BOLD HOCKEY BANKING ON RUSSIAN CONNECTION IN 2024 TITLE RACE

Mario Russo

(Cover Photo Coutesy of Emily Simonetta)

A different kind of excitement bounced around the hallway surrounding the Bold dressing room on Thursday.

While players fled into the room to celebrate their crucial victory over the division-leading Brock Badgers, their first win of 2024 and one that moved the group into a tie for second place in the OUA West, TMU’s head coach Johnny Duco circled the hallway catering a blithe smile across the width of his face.

Just moments before, his team was hanging onto a late 3-2 lead against the current pace-setters of the OUA. Unanswered tallies from Connor Bowie and Daniil Grigorev led TMU across the line midway through the third period before penalties brought the contest to a standstill.

The win marked novel signing Artem Duda’s first career victory in the OUA, having joined the Bold in late December and making his highly-anticipated debut with the team on Thursday.

A second-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Draft, much of the excitement surrounding the Bold win followed the likes of the Russian defenseman, who although failing to register a point, flexed his potential at every turn and left the Bold coaching staff beyond pleased with his skillset.

Duco in particular couldn't hold back the smile he’d been harvesting while speaking to reporters following the game.

Taking a keen interest in the Russian’s ability to break up plays in transition, the Bold bench boss raved about the raw skills that Duda possessed throughout all areas of the ice against the Badgers.

“You can see that he has all the tools to be an elite player in this league. I see him as an elite offensive player, but I think the expectation is that he’s going to be an impact player in all zones,” mentioned Duco.

TMU's Head Coach feels the 19-year-old’s determined work ethic and rich skill set are what make Duda a key ‘difference-maker’ in his side, a group riddled with championship aspiration this season.

The Bold opened their current campaign with the sole expectation of winning a title in March.

Having already punched their ticket to nationals as hosts of the tournament, this unique circumstance has enabled the program to push all its chips in the middle of the table in search of its first-ever national title.

The Bold have grabbed players from all over the globe and at any point in the season to make winning a reality.

The mid-season acquisition of Duda - a native of Russia and a player projected to be a part of an NHL squad in the not-so-distant future - clearly outlines TMU’s commitment to both their players and their fans that winning a championship on home soil is the sole investment of this season, one that cannot be wasted.

Since hitting a setback in their development following last season’s first-round defeat to UofT in the OUA Playoffs, the Bold have approached the road to claiming a national title differently than in years past.

The common denominator throughout this unique approach rests in the balance of their two Russian recruits Grigorev and Duda, both proven players on the ice that before TMU, never touched North American soil.

This Russian connection has brought excitement to the program throughout the regular season and has helped narrow down the gap to where the Bold wishes to be in the spring.

Grigorev, who is an entire university semester ahead of his Russian teammate Duda, has started to make a crucial impact for the Bold and is surpassing all of the expectations set for him since being acquired in the summer.

After starting his OUA career with just two points in his first seven games, Grigorev exploded for 10 points in his last 11 contests and has seven goals on his university resume.

The Moscow native has bounced between being a leading scorer and a secondary source for the Bold in his rookie season and has found the back of the net at a high rate through 17 games played.

Duco believes his new acquisition of Duda has the potential to become a driving force in the OUA like Grigorev has done through his brief time in the league.

Duco also mentioned that he sees Grigorev as a ‘perfect’ example of what Duda can evolve into over the winter semester and leading into his team’s chase for a national title in March.

“I don’t see any reason why [Duda] cant be like Daniil now, which is a player that produces points at a high level,” praised Duco on the trajectory of his new young star.

Both Grigorev and Duda have played together on numerous occasions back in Russia, having both suited up with the CSKA Moskva U18 team in 2021, as well as with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva of the MHL - Russia’s minor hockey league - in 2022 and 2023. Both players are from Moscow, the Russian capital as well.

Since arriving in Toronto in late December, Duda has spent much of his time away from the rink alongside his former teammate Grigorev. According to Duco, the two hang out and cook meals together while working on diminishing the language barrier between themselves and the rest of the players and staff at TMU.

Much of the help in this area stems from third-year forward Danil Antripov who speaks both English and Russian fluently.

Danil's father, Nick Antripov, is also the agent representing Duda in his professional hockey career, showing just how deep the Russian connections run throughout this current TMU Bold squad.

Like Duco, who got to witness his two Russian players provide a much-needed dose of difference to help take down the top squad in the OUA this past Thursday, the zeal surrounding this team and its approach to winning a national title this season is starting to stitch itself together.

In addition to the offseason acquisitions from this past summer, as well as the one before, the Bold are banking on the talents within its recent Russian connection to get them over the hump this season.

Just five days into 2024 the excitement surrounding the Bold’s chances at claiming its first-ever title is sizzling in and around the team's dressing room at the MAC.

It's no surprise that this group shoved all their chips in the middle with the opportunity to host the national tournament right around the corner.

They may just have a royal flush of Russian talent to go along with their gamble, leaving plenty of room to smile in the early goings of 2024.