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Artem Duda, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Bennett Silvyn)

Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Artem Duda

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley | Last updated May 16, 2025 8:55 AM ET

The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth) is officially over. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record while their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-32-4-2 record, which was good enough for the seventh playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 to the Abbotsford Canucks.

With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 48 Utah players under an NHL contract (excluding Connor Ingram for obvious reasons) and grade their 2024-25 seasons. We’ll also reflect on how they did during the 2023-24 season and see if they improved or did worse, along with what their future holds. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Artem Duda.

Last Season

Last season was a crazy one for Duda. After leaving the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) midway through the 2022-23 season, the Russian defenseman looked to start his career early in North America with the University of Maine. However, due to him playing in the KHL the prior season, the NCAA denied Duda the right to play with Maine twice, leaving him stranded.

Duda didn’t give up. He made his own workout routines despite being denied the ability to work out with the Maine team. On top of that, he passed all of his classes at Maine with flying colors despite still not being 100% fluent in English.

Once he left Maine in December, Duda went on a unique path. He joined Toronto Metropolitan University’s USports team. Many have called USports a hidden gem in hockey. For Duda, it was the only path forward with his NCAA ineligibility.

In 12 games, Duda had seven points, but more importantly, was one of the leaders in ice time in those games for Toronto Metro. With the University hosting the USports tournament, they automatically made the playoffs, where Duda shone. Once again with high ice time, the defenseman scored six points in six playoff games.

In July, Utah signed Duda to his entry-level deal, ending his unique journey to the pros in the best way possible.

This Season

Duda was sent down to the Roadrunners after training camp. Immediately, he made an impact on the blue line, being paired with Robbie Russo. The duo was in the top three in scoring by a defenseman on the team. Duda had 29 points in 70 games. He was also fourth on the team in shots.

However, Duda’s impact went far beyond scoring. He stepped up, playing some big minutes throughout the season. When Maveric Lamoureux was called up to Utah, Duda took on some of his minutes. He ended up being a plus-15 to end the season, which tied him for second place on the team.

“I was expecting to play lots of minutes,” Duda said. “It’s good for me. I’ve been playing 20-plus minutes all my life, so it’s normal for me. I’m thankful they trust me.”

Big night for Duda! pic.twitter.com/gtsHqMaPh4
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) November 10, 2024

While Duda never got a call-up to Utah, it might’ve been beneficial for his development. He had a strong preseason with the team, and during the regular season, with players around him being recalled, Duda got consistent high playing time with the Roadrunners all season long. He only missed two games during the entire season and helped others get better around him.

“Hopefully one day I’ll get there up there and play more games,” Duda said.

It’s sometimes hard for players to adapt to playing in the pros. However, Duda has adjusted season after season already. He knows what it takes to win and play his best. When it came time to play for the Roadrunners, Duda embraced the challenge of adjusting to the speed and physicality of the AHL.

“It’s been tough because USports is more like college hockey,” Duda said. “In the AHL, it is pro hockey, and there’s more speed, more hits, everything is faster. But I adapted pretty good.”

Artem Duda, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Bennett Silvyn)

In the three playoff games, Duda was a big part of the Roadrunners, forcing the series to a Game 3. In Game 1, he had a two-point outing, including his first AHL playoff goal. However, despite a good effort by both the player and the team, the Roadrunners lost Game 3, ending Duda’s impressive first pro season.

The Future

The future is bright for Duda. While he’ll most likely return to the Roadrunners next season, his first season with the organization was a strong one. In his sophomore season, he’ll most likely get the same amount of ice time, if not more.

The issue for Duda as of right now and his path to the NHL is that the Mammoth have a lot of defensemen. Both Ian Cole and Olli Määttä were re-signed before the trade deadline. That locks up all six of the Mammoth’s top defensemen for the next season. If injuries come up, depending on what the team does with Nick DeSimone this offseason, Duda could be behind others in the depth chart, like Lamoureux and potentially Juuso Välimäki.

However, the good news is Duda is one of many Mammoth prospects that the team doesn’t have to rush to the NHL and can let develop in the AHL. After the 2025-26 season, there are a couple of defensemen whose contracts are up on the team. Perhaps it’ll be around then when Duda gets a permanent role in the NHL.

For now, Duda will most likely return to the Roadrunners in hopes of building off a successful 2024-25 season. Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin knows that is exactly what he’s going to try to do after seeing him improve throughout the past year.

“He’s playing a 200-foot game,” Potvin said. “His skating, his ability to read and rush, I feel like he’s a person who knows exactly who he is. He shows up the same person every single day. He tries to really gain the one percent. He’s here early, he’s shooting pucks, he’s doing the extra in the gym, and then he’s spending the appropriate time on the ice, doing the extra stuff. When you put all that together, you’re going to have success. He’s got a pretty elite mindset, and he’s got a long runway.”

Final Grade

Behind maybe only Maksymilian Szuber, Duda was the most impressive defenseman on the Roadrunners this season. As the third-highest scorer on the blue line, Duda was fantastic in his first pro season, eventually ending up on the top pair with Russo, eating minutes for the Roadrunners.

In the playoffs, Duda was just as good, once again playing top minutes for the team. He was also a massive part of the Roadrunners’ Game 1 comeback. He played well under high pressure on the biggest stage, which bodes well for his development.

Overall, Duda is getting an A- for this season. His ability to perform well while playing top minutes in the AHL at just 21 years old shows why the Arizona Coyotes drafted him in the second round back in 2022. It also proves that his choice to go an unusual route to play North American hockey while also not playing hockey for almost a whole year worked out, and that he’s still a top prospect in the Mammoth organization. Next season should be another one where Mammoth fans should keep their eye on Duda, who has quickly shown off his high potential of being a good defenseman in the NHL.