Tocchet Praises Michkov's Speed at Flyers Camp
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet says Matvey Michkov looks noticeably faster on the ice, setting a high tempo and showing a longer, steadier stride in early camp drills.
Rick Tocchet gave his first read on Matvey Michkov's start to Philadelphia's training camp, and the pace stood out.
"He looks very fast on the ice. We worked on the elements we had agreed on. But he really did look very quick. He wanted to work on his shot this summer and put a lot of time into it. Matvey set a high tempo during the speed drills - I like that a lot. And not just him, but Denver Barkey and the other lads too - it's nice to watch. Matvey's stride has got longer. When you watch players skate laps and start to tire, you notice their stride get shorter and choppier, but his stayed wide. That's a good sign. And that applies to any player, not just him: you can't be effective going forward at speed if you can't separate from your opponent. In the NHL, defencemen close the gap very quickly. If you add speed to the ability to get away from an opponent, a player gets the chance to make the right decision and continue the attack. So I'm glad he's working on that. The same goes for the other lads too - Porter Martone, for instance, whose skating has improved noticeably compared with last season. It's always pleasing for a coach to see that kind of progress," said Rick Tocchet.
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