Thrashers prospect close to getting his chance

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Arturs Kulda is close to a significant reunion.

The Thrashers’ prospect is nearing a promotion to the NHL. It could be this season, or next.. But it’s near.

Once with the Thrashers, Kulda, 21, would again be teammates with Zach Bogosian. The two were defensive partners for two seasons at Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League.

“He’s close to playing in the NHL in the very near future,” Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said. “Seriously, I wouldn’t have any issue if we had to call him up. No issue at all.”

Kulda, 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, is currently playing his third season for the Thrashers’ AHL affiliate in Chicago. He returned to the lineup on Dec. 5 after missing seven games with a separated shoulder.

The injury to Kulda, a native of Latvia, is a testament to his big-hit style of play.

“He’s a good player,” Bogosian said. “He’s very strong. He finishes all his checks. He plays a mean style of hockey. ... He’s a NHL quality player."

It wasn’t always that way.

The Thrashers selected Kulda in the seventh round (200th overall) in the 2006 draft. He reported to the Thrashers rookie camp in Traverse City, Mich., and it didn’t go so well.

“He might have weighed 174 pounds,” said Dan Marr, the Thrashers’ director of amateur scouting and player development. “He was literally getting run over. He wasn’t prepared for the size and speed of the players. We decided not to play him the last game because we didn’t want him to get hurt. That was an eye-opener for him.”

Kulda did learn from the experience. He got bigger and stronger. He played five regular-season games and the Calder Cup playoffs with Chicago at the end of the 2007-08 season and it was then he showed how far he had come in a short time.

“Atlanta came to us and said we have this draft choice we’d like to play,” said Thrashers head coach John Anderson, who was coaching Chicago at the time. “I said yes, because I had coached him in Traverse City. I really liked him. So we put him in a couple of games and he played really well. We talked to [management] and said, ‘We really like this kid. Is it OK if we keep him?' They said sure. He worked his way into a contract. That’s how well he played. He’s got grit.

“I think next year, maybe the next year and a half, he’ll be here.”

The Wolves went on to win the AHL championship that season, an event Kulda ranks as his most memorable hockey moment. He’s just waiting for the next one.

“I think I’m doing OK,” Kulda said. “I’m working hard every day. I hope to get called up this year. I can play there [in the NHL]. I’m just waiting for my opportunity.”

Kulda leads the Wolves and is tied for sixth in the AHL with a plus/minus rating of plus-13. This season he has been paired with Chris Chelios, the veteran of 24 NHL seasons who is playing with the Wolves.

With his increased physical presence, Kulda has had to back up his play.

“I like to play physical,” Kulda said. “I do whatever it takes to win the game.”

That includes fighting.

"As he has gotten stronger, he’s had to drop the gloves,” Marr said. “He found out he’s pretty good at it.”

The Thrashers are currently carrying two extra defensemen on their 23-player roster. Kulda has one more year remaining on his contract with the organization.

Kulda’s time is approaching. In the meantime he will continue to work on his game, which ranks an important asset to Marr.

“He really works hard to better himself,” Marr said. “He really wants to be better. You don’t have to tell him something twice.”