Artyom Duda is a pure offensive defenseman who is constantly looking to get pucks on goal and play with skill in the offensive zone. The standout in his game is his skill with the puck on his stick. He’s very smooth while cradling the puck on the offensive blue line, able to use hand and shoulder fakes to open up shooting and passing lanes to create scoring chances. He is capable of beating opposing checkers with flashy dekes while carrying the puck, allowing him to haul the puck down from the point or beat checks while transitioning the puck to teammates. He relishes the opportunity to shoot the puck, rarely passing up an opportunity to wire a wrist shot towards the net from the point or let loose a strong one-timer when set up at the top of the umbrella on the power play. He is a capable skater who is more slippery than he is fast, able to change directions quickly with quick pivots but owns relatively average speed when skating in a straight line. Where he needs to find improvement to become a pro defenseman is in his attention to detail on the defensive side of the puck and his overall engagement when playing away from the puck. He is prone to poor decisions in his own zone, at times turning over pucks in key areas of the ice leading to high danger chances against. His work rate away from the puck is also very low, not often engaging in battles for positioning or in loose battles, leading to very poor puck retrieval habits while in his own defensive zone for extended periods of time. He will need to improve his defensive play and work habits greatly to eventually make the NHL, but currently Duda projects as a potential third-pairing defenseman with power play upside.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide