The New York Rangers’ third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, defenseman(89th overall), is making a key move in his development as he works toward an NHL future.
Top star officially signed with the Sudbury Wolves after being selected in the CHL Import Draft.
“We’re thrilled to welcome top prospect, our first-round pick in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, to the Sudbury Wolves,” the team announced. “He’ll be joining us for the upcoming 2025–26 season.”
Top star now officially stands at 6’1″ and weighs 165 pounds, up from his pre-draft measurements of 6’0″ and 157 pounds. The Rangers’ defensive prospect spent the past two seasons with Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk in Russia’s MHL — a junior league ranked below the VHL and KHL in terms of competition. With his move to North America to join the CHL’s Sudbury Wolves, Gonchar is expected to face a higher level of play and aims to make a strong debut.
Sudbury finished the 2024–25 season with a 32-31-5 record before being eliminated in the conference quarterfinals. As of now, the Wolves have just three defensemen on their roster — two of whom are only 16 — making Gonchar the lone drafted blueliner. Known for his puck-moving abilities, Gonchar notched 7 goals and 18 assists for 25 points in 50 games last season in the MHL.
He also carries a notable NHL pedigree — his uncle, Sergei Gonchar, is regarded as one of the most accomplished Russian defensemen in league history. Artyom will be eager to carve out his own legacy, and Sudbury has high expectations for the 19-year-old.
“Artyom is a player we’ve been watching closely,” said Wolves general manager Rob Papineau. “He’s a smart, smooth-skating defenseman with strong vision and offensive instincts. As a skilled playmaker, he’s the type of 19-year-old we wanted to replace the minutes lost from our graduating players.”
The New York Rangers could certainly benefit from developing another offensively inclined defenseman. Currently, Adam Fox is the team’s only consistent point producer from the blue line. Gonchar may still be three to four years away from reaching the NHL, but he offers promise and gives Rangers fans a young talent to watch with optimism.