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Oilersnation’s Summer 2025 Prospect Countdown – No. 6: Maxim Beryozkin

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Cam Lewis | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 5:03 PM ET

Welcome to Oilersnation’s Top Prospect Countdown for Summer 2025. This list profiles players and goaltenders under 25 years old who have played fewer than 25 NHL games.

The Edmonton Oilers don’t have much to show for their draft picks during Ken Holland’s tenure as general manager.

The only two NHLers from Holland’s selections between 2019 and 2023 are Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, who both left the Oilers as restricted free agents last summer. Otherwise, most of Holland’s picks have either been traded or have already flamed out.

One player from the Holland era who could still make an impact in Edmonton is Maxim Beryozkin. A fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, the 6-foot-4 winger has grown into an effective power forward in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

Maxim Beryozkin

Position: RW/LW

Shoots: Right

Nationality: Russia

Date of Birth: Oct 12, 2001

Drafted: 138th overall in 2020

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 212 pounds

Via The Nation Network

Born in Chita, Russia, Beryozkin worked his way up through Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s youth system, establishing himself as one of their top players at every level. In his pre-draft season in 2019-20, he scored 25 goals and 54 points in 54 games for Loko in the MHL, Russia’s top major junior league, and also made his KHL debut.

That summer, Elite Prospects praised his blend of size, physicality, and skill in their Draft Guide, noting the tools that made him an intriguing late-round pick.

“He is one of the very top offensive players on Loko, which makes him worthy of a long look at least. Beryozkin scores with volume and has proficient handling skills. He creates offence by roughing opponents in the offensive zone and taking the puck along the wall. He looks towards his blue-liners like he’s going to pass it, then fires it on net.”

After splitting the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons between the MHL and KHL, Beryozkin established himself as a full-time player with Lokomotiv in 2022-23, recording seven goals and 26 points in 52 games. He posted similar regular-season numbers in 2023-24 with 30 points over 62 KHL games, but truly broke out in the playoffs, producing 16 points in 20 games.

Beryozkin moved into a top-six role with Lokomotiv in 2024-25 and saw his offence take a major step forward. The big winger scored 15 goals and 42 points in 66 regular-season games and followed that up with 14 points in 21 playoff contests, helping Lokomotiv capture its first-ever KHL Gagarin Cup.

Back in April, general manager Stan Bowman said the Oilers were impressed with Beryozkin’s play and that they were looking to sign him to an entry-level contract.

“We’ve been in touch with his representatives, and when his season finished, we’re going to buckle down on that. We’ve paid close attention, been impressed with him. He’s a little bit older, good sized kid, skilled, makes plays, comfortable with the puck and you can never have too many of those guys.”

Beryozkin wound up inking a one-year deal with Yaroslavl and will return to the KHL for the 2025-26 season. The Oilers hold the winger’s NHL rights indefinitely, so the key will be to bring him over to North America when he’s ready to compete for a job in Edmonton.