The next entry in our draft board is Nikita Artamonov, a 5-foot-11 forward from the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL. Finishing with 7 goals and 16 assists in 23 games for Torpedo, Artamonov’s high motor style of play earned him significant production playing against men.
Like we highlighted with Andrew Basha, high motor players like Artamonov often fill out the back half of the first round. Artamonov’s a guy with just enough skill to match his intensity, and that creates a pretty good player that most GMs would love to have in their middle-six. He’s an annoying player for the opposition in all three zones, and an absolute pest on the forecheck, so let’s dive into the specifics.
Pre-draft rankings
No. 34 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 25 by Elite Prospects
No. 34 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. 23 by Daily Faceoff
Statistics
What’s there to like?
As alluded to above, there’s nothing more easy to like with Artamonov than his relentless style of play. He’s always getting to pucks he shouldn’t be able to, making plays out of opponents’ mistakes, and imposing his will on the forecheck. He isn’t an exceptional skater, but he’s a smart one, finding himself in the right place at the right time more often than not.
With 23 points in 54 games, Artamonov scored at a pretty high rate for 18 year olds in the KHL – and that is somewhat odd considering his skillset. He’s not overly exceptional at any one area of the game – passing, skating, shooting, etc – but he’s exceptionally smart and seems to make things happen when he’s on the ice. There are a few questions with Artamonov, namely if his skating and shooting can take a further jump, but the ability to process the game at a high level in the KHL should be indicative of a decent NHLer, no matter the rest of his game. Even more impressive? Artamonov played bottom-six minutes with Torpedo, indicating that Artamonov wasn’t even given the best opportunities to produce. Regardless of that fact, Artamonov produced at a high rate, and positioned himself as a first-round level prospect.
The one specific skill that Artamonov has that can be projected as above average is his passing abilities, which are highlighted in the clip below. Artamonov shows flashes of being deceptive with the puck on his stick, creating space for his teammates by holding the puck for a split-second longer than expected (see 0:40 mark). He’s also pretty good on the rush, timing his passes just right to hit teammates on the tape in high-danger areas.
What’s not to like?
The number one knock on Artamonov is his shot, which likely projects to average at best at the NHL level. He doesn’t really rip his wrister or slap shot, and it can’t be relied on as a weapon on a night-in, night-out basis. With his passing abilities and high hockey IQ, he might still project as a fun middle-sixer, but it leaves you wondering how much of Artamonov’s higher end outcomes hinges on his shot becoming NHL average.
While Artamonov is able to mask some deficiency in his skating by his instincts on the ice, some scouts also worry about the technical aspects of Artamonov’s stride, and how that could hinder him at the NHL level. When we think of high intensity, check-you-to-death players that many project Artamonov to be, we often think of smoother skaters who generate lots of speed entering the zone on the forecheck. That’s not necessarily how Artamonov is effective, relying more on strong positioning and work ethic over everything else. It’ll be interesting to see if Artamonov is as effective in North America, where continually outsmarting the opposition is a much harder task on any given night.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
While also being a fit for the Flyers’ system, Artamonov would also be a guy the fans would fall in love with. You always need potential middle-six contributors who are annoying to play against, no matter the system, and Artamonov is just that. With the Flyers power kill, though, I could easily see Artamonov sliding into a penalty kill unit and being the pest that he is for Brad Shaw. It’d be an intriguing pick, for sure.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Artamonov could definitely be an option for the Flyers with the Florida pick. There hasn’t been a ton of helium with Artamonov, and the mock drafts seem pretty stable with placing the forward in the mid-to-late twenties. The forward being available at 31/32 seems plausible – and considering the Flyers relative comfort with picking Russians – I wouldn’t be shocked at all.
What scouts are saying
“Artamonov ended his season on a strong note moving down to the MHL after spending the season playing a legit role for Torpedo in the KHL. Unsurprisingly, he was more successful creating offense at that level, particularly with his own finishing, potting six goals in 11 games. The highlight of his game remains his dogged work ethic. Similarly, he uses inside body positioning and determined stick checks to outwork and strip opponents along the boards. He processes the game at a high speed, recognizing where and when to take advantage of open space in the offensive zone, making him a consistent threat off the puck. He showed some flashes of marginal improvements to his skating late in the season, but that remains an area where he could stand to make more improvements. His projection remains similar but other players have passed him with stronger end-of-season performances in this range.”
Graham Montgomery, DobberProspects
“Artamonov is a skilled handler but on weaker nights, he’d lean into that bag too heavily, trying to turn everything into a 1-on-1 situation, overhandling and turning the puck over in the process. He had some amazing passing performances, but also ones where he continuously tried low-percentage feeds to the slot without much success. However, these off-nights are almost inevitable for every prospect of his age playing at such a high level.
Artamonov’s NHL projection comes down to his intelligence, passing ability, motor and two-way reliability. These are the areas he should try to lean on as much as possible. Improving the skating mechanics would also increase his odds of playing and succeeding, but it remains to be seen how much of that is in the cards, given he seems already rather developed physically while being on the older side for this year’s draft.
Still, Artamonov’s projectable skill set gives him at least top-nine NHL upside, with a chance of becoming something even better if he adds more dynamic qualities to his game.”
Welcome to the poll…
Next up is EJ Emery, a RHD with the look and the tools of a really good defensemen, but the junior point production of a guy who might not be NHL caliber.
“His offense isn’t natural but he has taken enough steps in the way he sees the ice and moves pucks to complement his other two-way pro qualities. Emery is capable of owning his ice defensively (though there are times when scouts would like to see him be a little meaner/harder), continues to show growth handling and transporting pucks (especially in transition) and has major steps that he can continue to take in his development because of a very wiry frame that has clear room for significant gains (it’s my understanding that he has worked very hard at it, eating a ton and training a ton, but his metabolism just burns right through it). He was the best pure defender at the program this year and I think his man-to-man D in the defensive zone (which is a strength!) could still be polished even more and use a little urgency at times. He’s got a beautiful glide to his skating and can quickly jump into/gallop into his stride when he needs to pull away. He’s got a good, disruptive stick and feet defending the rush and breaks up a lot of plays in zone and in transition with his timing and reads. He has become more poised and has shown at times that he can be physically imposing (despite how slight he looks, he’s quite strong, which is exciting for what could still be ahead). He’ll block shots. And while his skill level isn’t a strength, he has shown good instincts on when to jump into the play, he was owed a little more in terms of counting stats this season, and because of how he defends and skates, he projects as an effective five-on-five defender and potential penalty killer. Though Emery was raised and developed in British Columbia and his mom is Canadian, his dad is American and he chose the NTDP-to-college route and has committed to the University of North Dakota, where he’ll be in good hands. He’s going to need time and patience to develop the finer qualities of his game and learn to impose himself more consistently on both sides of the puck, but he’s a late-first/early second-round pick all day for me and stamped his draft season with an excellent showing at U18 worlds. I debated ranking him in the 20s. The improved offense opens up all sorts of potential, even if it’s still not fully confident.”
