Evgeny Kuznetsov is going next level with his hockey stick technology. Friday, the Russian center took to the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex with a fiberglass stick that had a long, narrow hole in its blade.

The twig appears to be Bauer’s Nexus ADV – a revolutionary hockey stick in the NHL.

Photos

Photos: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB

According to Bauer’s website, the Nexus ADV “redefines stick performance. Not only is this the lightest Nexus stick ever created, but it is also loaded with a revolutionary technology that will give players a level of confidence they have never experienced when shooting the puck.”

Bauer explains that it decided to put a hole in the blade, not only for enhanced aerodynamics, but because the hole in the blade creates “two separate blade sections with different properties that work together while loading and releasing shots.” They call the technology, “slingtech.” Bauer also “reinforced the edges of the hole (of the blade) to ensure that durability is on par with our elite level sticks.”

St. Louis Blues forward and Tom Wilson’s personal punching bag, Brayden Schenn, was the first player to ever use the stick in an NHL game on January 9.

Hockey sticks are always evolving, and Brayden Schenn became the first player to test the latest and greatest from Bauer — a stick with a hole in it. #stlblues
TV: FSMW | Stream: FSGO pic.twitter.com/UfFPN6M5m2

— FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) January 10, 2020

“They made sticks for eight players around the league,” FOX Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reported. “It just came in yesterday and he was the first player around the National Hockey League to test the stick. He liked it enough to use it in warmup and started the game with it as well.”

Two days later, the Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk became the first player to score a goal with the stick, muffin’ing a shot into the back of the net against the Islanders.

Three goals in two games for @JDebrusk.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/PvMYvV5yD5

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 12, 2020

On January 21, DeBrusk scored on a heavy wrist shot against Marc-Andre Fleury, showing the stick’s durability and effectiveness.

Here’s a closer look.

Kuzy’s new stick comes as the NHL reviews a new company that provides hole-y, perforated hockey sticks called TOVIs. The blade was invented by Boston-area inventors Tovi Avnery and Scott Heitmann, according to Sportico.

Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB