Is Matvei Michkov really better than Connor Bedard? Analyzing disputed claims about top NHL prospects

For years, Matvei Michkov and Connor Bedard were the two top prospects for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft but some things have changed.

In their draft-eligible year, many thought Bedard cemented himself as the clear-cut No. 1 prospect. Adam Fantilli also became the second-ranked prospect to many and Michkov fell down the pecking order for a few different reasons.

NHL draft analyst Corey Pronman recently released his top prospects and claimed Michkov has more upside than Bedard.

"Michkov is perhaps the best draft-eligible prospect I've ever seen in the offensive zone. (crossed the opposing blue line) He might be the best prospect I've seen in this area, or otherwise, he's not far from it," Pronman wrote. "His skills and offensive instincts are truly incredible.

"He's a scoring chance-creating machine. He's a unique player, with the potential to create immense amounts of offense in the NHL if everything falls into place, which is not certain yet."

Immediately, many fans began to debate who's better between Bedard and Michkov, so let's take a look at their skills.

Bedard vs. Michkov

Russia not being allowed to participate in the World Juniors was disappointing as it would have been nice to see Michkov play, as he likely would have dominated. However, Bedard did get the chance to play and dominated, as he recorded 23 points in seven games.

The concern for Bedard in the NHL is his size as he's listed at just 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, but he has an insane shot and dominated play at the WHL. If he will be able to create his own offense in the NHL is really the only question scouts have.

Michkov, meanwhile, is the same size as Bedard but he does play a bit bigger and has been playing with men in Russian. When he was 16, he was playing in the U-20 Russian league and broke Alexander Ovechkin's record for most points.

This past season, Michkov played in the KHL and stopped being a selfish player, which surprised many scouts. The fact that he has proven he can play with older players in the KHL does help.

However, Bedard likely has a higher ceiling as scouts have compared him to Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, and passing that up at first overall is something the Chicago Blackhawks wouldn't do.

Finally, the last hurdle for Michkov is the fact that he is signed in the KHL until 2026, so he won't be able to go to the NHL for a couple of years. That likely will be the difference as to why Bedard will go No. 1. Only time will tell who is the better player, but scouts and analysts are torn on who will be better.