Cult of Hockey prospect series 2025: #18, Nikita Yevseyev
(Previously #15 in 2024) 20 years old, 6’1, 187 lbs., drafted #190 overall in 2022
It’s not like the Edmonton Oilers have never had success with Russian players and Russian draft picks.
Bo Mironov, Igor Ulanov, Igor Kravchuk, Denis Grebeshkov all put in solid seasons on the Oilers blueline. Former USSR national team forward Anatoli Semenov had two good years on the wing in the early 1990s, as did Andrei Kovalenko in the late ’90s.
Winger Sergei Samsonov was a Top 6 winger on Edmonton’s 2006 Cup finalist squad.
And both Klim Kostin and Vasily Podkolzin have caused a stir on the Oilers in recent seasons with their strong physical play.
But that’s as good as it gets with the 27 Russians who have played for the Oilers over the years.
Far more Russian players have crashed out here rather than made it, and that includes numerous big name players such as goalies Nikolai Khabibulin, Evgeny Belosheiken and Ilya Bryzgalov, d-men Nikita Nikitin and Dmitry Kulikov and highly-touted forwards Nail Yakupov and Igor Vyazmykin, who was the Yakupov of the 1980s, a player of such promise he made the legendary Moscow CSKA squad as a 17-year-old in 1984-85, only to see his career fizzle.
Since the Oilers took their first Russian player, Vyazmikin, 252nd overall in the 1987 draft, Edmonton has invested 32 draft picks in Russians, including two first round picks (Yakupov first overall in 2012 and hulking winger Alexei Mikhnov 17th overall in 2000), one second round pick, and seven third round picks.
That’s a lot of draft capital.
The payoff? Next to zilch.
Other than the veteran Anatoly Semenov, drafted 120th overall in 1989 as the USSR was collapsing, not one of Edmonton’s 33 Russian draft pick has stuck on the Oilers as a Top 6 forward, Top 4-d-man or No. 1 goalie.
Not one.
Oilers draft picks from Russia/USSR, Hockey Database
As for reasons why this might be, I’ll suggest the Oilers have had poor scouting in Russia and done a weak job developing European players in general since the 1980s. There’s also not a huge Russian expat community in Edmonton, so perhaps it’s harder for them to settle in here than it is for other Euro players, but that’s just a guess.
But my bet is the biggest issue is weak scouting, as a number of Edmonton’s picks didn’t just fail to make it in the NHL, they were also iffy KHL players as well.
Yevseyev at the bat
Can Oilers prospect Nikita Yevseyev break that downbound trend?
He’s a long shot and he himself is trending down just now, which is why he’s dropped on the Cult of Hockey prospect rankings from 10th overall in the summer of 2023 to 18th overall now.
He had a big season in 2022-23 for Kazan Ak-Bars of the KHL, playing 48 regular season and 22 playoff games, getting almost unheard of ice-time for an 18-year-old. But in the two seasons since then he’s failed to stick on Ak-Bars, and has split his time between the KHL team and minor league affiliates. He’s now been loaned to Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL.
There were some rumours he might sign an Entry Level Contract with the Oilers this summer, but that never came to pass.
His attributes?
Ace Oilers prospect writer Bruce Curlock has said of him: “Yevseyev is a very smooth skating defender. He is really good at defending his blueline and makes a very nice first pass.”
And Mark Henry of Dobber Prospects said: “A legitimate NHL prospect, with the unknown of coming to North America from Russia. An excellent skating defenseman with good mobility and agility who is not afraid to be physical… Overall awareness and positioning are his strengths, and he shows signs of being a puck-moving defenseman with an underrated shot; his offensive game is a work in progress.”
Expectations in 2025-26: If he’s going to make it in the KHL, he’s got to grab and hold a job with Amur Khabarovsk. If he’s going to make it in the NHL, he’s got to seize a Top 4 job on his Russian team, play major minutes, then sign with the Oilers next summer. As for expectations, he should stick with Amur Khabarovsk, but with his career somewhat stalled, I’m not expecting more than that.
Cult of Hockey prospect series 2025
Forwards:
Dmen: Asher Barnett (19th)
Goalies: Eemil Vinni (20th)
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