-20 player in the KHL. He had 11 multipoint games -- three with three points -- and five separate three-game point streaks, including one four-game point streak as an under-20 player.

The Perm native has represented Russia several times on the international stage. His eight goals and 13 points helped his country to a gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. His team highs of 12 goals and 16 points led to a silver medal and being named most valuable player of the 2021 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.