It's been a long time coming! Artem Grushnikov scores his first of the season
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FN AHL Report Cards: Artem Grushnikov had a chance to move up in the defensive depth chart
Photo credit: David Moll/Calgary Wranglers
Jun 1, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 1, 2026, 01:50 EDT
With the many changes on the blue line for the Calgary Wranglers last season, Artem Grushnikov was one of the more seasoned blueliners who seemed to have the opportunity to benefit the most. He had three fewer guys to compete with in the depth chart including Ilya Solovyov, Yan Kuznetsov, and Hunter Brzustewicz. Unfortunately for him, his chances were passed by other emerging defenders on both the older and younger side.
What were the expectations for Artem Grushnikov in 2025-26?
Artem Grushnikov was drafted by the Dallas Stars and came to Calgary in the last third of his rookie season in 2023-24 as a piece of the Chris Tanev trade. He played 20 games with the Wranglers that season and put up one assist. In his first full season in Calgary in 2024-25, he got into 61 games with the Flames’ affiliate and put up a total of five points consisting of one goal and four assists.
Grushnikov has been known to be a defensive defenceman and wasn’t expected to be a huge points producer for the team. His value comes from his physical game and his performance in puck battles. Grushnikov was expected to take a jump in his game for the last year of his contract and be on the top half of the blue liners ice time wise.
How did Artem Grushnikov perform in 2025-26?
The reality of this season was that Grushnikov was one of the NHL contracted defencemen who felt like his development was stagnant this year, if not, slightly regressed. His experience with the team and in the league as a whole should’ve been a factor in his playing time but his performance is also very important. He was one of the players who was frequently the odd man out when the defencemen were all healthy and available.
Artem Grushnikov ended up playing in six fewer games this season with 55. He only had two points with one goal and one assist. His goal came in the last couple of weeks of the season on Apr. 13 against the Manitoba Moose.
His plus/minus improved from last season going from minus-10 to minus-1. Grushnikov spoke about his season around the midway mark and was feeling pretty good at that point in the year. He talked about a big hit he put up against the Abbotsford Canucks and how he wanted to incorporate that physical side of his game even more. He said:
“When I was playing junior, I used to do it, like almost every game. Hip check was kind of my thing in junior, but when I came to the AHL, like my 1st year, I tried a couple times to do that, and the forward just passed me a couple times. After that, I’m like, okay, it’s a different level, find a different moment. I think I need to try to do more big hits like that because it’s kind of a big part of my game.”
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That hit ended up being his most memorable of the season but it was good to see him thinking about that side of the game more and trying to set himself up to do it again. Grushnikov plays a pretty clean style of game and doesn’t make many harmful errors on the back end. On the physical and scoring side of things, others in the lineup had that show up in their game and that was likely part of the decision to play him or bench him on certain nights.
What’s the future outlook for Artem Grushnikov?
Artem Grushnikov is a restricted free agent now and the Flames hold his NHL rights. It seems he will be one of the players this summer where the decision could really go either way. He hasn’t quite established himself in a way that sets him apart from other players in his position. The organization may choose to move on from him and invest the time and money into someone who is closer to the NHL. On the other hand, it was a very difficult year for the Wranglers so there may be a possibility for a short term contract for one more shot. Grushnikov may be on the hunt for another fresh start this off-season or a trade chip to move up in the draft order, depending on management’s evaluation.
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