Get To Know Islanders PTO Defenseman Artyom Kudashov

The Islanders have brought in 19-year-old KHL defenseman Artyom Kudashov on a PTO.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Artyom Kudashov to a professional tryout. 

The 19-year-old Russian has come to Long Island despite already playing in two games for the KHL's Moscow Dynamo this season, an organization he's been in since 2021. 

In an exclusive interview with The Hockey News, Kudashov discussed his arrival to Long Island, his game, and his reasons for being here. 

Let's just say he's rather eager to be at rookie camp. 

“I’m very excited for sure," Kudashov said. "It's a chance to make a dream in the NHL [come true]. I’m very excited.”

This isn't a situation like that of 25-year-old scorer Maxim Tsyplakov, another Russian who signed an entry-level deal with the Islanders back in May. 

He is a shoo-in to crack the NHL roster, while Kudashov is a young, unproven KHLer -- hence the PTO.

Kudashov participated in the Philadelphia Flyers summer camp before returning to Russia to start his season. 

The Islanders also came to watch him in the KHL. 

"Europe scouts came to me when I was in summer camp and invited me here," Kudashov said. "And I said, 'Yes, of course.'”

If you do recognize the name Kudashov, there's a reason for that. 

“My father is a hockey player, too. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs," Kudashov said. 

His father, Alexei, was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 1991 NHL Draft.

He only played 25 games with Toronto, scoring a goal during the 1993-94 season. 

In the AHL with, at the time, the St. John Maple Leafs, Alexei showed well, scoring 25 goals with 54 assists for 79 points in 75 games during the 1994-1995 season before a stint with the Carolina Hurricanes' AHL team, the Monarchs in 1995-1996.

Alexei then returned to Europe, eventually making his way to the KHL before retiring in 2011-12.

Artyom grew up rooting for the Maple Leafs and the New York teams.

"I always like New York, and I always like to see the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers. Those three were my favorite teams," Kudashov said. 

So, what kind of game does Kudashov bring?

It's one that the Islanders could certainly use, especially from their backend at both the NHL and AHL levels.

"I’m a two-way defenseman. I’m pretty good in the defensive zone and can move in and make some moves in the attack zone."

Kudashov added that he played on both special teams in the KHL, logging around 25 minutes per game. 

He played against Tsyplakov and shared that he is not only a big boy but also scores gritty goals. 

"He scored four against us last season."

Through two days of rookie camp, Kudashov, a left-shot defenseman, has been paired with Calle Odelius, the Islanders' second-round pick in 2022, who will be playing in his first season with the organization this fall.

Kudashov will be at training camp, and if things go well, he'll likely get a two-way deal and continue his development in Bridgeport. 

Here's more information, courtesy of TASS: 

The departure of Moscow Dynamo forward Artem Kudashov to the rookie camp of the National Hockey League club New York Islanders was agreed upon with the capital club. This was told to journalists by his father, Dynamo head coach Alexei Kudashov. The 19-year-old forward is in the United States at the Islanders' rookie camp along with former Spartak player Maxim Tsyplakov. 

"At the end of the season, there was an invitation to the rookie camp, he was not drafted, and everything was agreed upon in advance. We just didn't advertise it. A representative of the Islanders came here, followed the KHL (Continental Hockey League - TASS) matches," Kudashov said.