Prokhor Poltapov turning heads for Russia at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship

FRISCO, Texas — Russia has rocketed to the top of the Group B leaderboard at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship due in large part to the contributions of Matvei Michkov, the 16-year-old phenom. In four games, Michkov has scored nine goals, including two hat tricks, and tallied two assists for a tournament-high 11 points.

But it was Russia’s Prokhor Poltapov that nearly stole the show Saturday afternoon at Comerica Center. Michkov regained his crown as the king of the tournament with his second hat trick, but in a preliminary round route of the Czech Republic, Poltapov had a three-point night to aid in Russia’s 11-1 thrashing.