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Edmonton Oilers Prospect Countdown #20: Nikita Yevseyev

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Bruce Curlock | Last updated Aug 14, 2024 3:19 PM ET

In order for the player to be included in the count, they must be 25 or younger when the season starts and he must have played less than 50 NHL games. As such, a player like Noah Philp is excluded because of his age. Players like Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg are excluded because of the number of NHL games played.

Nikita Yevseyev

Position: Left Defense
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Russia
Date of Birth: May 1o, 2004
Drafted: 6th Round, 2022
Height: 6’1″ / 186 cm
Weight: 187 lbs / 85 kg
Ranking last year: #13

No player had a more disappointing 2023-24 year than Nikita Yevseyev. Yevseyev came into the season having played 70 games in the KHL with AK Bars (48 regular season and 22 playoff games). The smooth skating left-shot defenseman had racked up 6-5—11 in those 70 games and played a healthy 12 minutes plus a night all at the age of 18.

This is really quite unheard of in the KHL. My expectations of Yevseyev were quite high coming into the 23/24 season. That was all for not. Yevseyev played two months in the KHL to begin the season and what was quite notable that his time on ice was below ten minutes. He ended the year only playing 19 games in the KHL registering 1-2—3 in those games. He played most of his year in the VHL with two different teams, recording 2-10—12 in 38 games in that time.

To review, Yevseyev is a very smooth skating defender. He is really good at defending his blueline and makes a very nice first pass. Here is an example of that from his time in the KHL last season.

I don’t really think he is an offensive force as he grows into his game, but you can see some offence in his game. Watch his understanding of space in this play and how he uses his hips to open up to a pass in space and then finishes the playoff with a quality shot attempt.

Remember the KHL is to many people the second-best league in the world (I think it’s the third-best, but I digress). So that a 19-year-old defender is having this type of success is not something to take lightly. However, his game declined as did his minutes and eventually Yevseyev was demoted permanently to the VHL.

For the coming season, there are changes at AK Bars. The team finished fourth in its conference but ended up losing out 4-1 in a best-of-seven-game series in the opening round of the KHL playoffs. AK Bars has a new head coach this season and perhaps that change will manifest into an opportunity for Yevseyev this coming season. This is a very important year for Yevseyev as his contract expires at the end of the season. His chance to sign again or move to North America will hinge greatly on what this season looks like for him.

This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.

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