Vegas Golden Knights prospect Artur Cholach will play with Ukraine as they attempt to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Golden Knights’ 2021, sixth-round pick signed an AHL deal with the Henderson Silver Knights in July. The 21-year-old is a big 6’4 left-handed defenseman who spent the past four seasons playing in Ukraine, the OHL and the USHL. He’ll make his North American debut this season with the Silver Knights.
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Last season, Cholach played 54 games in South Dakota with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, where he notched four goals and 15 points while serving as an alternate captain.
Ukraine is a developing hockey country and their quest for qualification will be steep. They’ll take on France, Slovenia and Latvia for a spot in the 2026 Olympics which will be held in Italy.
Cholach spoke with Amber Dammeir and mentioned keeping a positive attitude and how it’s helped him improve as a player.
“I try not to think about what I can’t control,” Cholach said. “I just think about how I come to the rink and work as hard as possible every day. That is what moves me.”
VGK prospect Artur Cholach is helping his home country of Ukraine in its effort to qualify for the 2026 Olympics 🏒
Read about how the power of positivity has helped him in his hockey career 😃 https://t.co/2hVJIwEm0R
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 28, 2024
This mindset has given him the opportunity to play in the AHL but his ultimate dream is to become an NHL player.
“The dream of signing a contract one day is what moved me and gave me energy.”
Each game for Cholach now becomes an audition and it begins now with Ukraine at the Olympic Qualifiers. If he can continue to improve, he can one day find himself in a Vegas Golden Knights jersey.
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