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Rangers prospect Artyom Gonchar makes key move for next phase of career

The New York Rangers have a clear organizational need when it comes to offensive defensemen. They selected a promising player in the third round of this year's draft, and fans should be happy to know he is taking the next step in his development by joining a new team for the 2025-26 season.
ByTom Urtz Jr.|
2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7
2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

The New York Rangers drafted defenseman Artyom Gonchar in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft at 89th overall, and this week it was announced he's taking an important step as he looks to work his way to the NHL.

Gonchar has officially joined the Sudbury Wolves after being selected in the CHL's import draft.

Gonchar now comes in at an official height and weight of 6'1" and 165 pounds which is up from the 6'0" and 157 pounds he was listed at before the draft. The Rangers' defense prospect spent the last two seasons playing for Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk of the MHL in Russia, and it is a junior hockey league which is below the VHL and KHL in terms of talent. Gonchar is bound to see an uptick in competition by making the journey to North America to join the CHL, and he will look to get off to a good start with Sudbury.

The Wolves went 32-31-5 last season and ended the season with a loss in the conference quarterfinals. As of this writing they only have three defenders on the roster, and Gonchar is the only one who was drafted as the other two are 16 years old. Gonchar was an effective puck-moving defender in the MHL, and this past season he posted a line of 7-18-25 in 50 games played.

Gonchar's uncle Sergei played in the NHL and is considered one of the most successful Russian defenders of all-time, and he certainly will look to live up to that legacy. Sudbury has high hopes for Gonchar, and here's what the general manager of the Wolves, Rob Papineau, had to say about him.

"Artyom is a player that we have been high on from this past season. He is a very intelligent, smooth-skating defenseman. He has great vision and offensive instincts and is a skilled playmaker. He is a 19-year-old defenseman we targeted to fill minutes lost to key graduating players."
Rob Papineau, Sudbury Wolves

The Rangers certainly could use another offensive defender at the NHL level, right now Adam Fox is the only one that puts up points, and in the long run Gonchar could prove to help fill that void. He is likely three to four years away at this point, but he certainly gives fans something to keep an eye on and hope for.