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Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Artem Duda
Artem Duda, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Ontario Reign)

Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Artem Duda

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley  |  Last updated May 13, 2026 9:45 AM ET
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The Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 season is officially over. The team finished with a 43-33-6 record, good enough to clinch the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. Despite a strong series, the Mammoth lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1 in six games. Meanwhile, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-28-10 record, placing seventh in the Pacific Division, outside of a playoff spot.

With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 49 players under an NHL contract and grade their 2025-26 season. Over the course of this summer, we’ll take a look at their season, their future, and give them an overall grade. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Artem Duda.

Player Info

Age: 22

2025-26 AHL stats: Two goals, 11 assists, 13 points in 27 games

Originally acquired: Second round pick (36th overall) in 2022 by the Arizona Coyotes

Contract status: In the second year of a three-year entry-level contract. Restricted free agent in 2027

Season Overview

Almost no one has had a rougher start to their North America career than Duda. By now, everyone knows his failed attempt to join the University of Maine, forcing him to play for Toronto Metropolitan University before turning pro. The defenseman had a solid first season in the AHL, prompting excitement heading into his second season with the Roadrunners.

Duda began his 2025-26 season paired with Scott Perunovich. The duo flipped between the first and second pairing for the Roadrunners throughout the first couple of weeks as Duda produced four points in his first five games of the season.

Throughout his first 14 games, the defenseman accumulated eight points as he formed an excellent pairing with Perunovich. However, he went through some injury issues in the middle of November, keeping him out of the lineup for a month. Despite this, Duda came back with the same great play, producing four points in his first five games back, including his first two goals of the season.

Duda played most of January with the Roadrunners before being injured Jan. 25 in a game against the Henderson Silver Knights. It was an unfortunate injury for the team as the Roadrunners were dealing with a storm of them, with nine usual roster players being out for a multitude of reasons. 

It became even more of an unfortunate injury for Duda. The defenseman underwent surgery for a lower-body injury, ending his season after just 27 games. In the middle of what could’ve been a career season for him offensively and defensively, injuries unfortunately hindered Duda.

The Future

Fortunately, at only 22 years old, Duda at least got in some action and showed he’s developing well. While he’s not a future All-Star defenseman or anything, he might surprise some people when he eventually gets to the NHL.

Duda still needs a full season, or two, in the AHL before full-time NHL conversations can even start. With Kevin Connauton and potentially others leaving the organization over the summer, it allows the defenseman to secure one of the top spots on the blueline for the Roadrunners and probably receive more minutes next season. Having all of that in 2026-27 will help Duda further develop.


Artem Duda, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Ontario Reign)

Next season will be a big one for Duda. It’s the final season of his entry-level contract. If Duda performs well, he very well could be considered for an NHL job in 2027-28, which could earn him a bigger contract. If he struggles with injuries again, he’ll probably get another small contract and go back to the AHL for another year.

Focusing on 2026-27, it’s expected that Duda takes another step forward with more time in the AHL and hopefully plays a lot more games than this season. It will also be great for Dmitri Simashev and/or Daniil But if they return to Tucson to have a friendly Russian face. The 2023 first-round picks formed a really good friendship with Duda this past season.

Overall Grade

All things considered, it wasn’t a disaster season for Duda, unlike some other players in the Mammoth’s system who suffered injuries. In the 27 games he did play, Duda showed he can play top minutes on a pro team and put up points as well. He took steps in his development, and the hope is that the defenseman can continue that while learning from his recovery from his injury, just like other younger players in the organization.

Overall, Duda is getting a B-plus for his season. A 27-game sample size in the AHL, playing as the number one defenseman at times, was enough to show he is continuing to develop into a future NHL player despite running into injuries. It was also enough to make Duda’s third pro season much anticipated, one in which NHL call-ups should start being in the conversation.

While Max Szuber might still be the Roadrunners’ best young defenseman outside of the first round picks, Duda is right there. His speed, good hockey IQ, and ability to play top minutes on the blueline while producing have translated well to North America in the AHL. Duda very well might be an underrated prospect within the Mammoth’s system. He looks like a very reliable NHL defenseman for years to come.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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