Most rookies in any sport wait a good while before cracking the lineup let alone having a ‘first’ anything on the score sheet wise. For Artemi Berezin, it was much different.

After being selected in the second round of the SMJHL draft, which Berezin thought he would go higher, he had something to prove, and he showed that in his first game with the Militia.

At 8:44 left in the first period of Montreal taking on the Colorado Mammoths, Artemi Berezin assisted, which would become his trait, on a goal by long time Militia Connor O’Connor with another draftee providing the other assist in Brett Jones.

It was a massive moment for the young Berezin, who has now made a living in the SMJHL passing the puck and being rewarded for it, but that play all started with a shot from Berezin that O’Connor collected on. And later on in that first period, Berezin also collected his first face-off win, which for every centremen is a big deal, as he would go on to win 7 of his 18 face-offs taken in opening night.

There have been many firsts since that first point in his first game, and once drafted to the SHL, there will be many more firsts for Berezin to write home about.