Notoriously demanding head coach John Tortorella won’t try to stifle Matvey Mitchkov’s offensive instincts while the Philadelphia Flyers’ prized prospect works his way through his rookie season.
“We’re hungry for the instinctive plays he can make,” Tortorella told ESPN’s Greg Wiszynski. “I’m not interested in making him a checker. I want to build the foundation. It’s going to take time. But are we going to overwhelm him with that? No.”
The Flyers selected Mitchkov with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft. He joined Philadelphia earlier than expected after his KHL contract expired in the summer and is widely expected to be a Calder Trophy contender this season.
Tortorella has a long history of benching underperforming players, including star players. Rather than reinventing Mitchkov, the Flyers are focused on teaching him when to let his skills shine.
“I think that’s important when you play against attacking players. There are certain moments in the game where you have to be simple. In order to make that play, you have to fight another day. “It might not be the case,” Tortorella said.
“I know that’s something we have to teach him. But I want to let him go. We’re not going to stifle him in any way in terms of his creativity. .โ
Mitchkov’s passion has already influenced Tortorella.
“He hit an empty netter in an exhibition game and it was like Game 7,” Tortorella said. โI love that side of him, and I think it has an impact on the team.โ
Mitchkov has accumulated seven points in four preseason games so far. The Flyers will open the regular season on October 11th against the Vancouver Canucks.