SKA St. Petersburg unofficially started their 2023-24 season Thursday afternoon, taking on Admiral Vladivostok at 3 p.m. local time. Heading into the game, it appeared that SKA staff sought to experiment with their lines. One such example of this was having Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov playing on their second line as a center. Michkov, of course, is naturally a winger.
Ivan Demidov, one of Michkov’s linemates in the contest, can play any of the forward positions but is a center by trade. Fortunately for the Flyers, Demidov is a top prospect for next year’s NHL draft, so they’ll be able to get a good look at him whilst keeping an eye on Michkov.