Goaltender Anders Nilsson spent last season in Kazan, stopping pucks for the hugely popular Snow Leopards in maybe the most tourist-attractive Russian city outside of St. Petersburg.

Nobody was better in net in the Kontinental Hockey League as Nilsson helped AK Bars Kazan reach the final. But he is grateful to be back in North America to prove he can play in the NHL.

“I know Chicago had my rights and their scouts saw me for a few games, but after this past season, the Hawks told me they were going with Scott Darling and Corey Crawford for next year,” said Nilsson. “They didn’t have room for me ... then Edmonton showed up. Good for me.”

The Swedish-born goalie played in 23 games with the New York Islanders before they were really good. His NHL rights were later dealt to the Blackhawks, who in turn moved him to the Edmonton Oilers for prospect forward Liam Coughlin this summer.

The Oilers, who were queasy with their goaltending situation, thought enough of Nilsson to give him a $1-million, one-way contract, regardless of where he plays.

For now, he’s a part of Edmonton’s three-headed netminding picture. At best, he’ll challenge Cam Talbot, the former New York Rangers backup, for the No. 1 job. At worst, the six-foot-five, 220-pound goalie will battle holdover Ben Scrivens for the No. 2 role.

“My mindset is to challenge for the No. 1 job,” Nilsson said. “That’s why I signed the one-year contract and it’s up to me to perform.”

Nilsson had a 1.71 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and five shutouts in 38 games with AK Bars Kazan last season, playing for one-time Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov. It was a very good Russian team that struggled to score.

“There’s a lot of skill throughout the league, but the league overall plays pretty defensively,” said Nilsson, who was hoping his stay in Kazan would only be a pit stop for a year.

He was excited to be an early third-round draft pick of the Islanders in 2009 after sharing the net with current Vancouver Canucks backup Jakob Markstrom on Sweden’s under-20 world junior championship team when the tournament was held at Saskatoon and Regina in 2010.

But after three years on the Islanders’ American Hockey League farm team with just a brief look in the NHL, he balked at going back for a fourth minor-league season.

“You feel you are going over the same ground,” he said. “You aren’t moving forward or developing anymore. I told the Islanders I wasn’t going back to Bridgeport (Conn.). I needed an environment change, which is why I went to the KHL.

“The Islanders had problems with their goaltending my first few years there. My first year, they had six goalies in (training) camp and all six ended up playing in the NHL. I enjoyed being there, but it was a bit of a roller-coaster.”

Nilsson, who played four games in 2012 and 19 in the 2013-14 season, had fair stats with New York — a 3.05 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.

“I was very inconsistent in the minors through my three years there,” he admitted. “I certainly could have played better.