Russian NHL Prospect Matvei Michkov's Dad Found Dead In Pond Under 'Unexplained Circumstances'

The father of highly touted Russian hockey prospect Matvei Michkov was found dead in a pond after being reported missing on April 2.

51-year-old Andrei Michkov was reportedly living in an apartment in Sochi with his 18-year-old son Matvei, who is currently playing for HC Sochi in the Kontinental Hockey League. Television network Match TV reported that Andrei Michkov left home saying he'd be right back but never returned.

Two days later, the Russian newspaper, Izvestia, reported that Michkov's body was found in a pond in the village of Sirius. Their reporting says that he drowned in the pond.

The Russian Hockey Federations English-language Twitter account tweeted the news of Andrei Michkov's death and sent its condolences to the family. They also mentioned that his death came under "unexplained circumstances."

Michkov is signed with SKA St. Petersburg and started playing with the club this season. Head coach Romain Rotenberg issued a statement in which he sent his condolences to the Michkov family.

“He was a wonderful person, an excellent father who raised Matvei and gave him a start in life. Andrei’s death is a huge loss,” Rotenberg said in a statement.

“I offer my deepest condolences to (Matvei) and his family. We will not stand aside and will always help with whatever we can. Strength and courage to the family and friends of Andrei Michkov.”

Matvei Michkov could be a top 5 pick at this year's NHL Draft. (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Experts Consider Matvei Michkov A Top 5 Pick In This Year's NHL Draft

Most pundits consider Matvei Michkov a top 5 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. Most lists have him either No. 3 or No. 4 behind consensus No. 1 pick Connor Bedard, and likely No. 2 Adam Fantili of the Michigan Wolverines.

The 18-year-old is playing the second half of the KHL season in Sochi but is on loan from KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg. His current deal with the team runs through 2026, which makes an NHL debut before that fairly unlikely.

It remains to be seen how that, coupled with recent difficulties teams have had with bringing Russian players to North America, will affect his draft stock.

SKA St. Petersburg is owned by Gazprom, a transnational energy company, and 50% is owned by the state. The company also owns Match TV. In 2018, there were accusations that the KHL season had been fixed to favor SKA St. Petersburg as it was an election year for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

If there was an attempt to fix the league, it didn't work. CSKA Moscow (essentially the modern-day Red Army Team) eliminated SKA in the league semi-finals that season.

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