The Worcester Railers have re-signed defenseman Artyom Kulakov. Their defensive line is headed in the right direction with this move. This will be his second professional season. He is the Worcester Railers enforcer and was named the Worcester Railers “Tough Guy of the Year.” He racked up 74 penalty minutes in 61 total games. He is a defenseman, so he does not score as much, but he had 12 points with four goals and eight assists. He joined the Railers at the end of the 2022-23 season. He played 59 games for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League prior to the Railers. He had two points, one goal and one assist, with the Railers the first time around.
Kulakov spent two seasons with Erie. He played 102 career games with the Otters. In that time he scored 16 points with five goals and eleven assists. He also managed to put up 145 penalty minutes, as he is known to lay it all out on the ice. Kulakov played just one season with Omiske Yastreby of the MHL of Russia during the 2020-21 season. He played 29 games during that season while putting up 12 points with four goals and eight assists, along with 39 penalty minutes to go with it.
“A lot of guys have a chip on their shoulder from last year,” Kulakov said. “All of the guys are excited for next year and hungry to be back. The Worcester community and fans want us to win, and that’s what we’re going to bring next year.”
-Kulakov on returning to the Worcester Railers (Via Worcester Railers Press Release)
The Worcester Railers roster continues to improve as they look to make a substantial run at the playoffs. Kulakov is the fifteenth player they have added this offseason as they improve. The Railers come in with a chip on their shoulder and heartbreak in back-to-back years.
