When #6 is on the ice, you are guaranteed to notice him. Taeo Artichuk is an impactful player who makes his presence known. He is one of those players who is just exciting to watch because they seem to always be involved in the attack somehow. When there is a scoring chance, it is safe to assume that Artichuk is somewhere in the middle of it. He has great vision and a high hockey IQ which allows him to create plays at high speeds on the fly.

One aspect of Artichuk’s game that jumps out at you right away is his speed. Once he gets going he’s not an easy player to stop and and when you factor his stick-handling abilities and puck control he is one of those forwards that even the best defenders hate to play against, similarly to Mitch Marner. His play on the rush and at top speed is at a level above most players in his age group and looks like it would be above average even at the major junior level. 

As an undersized player, his size has always been one of the bigger points of concern in his game. As we continue to see however, it should not be a major factor when assessing Artichuk’s game. At just 15-years old, he still has plenty of time to grow and he has always been able to get past much bigger players so far and has the skill necessary to do so at the next level. There are some areas of his defensive game that could use some improvement but again, there are little-to-no red flags surrounding his game all together. Teams should not underestimate Artichuk due to his size as if he falls in the draft, he could quickly become a late round steal that will give defenders nightmares in the OHL by using his speed and sneakiness to get to the net without being contained.