When someone approaches an obstacle in the road there are two ways to handle it: face it head-on or take the easy path. For Artur Cholach, his career has been about busting through those obstacles.
Cholach is taking the national stage to represent Ukraine at the 2026 Olympics Qualifiers final in Latvia from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1. While he is playing for his country, he can look up to the crowd and see his mom supporting him. In the midst of turmoil in Ukraine, Cholach’s parents haven’t been able to leave the country to watch their son pursue his hockey dreams in North America. Cholach’s mother will watch him represent Ukraine in the tournament while his father unfortunately remains in Ukraine.
Moving away from his hometown of Novoazovsk, Ukraine and being far from family to pursue his dream was a difficulty itself. For Cholach, not only was he 5,000 miles away from home, but he was also part of a draft group during a worldwide pandemic. The defenseman was selected by the Golden Knights in the sixth round (190th overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
“I was on the train going to the national team camp, so I didn't have any reception there and didn't know I was drafted," Cholach explained at Vegas’ development camp in 2022. “My parents called me and told me congrats and I didn't know why they were congratulating me, and then they told me that Vegas picked me in the draft.”
Just last year, Cholach was getting ready to come back for a third season with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League when he was faced with a tough reality.
The OHL has specific rules regarding the number of 21-year-old players that each team can have on their roster, as well as the amount of imports from other countries. The rules were designed in order to maintain a balance between developing younger and older players. It is important to ensure fairness, but unfortunately for Cholach it made it impossible for him to continue play with Barrie in the OHL.
While many young athletes would have taken this as a defeat, Cholach viewed it as an opportunity.
“I try not to think about what I can’t control,” he said. “I just think about how I come to the rink and work as hard as possible every day. That is what moves me.”
Last season, Cholach played 54 games in South Dakota with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, where he notched 15 points (4G, 11A) to go with a +14 rating while serving as an alternate captain. It wasn’t just his on-ice skill set that helped him carry his success down the road, it was the diligence he employed off the ice.
“When I changed leagues and teams, I think it was a good move by me,” said the defenseman. “I got more confident and was playing more minutes. So overall, I think that was a good season for me. I also think I got better as a person and as a player as well.”
Cholach has not only faced challenges but has embraced every ounce of adversity. Through his positive mindset and dedication, he achieved his lifelong goal of landing a professional contract, as he signed with the Henderson Silver Knights on July 15.
“The dream of signing a contract one day is what moved me and gave me energy,” Cholach said.
Cholach represents the pure tenacity of going after what you want while simultaneously remaining true to having a good head on your shoulders. The defenseman is expected to report to training camp with the Golden Knights in September and compete for a consistent role on the Henderson blueline for the 2024-25 season.
