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Artem Grushnikov is still carving out a role with the Calgary Wranglers
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Photo credit: Terence Leung/Calgary Wranglers
Paige Siewert
Jul 7, 2025, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 6, 2025, 20:19 EDT
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Artem Grushnikov was not the X-factor defender he would’ve liked to be in the 2024-25 season, and often was the odd man out when defensive lineup decisions needed to be made. Still, he was able to skate in 61 games and tried to use the help of his defensive partner, Jeremie Poirier, to elevate each other’s games. Instead, some nights this had the opposite effect.
Grushnikov was drafted by the Dallas Stars back in 2021 in the second round of the NHL Entry Draft. He was selected 48th overall and started his professional career with their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. He only played a single regular season game and a playoff game in the 2022-23 season, then got most of a year in 2023-24, where he put up a total of five points. 
In February of 2024, Grushnikov was part of a double retention trade that helped Calgary move Chris Tanev to New Jersey for Brady Cole then traded Cole to the Stars for a 2024 fourth round pick and a conditional 2026 third round pick. (Tanev also ended up in Dallas.) He finished up the 2024 season with the Wranglers, skating in 20 games and putting up one assist. 

2024-25 season expectations

The Flames organization appeared to get their hands on a consistent defensive prospect they could develop primarily at the AHL level. Grushnikov has never been a player to dominate in the points category, but he stays healthy and has experience in a winning culture with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, who won the Memorial Cup in the 2021-22 season. 

2024-25 results

Artem Grushnikov ended up playing in 61 games with the Wranglers in the 2024-25 season and put up a total of five points, matching his professional high. This consisted of a single goal and four assists. His production is an area he can work to improve on as his OHL numbers haven’t seemed to have transferred over to the AHL just yet. 
His games missed were mostly coaching decisions to take him out of the lineup due to performance or some minor maintenance days for nagging injuries. He still managed to earn a spot in the lineup for both playoff games. His +/- rating for the season finished at a -10 and his PIMs finished at 24.

Next season’s expectations

The more competition that enters the blue line for the Wranglers, the more Grushnikov seems to fall under the radar. In the last season of his entry-level contract, it would be the perfect time to have a breakout season and prove himself as a legitimate option on the back end. Instead of Jeremie Poirier and Artem Grushnikov sinking to each other’s level at times, they would be best served by pushing each other to be more dangerous and physical as they’ve matured in the league. 
Grushnikov should aim to be un-scratchable and an important piece of the defensive unit. He has a big season to prove there is a spot in the organization for him and a potential opportunity to utilize him at the NHL level someday.

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