We have finally entered into the top three for the Edmonton Oilers 2025-26 top 10 prospects lists, at No. 3 is Maxim Beryozkin.
The Oilers drafted the 6'4 212lbs Russian winger, 138th overall in the fifth round at the 2020 NHL Draft. At the time, he was working his way up the ranks in the junior league (MHL), with his youth team Loko Yaorslavl.
Since then he has slowly worked his way up the ranks, becoming a regular in the top flight Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with his academy team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the 2022-23 season. He has moved up even further since then and has become a legitimate top six player for Lokomotiv, helping the team capture a Gagarin Cup championship this past spring, raising his prospect stock considerably.
Future outlook
There was some noise that Beryozkin may leave Russia and sign with the Oilers after last year but that obviously never happened. Now, there is a very real assumption that when his deal expires at the end of this year, he will come to North America and sign his entry-level contract.
The timing will depend on how far Lokomotiv makes it in the KHL postseason, if it is anything like last season he will not be able to sign until closer to the NHL draft. There is always the possibility he chooses to re-sign in Russia -- which is what many call the 'Russian factor' where prospects choose to never come over -- but based on his comments to Russian outlets, he plans to join the Oilers as soon as he can.
He will likely still not make his debut with the Oilers until 2026-27 and is expected to immediately compete for a spot in the lineup. He has a mature powerforward game with some legitimate play driving ability, which should serve him well as he transitions to the North American NHL game.
NHL potential
As mentioned before, the 23 year old has a power game which should give him the ability to fit in a variety of roles for the Oilers in the future. His aggressive forechecking style should allow him to fit in more depth or bottom-six roles while his offensive instincts give him a higher ceiling.
Especially as players like Zach Hyman age out, a player like Beryozkin could be very useful. He can fill the net crashing, puck hound role, doing the the dirty work on a skilled line next to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
Team director of player development, Kalle Larsson spoke about the Oilers top prospects this summer, providing quotes on Beryozkin. He said about his fit with the club and his potential "He's already playing pro so if he comes in, he would be a potential top-nine forward."
This is quite high praise by a high-up Oilers executive and directly speaks to the fact that Beryozkin can fit multiple different roles. I do think in a spot high in the lineup he is more of a passenger but by all intents and purposes, his potential is sky high. Still, I think a comfortable projection for a player like Beryozkin is to slot him somewhere as a third line or middle-six winger.