Artyom Duda will never get the opportunity to play for the University of Maine’s hockey team.
The Russian defenseman, a second round draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2022, had his last appeal for eligibility rejected by the NCAA.
Duda had been attending UMaine and practicing with the Black Bears during the fall semester but has left school to presumably pursue his professional career. He could also opt to play for a Canadian college, which doesn’t have the same rules as the NCAA.
“The University of Maine is not permitted to comment on archived NCAA cases and rulings,” wrote Maine Athletics in an email.
“At this time, the University of Maine men’s ice hockey program has no pending eligibility cases. The men’s ice hockey roster, in its current state, is finalized for the 2023-24 season.”
The release added that the “University of Maine and Maine Athletics has, and always will, advocate to the highest levels of the NCAA on behalf of all of its student-athletes.”
The school had appealed the NCAA’s ineligibility ruling on Duda’s behalf on three occasions but the NCAA stood by its ruling.
The university did not reveal the reasons given by the NCAA for his ineligibility but it is believed to be multiple issues.
One of the issues could be that during Duda’s career, one of the several Russian leagues he played in was the Kontinental Hockey League, which is Russia’s pro league. He played in 14 games for CSKA Moskva.
Players who appear in professional games are deemed professionals in the eyes of the NCAA and that prohibits them from playing college sports.
However, the player can appeal the ruling and sometimes the NCAA will rescind the lifetime ban in favor of a penalty involving a specific number of games the player has to sit out.
Athletes who played professional hockey are allowed to compete at Canadian institutions.
Duda was the 36th overall pick in the NHL draft in 2022 after a season in which he was the second-highest scoring defenseman in his league for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva with 14 goals and 27 assists in 52 games.
UMaine, 10-3-1 and ranked eighth in the country, will take on 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, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m. in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Dartmouth, from ECAC Hockey, and Central Collegiate Hockey Association team Lake Superior State will play at 7:30 p.m.
Dartmouth is 2-3-6 while Lake Superior State is 9-9-1.
The consolation game will be on Saturday at 4 p.m. with the championship game to follow at 7:30 p.m.
