Former Coyotes Pick Is Finally Getting The Chance Arizona Never Could

Artem Duda embarks on his inaugural NHL journey with the Utah Mammoth, following impressive performances with the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL.

The Utah Mammoth have turned to Artem Duda, giving the 22-year-old defenseman his first NHL call-up and bringing him up from the Tucson Roadrunners.

Utah announced the recall today, making Duda the first Roadrunner to be summoned to the NHL during the 2026-27 regular season. It’s also the first time in his career that he’s gotten the call.

Duda has made a strong impression in a small sample this season. In six AHL games with Tucson, he has three points, including one goal and two assists, along with a plus-six rating and two penalty minutes.

That plus-six mark leads the Roadrunners and is tied for second in the AHL. He’s also tied for the team lead in scoring among defensemen.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound blueliner has built a substantial body of work in Tucson over three seasons. In 103 career AHL games, he has 45 points, including nine goals and 36 assists, plus a plus-28 rating and 38 penalty minutes. He has also chipped in two points in three Calder Cup Playoff games, and during Tucson’s 2025 First Round series at Abbotsford, he was the only Roadrunner to record a point in multiple games.

Last season, the Moscow native paced Roadrunners rookies with 29 points in 70 games, posting the 10th-most points by a rookie in franchise history and the third-most by a rookie defenseman. His plus-15 rating ranked fourth among rookie defensemen in the AHL and set a franchise record for the best single-season plus-minus by a rookie defenseman.

Before his pro run in Tucson, Duda spent 2023-24 with Toronto Metropolitan University, where he had seven points and 10 penalty minutes in 12 U Sports games. He also logged three assists in 14 Kontinental Hockey League games with CSKA Moscow in 2022-23.

Duda was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the second round, 36th overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft.

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