Why Artyom Duda Will be a key Piece for Coyotes' Defensive Core in the Future

With the 36th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Arizona Coyotes selected defenseman Artyom Duda, a potential game changer for the team in the future.

The Arizona Coyotes are starting to build a strong foundation of young defensemen. One of these defenseman that could be a game changer for the Coyotes is Artyom Duda.

The 19-year-old Russian born defenseman was drafted with the 36th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft following a season playing for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva of the MHL where he had 14 goals, 27 assists and 41 points in 52 games.

This past season Duda played 14 games for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva tallying five goals, eight assists and 14 points.

In order to be a top defenseman in the NHL today, generally players need to be strong skaters and have an ability to contribute offensively. Duda possesses both these traits as his skill sets match perfectly with the modern NHL defenseman.

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“Duda’s got a little bit of everything in his game,” Scott Wheeler of the Athletic wrote. “He’s got the frame. He loves to carry and shoot the puck and does both at a high level, activating off the line to create his own looks or get open into the high slot, or comfortably leading rushes, running a power play, and creating exits and entries with his feet.”

While Duda is not overlay flashy, he is a great two-way defenseman that makes a big impact at both ends of the ice.

“Duda is a smooth-skating, two-way defender who brings a sneaky scoring touch by driving to the net with his puckhandling,” Dylan Griffing of EPRinkside.com wrote. “He's an accurate passer with a knack for finding primed teammates. He reacts quickly to opposition passes and steps up to disrupt them.”

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Duda is expected to play in the NCAA for the University of Maine this upcoming season as he continues to develop.

Remember Duda’s name because he could be an important piece for the Coyotes' defensive core for years to come.