1 - Of course, everyone is aware of the most visible influence on Nikolai Evans’ career, his family lineage. Evans grew up watching father Zach Evans and mother Ekaterina Rudnikova play the game at an award-winning SHL level.

2 - What may be forgotten is that he also grew up around championship-caliber players. Consider the defensemen who would have been playing alongside Nikolai’s parents as he was first starting to play at competitive youth levels, names like Max Weber, Big Manious, Lord Vader.

3 – Nikolai is also familiar with the rigors of travel that accompany professional hockey players. Constantly traveling with one or both of his parents growing up and accompanying them when they joined the Russian National Team during the offseason, Nikolai is fully prepared for the bus rides and plane trips ahead of him.

4 – Some people may be critical of Nikolai’s attitude and demeanor, but he is fully aware of the criticism that often faces professional athletes, on and off the playing surface. Thus, he considers his abrasive personality part of writing his own story, rather than letting the critics and analysts fill in the blanks.

5 – Not only was Nikolai learning from the best, he has also been sharpening his skills against a handful of second-generation players also entering this draft. Most commonly Nikolai played against the O’Koivu twins, thanks to their Russian connections and Zach Evans’ time as teammates with Pietra Volkova. Between youth international events and other tournaments, Nikolai already has shared the ice with several players in this class.