The National Hockey League (NHL) season is only a couple weeks away but other leagues throughout the world have already begun.
Many Edmonton Oilers prospects have already started playing in various leagues across Europe over the month of September. Overall, it has been a bit of a mixed bag with multiple prospects having slow starts to the season but there have been a few that have hit the ground running.
The club has a healthy mix of prospects across the continent playing a variety of positions and across multiple countries.
How are the Oilers prospects whose season's have started playing in Europe performing so far? Let's take a look
Nikita Yevseyev
Nikita Yevseyev is a left-handed defenceman, he was a player who was included amongst our honourable mentions for our top 10 Oilers prospect ahead of the 2025-26 season. He has started this Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) campaign on a loan agreement with Amur Khabarovsk, allowing him a chance to play higher in their lineup than with Ak Bars Kazan, who he reportedly had issues with.
So far, the arrangement has worked out well for both parties, logging an average of over 22 minutes per game, almost 14 more minutes of ice time on average from last season. Through eight games this year he has scored one goal and four assists more than double his totals from last year (two points) in 30 less games.
The 21 year old blueliner has the potential to really take off this season and could be up for a move to North America as early as this spring. He was rumoured to be in negotiations with the Oilers this summer but nothing materialized.
Petr Hauser
Petr Hauser is a 6'4, 207lbs Czech winger, playing with HC Vitkovice of the Czech Extraliga. He was acquired by the Oilers at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline in the three-team deal for Trent Frederic. The 22 year old was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round, 141st overall at the 2022 NHL Draft.
He is a power winger who has spent the past few seasons split between the Czech Extraliga and the Czech second tier league. He has struggled to find a consistent foothold in the top tier league and hopes to change that this season.
To start the year, Hauser has played six games with Vitkovice and has notched one assist so far. There is still plenty of time left in the season for him to produce at a higher clip and if he can spend the entire year with the main club, that in and of itself will be a good step.
Maxim Denezhkin
When speaking about Maxim Denezhkin last month, I named him as a prospect primed to breakout and praised his ability to work his way up the ranks, so far he has proven both of these true. The 24 year old was drafted by the Oilers with their seventh round pick, 193rd overall at the 2019 NHL Draft.
It has taken him a while to find a strong footing in the KHL but after his first full season last year, scoring nine goals, seven assists for 16 points in 57 games for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. This year, he has started off hot, scoring five points (two goals, three assists) in eight games.
He is a player who I feel is underrated within the Oilers' system and if he can take off in a big way this season, he may prove to be worthy of an entry-level contract (ELC) in the near future. For now, he will hopefully continue to be a big part of Yekaterinburg's team.
Maxim Beryozkin
Arguably no player in the Oilers prospect pool has seen their stock rise more in recent seasons than Maxim Beryozkin. He was recently named the No. 3 Oilers prospect on our list and for good reason, the 23 year old power forward has some true NHL potential and is seen as a player that good step in immediately.
He was selected at the 2020 NHL Draft in the fifth round, 138th overall and has worked his way up into an integral piece of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl offence. He helped the team capture the Gargarin Cup -- the KHL championship trophy -- and looks to make another push for the chip in 2026. He is on a good path with three assists in nine games to start the year.
He is expected to sign his ELC and join the Oilers after his KHL season ends and will likely battle for a top-nine spot this time next year. The 6'4, 212 lbs power forward checks a lot of boxes for the Oilers and looks to be a valuable piece moving forward.
Eemil Vinni
The past few seasons have been less than ideal for the Finnish netminder, Eemil Vinni. He had back surgery before being drafted in the second round, 64th overall in 2024. He was ranked No. 6 on our recent top 10 prospects list and although being labelled as having breakout potential, his year is not off to an ideal start.
So far, in three games with JoKP of the second-tier Finnish men's league, Mestis, he has 1-1-1 record with a 2.96 goals against average (GAA) and .871 save percentage. There is still a lot of season left and with the potential variance that one or two games can cause to his stats with such a small sample size, it is unfair to draw any real conclusive take from his performance thus far.
Vinni enters this season with both a great opportunity to flip the narrative on his young career and to rebound from grueling injuries. He is only 19 years old with plenty of runway and potential to become an NHL netminder.
Daniel Salonen
Speaking of 19 year old Finnish netminders, Daniel Salonen was the Oilers sixth round pick, 191st overall at the 2025 NHL Draft. The southpaw goalie was drafted as an overager out of the Lukko system, playing with their U20 club and their Mestis affiliate team Hokki last season.
This year, he has started the season playing with their top tier Liiga club playing six games so far with a record of 2-2-1 and a GAA of 3.11 with a .851 save percentage. This is Salonen's first taste of action at this level, hopefully he is able to turn it around throughout the season.
He is rightfully provided with some leeway, especially with him being a teenager playing in one of the best professional hockey league's in the world. If he can continue to improve on his numbers as the season goes on, it will undoubtedly have a positive impact on his stock as a prospect.
Albin Sundin
The 21 year old right-handed Swedish defenceman was selected by the Oilers with the 183rd overall pick in the sixth round at the 2024 NHL Draft. He is a defensively minded defenceman, boasting decent size at 6'2 198lbs and has a long track record playing professional hockey in Sweden.
He made his Swedish Hockey League (SHL) debut at 18 years old and has found himself playing various levels of hockey in his home country. So far this year, he has played six games with Timra IK and has scored one goal, the first of his SHL career and second point through 59 games.
Although he is not a high level scorer, Sundin has been able to climb the ranks so far in his hockey career by being a shutdown defenceman. He offers a unique playstyle and has some value in the Oilers prospect system, boasting a large amount of professional experience and a translatable skillset.
The Oilers European prospects have been off to a good start for the month of September, with many taking large steps in their development.