All I focused on was hockey.” As for Michkov, he will have his first head-to-head meeting against Chicago’s Connor Bedard, last year’s Calder winner, on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Michkov is a superb talent, and easily one of the best since McDavid and Auston Matthews went No. 1 in 2015 and 2016. Bedard is, too, and he also scored in the exhibition contest, not to get left out.

Of course, Michkov was taken seventh overall in the 2023 NHL Draft which was the same draft that Connor Bedard went first overall. Michkov would have (likely) been taken second if he didn’t have ...