Utah Signs Artem Duda To Entry-Level Contract
July 10: Utah announced the signing Wednesday morning.
July 9: The Utah Hockey Club has signed defenseman Artem Duda to a three-year entry-level contract (as per PuckPedia). The 20-year-old was the Arizona Coyotes second-round pick in 2022 (36th overall) and spent last season at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he tallied two goals and five assists in 12 games.
The two-way defenseman’s contract comes in with an average annual value of $950K at the NHL level and a salary of $82,500 if he plays in the American Hockey League. It also includes a $95K signing bonus.
The Moscow native was supposed to play at the University of Maine this past season but was deemed ineligible by the NCAA due to his time spent in the KHL. He made several unsuccessful appeals and eventually pivoted to playing in USports Hockey for the second half of the season.
Duda will likely find his way onto the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL as Utah has acquired defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino this offseason which has pushed him down the team’s depth chart. He is an excellent skater and has good size, but won’t wow people with his offensive skills or his shot. However, he is a good passer and is poised with the puck on his stick. Given his skill set, Duda should find his way into the NHL before the end of his ELC.
Prospect Notes: Phillips, Hildeby, Minnetian, Terrance, Duda
Currently on the roster through an emergency loan from December 9th, the top brass with the Chicago Blackhawks appear unconvinced that defenseman Isaak Phillips has earned a full-time spot with the NHL team, much to the dismay of Phillips. In an article by Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Pope highlights the disappointment head coach Luke Richardson has had with the inconsistency still present in Phillips’ game.
Regardless of their opinion, without much in the way of NHL-ready talent available to the organization on the blue line, and factoring in the injuries to both Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic, the Blackhawks are all but forced to play Phillips most nights. In 17 games played so far this season for Chicago, Phillips has averaged approximately 18 minutes of ice time per night, playing in a shutdown role with veteran defenseman, Connor Murphy.
For most teams, the ‘shutdown’ tandem on the blue line is generally tasked with lining up against the opposing team’s top offensive units, to suppress much of the firepower coming their way. For lack of better words, over his current stretch with the Blackhawks, Phillips has looked largely uncomfortable in his role.
Phillips remains one of the team’s better prospects without a full-time role on the NHL roster, and his current ailments may be multifactorial. At only 22 years old, Vlasic very well could be placing too much pressure on himself, which often tends to create a chain reaction in mental errors on the ice.
Other notes:
- One goaltending prospect who is beginning to gain quite a bit of traction is Dennis Hildeby, currently rostered on the Toronto Marlies as a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. In his first full season in North America, Hildeby holds a 7-4-2 record in 13 games played for the Marlies, carrying a .921 SV% and a 2.18 GAA. In a report from this morning, the Marlies unexpectedly scratched Hildeby for the team’s game tonight, giving some indication he may be receiving a callup for his NHL debut shortly (X Link).
- Chris Peters of FloHockey is reporting that Aram Minnetian and Carey Terrance will be used as reserve players in case of injury for the U20 United States team at the 2024 World Junior Championship. Minnetian, who was drafted 125th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2023 NHL Draft, is currently on the nation-leading Boston College program in the NCAA. Terrance, on the other hand, was drafted 59th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 NHL Draft and is in the OHL with the Erie Otters.
- Per a team announcement, Artem Duda has committed to Toronto Metropolitan University of USport, the Canadian equivalent to the NCAA in the United States. Duda was originally the 36th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, taken by the Arizona Coyotes. Due to playing in 14 games for CSKA Moskva in the Kontinental Hockey League last year, Duda was unable to participate in the NCAA, given their guidelines of previous play in professional leagues.