Tonight the Stanley Cup will be awarded to the Edmonton Oilers or Florida Panthers. It would be really fun to be talking about the Leafs in that scenario someday, but here we are wondering if they’d be better off taking winger Nikita Artamonov in the draft on Friday instead.
Nikita Artamonov
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 187lbs
While some prospects we covered have elite shots, elite playmaking or even elite physicality, Artamonov’s claim to fame is his elite hockey IQ. He isn’t the biggest prospect out there, but he’s stocky and he uses his strength in battles intelligently. He knows how to grind it out in the corners, along the walls and can shield the puck well for a shorter player. His battle level is high and was on full display this year as he produced 7 goals and 23pts in 54 games in the KHL, where he played against men as an 18 year old; impressive numbers for a young man. Artamonov always seems to be in position and he reads the play extremely well, whether that’s in the offensive zone where he finds open ice with ease, or in the defensive zone where he can surprise opponents by attacking at exactly the right time to catch them off guard and strip them of the puck. It’s this ability that makes him a well rounded, all situations player that helps a teams penalty kill and powerplay.
Artamonov will get bigger as he matures and grows, which will help his style of skill-plus-will game, and he’ll need that extra size and strength if he’s to continue to thrive at the NHL level. His offensive toolkit isn’t that diverse either, but he isn’t afraid to make moves and try new things, which don’t always work, but that’s a sign of confidence and a willingness to evolve those skills. The real question is just how much upside there is overall. His projection is likely that of a 3rd or 4th line energy player at the NHL level, but he took a big step forward this season and could do it again. If he continues to improve as he has, then a top 6 player that can be used in all situations isn’t out of the question.
I’ve always said that making NHL comparisons is a fools game (case in point, Filip Forsberg was compared to Peter Forsberg in his draft year and with all due respect to Filip, that’s very inaccurate), but I’ll try my hand at it anyway. Artamonov reads like a potentially higher end Ondrej Kase, who Leafs fans may know from his brief time here. He’s not afraid to go to the hard places on the ice, but still brings a healthy dose of skill and two-way play to the game. If he hits his potential he could be the steal of the draft.