Right after releasing our European Prospect Preview, Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League got its regular season up and rolling with its opening night coming in the first weekend of September.

Two Edmonton Oilers prospects (2020 fifth-round pick Maxim Beryozkin and 2022 sixth-round pick Nikita Yevseyev) showed well in their opening games, with the former being around the puck all night long. Let’s go through some tape that demonstrates what these two young players are doing well as their seasons get going.

The defending Gagarin Cup champions in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl faced off against Traktor Chelyabinsk to open the KHL season. Maxim Beryozkin played 22:54 and scored the shootout winner in a 2-1 victory for Lokomotiv.

The big winger also had three shots to go along with the win; however, he wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet before the shootout winner. As you’ll see in the clips below, he had many opportunities to get his name on the sheet with both his playmaking and his own chance creation.

Early and often, the power forward was forechecking and creating turnovers.

Seconds later, after the first clip, Beryozkin creates the turnover with his combination of speed, size, and effort.

This next clip is beautiful. The fifth-round pick regains possession for his team, creates contact to protect the puck, and makes a pass to the defenceman at the point.

Even at the end of a shift, Beryozkin gives the extra effort to force a turnover and go for a change. This little stuff matters to coaches, and it makes a difference on the ice.

Now, let’s get to the meat of the right-shot forwards game. The chances Beryozkin created were more than enough to get his name on the scoresheet. Sometimes, the puck just doesn’t go in for you or for your teammates. That’s why we look closely for details like this in a player’s game.

So far this year, Beryozkin is the main power play entry player for Lokomotiv. He did well in the role, creating multiple successful entries. Below is a mix of his power-play entries throughout the game.

The Lokomotiv star was showing off his passing ability all game. Starting with a pass through the defender’s leg for a shot assist.

Later on in the game, he tried another slip pass off of a strong controlled zone entry that got tipped; however, Beryozkin shows off the feel for his reach and playmaking sense.

Another battle won, but this time the duel-threat offensive winger makes a great pass for a high-danger chance that hits the post.

Halfway through the third, Beryozkin makes an incredible pass from his back for another high-danger chance.

Everything was coming easy to Beryozkin; even the breakout passes were beautiful.

However, the Russian star was showing out with his own chance creation as well. Starting with this great chance at four-on-four.

Later on Beryozkin finds the soft spot in the offensive zone and gets another high-danger chance.

Finally, the night was finished due to the shootout goal scored by Beryozkin.

The Lokomotiv star was all over the ice as well in three-on-three. Highlights below.

Overall, that was an incredible performance by one of the top Oilers prospects. This is a game that’s ready to be tested in the NHL.

Nikita Yevseyev joined Amur Khabarovsk, coming over from Ak Bars Kazan on loan. Amur Khabarovsk was only able to win 11 games out of 68 last season.

The left-shot defenceman is joining a bottom-tier squad, but that means he’ll be seeing a much larger role than in previous seasons. Yevseyev played the most on his squad in the team’s opening game, logging 21:35, including two shots, two blocks, and 4:16 of powerplay time in a 2-0 shutout victory.

Now, the 2022 sixth-round pick’s style of game isn’t as exciting as his Russian counterpart in Beryozkin, but we can see how he held himself very well in the defensive end. Here, Yevseyev defends the blue line incredibly well, taking away two options and forcing a turnover.

Later on, the Russian blueliner made a nice play to block the pass across, but I would prefer if he stayed on his feet to make the play.

I love me some quick close-outs, and Yevseyev showed off his quickness to create a turnover.

The minute-eating defenceman was playing the bumper role on the power play, which was something different for more of a shutdown player, but he was able to make a couple of plays from the spot.

Yevseyev played more passively this game, but he was showing instances of joining the rush and activating.

He also showed off instances of some strong offensive zone movement and involvement.

The main goal for Yevseyev this year is getting more minutes, and in his first game, he led his team in time on ice. The 6-foot-1 defender played a very simple but impactful game in his opener.

The KHL’s opening weekend was successful for both of the prospects the Edmonton Oilers have in Russia. Beryozkin drove offence like a top-line player, while Nikita Yevseyev looked like a solid two-way defender. Hopefully, there’s more quality play to come.