Artyom Duda won’t have the chance to join the University of Maine’s hockey team. Duda, a Russian defenseman chosen by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 second-round draft, recently had his final appeal for NCAA eligibility turned down.
During the fall semester, Duda was attending UMaine and practicing with the Black Bears. However, he has now left school, likely to pursue a professional hockey career. Alternatively, he might consider playing for a Canadian college, which doesn’t have the same NCAA rules.
Maine Athletics declined to comment on the NCAA’s decision regarding Duda’s eligibility. They confirmed that there are no pending eligibility cases for the men’s ice hockey program for the 2023-24 season. The statement also emphasized the university’s commitment to advocating for its student-athletes within NCAA regulations.
UMaine had made three unsuccessful appeals on Duda’s behalf against the NCAA’s ineligibility ruling. Although the specific reasons for his ineligibility weren’t disclosed, it’s suspected that multiple issues contributed.
One potential issue could be Duda’s previous participation in the Kontinental Hockey League, a professional league in Russia. NCAA rules consider players who have participated in professional games as ineligible for college sports. However, players can appeal this ruling, and sometimes the NCAA may replace a lifetime ban with a specific number of games the player must sit out. Athletes with professional hockey experience are allowed to compete at Canadian institutions.
In the 2022 NHL draft, Duda was selected 36th overall after a standout season as the second-highest scoring defenseman in his league, recording 14 goals and 27 assists in 52 games for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva.
UMaine, with a 10-3-1 record and an eighth-place ranking nationally, is scheduled to face the 18th-ranked Rochester Institute of Technology (11-5) from Atlantic Hockey in the Ledyard Bank Classic at Dartmouth College’s Thompson Arena on Friday, December 29th, at 4 p.m. in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Dartmouth, representing ECAC Hockey, and Central Collegiate Hockey Association team Lake Superior State will also play, with Dartmouth at 2-3-6 and Lake Superior State at 9-9-1. The consolation game is set for Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by the championship game at 7:30 p.m.
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DISCLAIMER: Author is under many pen names. This article was rewritten based on these links: Russian defenseman can’t play hockey for UMaine, NCAA says (bangordailynews.com)
