Shlaine's Unlikely Journey Leads to Opportunity in Texas
By Dylan Pescatore
Nov 5, 2025Texas Stars forward Artem Shlaine has taken the road less traveled. He grew up in Moscow, Russia, with his mom, Kathy, his Dad, Dimitri, and his brother, Daniel. Artem visited the United States for the first time when he was six because of his dad's job, but they had no plans for a full-time life there.
In Russia, one can choose to play hockey or pursue a high-level education, but not at the same time. Artem's dad discovered the idea of playing in the United States, where his son got the chance to do both.
Shlaine moved to America by himself when he was 14, spending two years in Florida playing for the South Florida Hockey Academy, which is led by Olli Jokinen, who spent 17 seasons in the NHL.
Shlaine then earned the chance to attend Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota, one of the best hockey preparatory schools in the country. Shattuck has an incredible history of alumni, including Sidney Crosby and Johnathan Toews. College was the next step for him, and the University of Connecticut wanted his services.
"College was kind of cool at that time,” he said. “It was just starting, and no Russians really took that kind of path."
Shlaine spent five years in college with three different stops along the way. He started in Storrs, Connecticut for two years, transferred to Northern Michigan University ahead of his junior season, before exhausting a fifth year of eligibility at Arizona State University in 2024-25.
Adversity hit Shlaine at the beginning of his time in Tempe, Arizona. When he stepped on the ice for one of his first practices in the maroon and gold, he suffered a broken foot. His doctor told him that it would take 8-10 weeks to heal and Artem’s eyes immediately went to the calendar.
ASU was scheduled to travel to Northern Michigan seven weeks into his recovery. Shlaine set a goal for an early return so he could play in that series, not just to help his team, but because of how special Marquette, Michigan was to him.
Through two seasons at NMU, Shlaine built a strong bond with the dedicated Wildcats fan base. Whether he was at the grocery store, on campus, or at the rink, the community knew who he was. Marquette was a place Shlaine will never forget, which is what drove him to work hard in his recovery.
He was cleared to practice a week prior to the series, and suited up for the Sun Devils in both games against NMU. Wildcat fans cheered him on and even made signs thanking Shlaine for all he did for the program.
Shlaine took Arizona State to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference semifinals in the school’s inaugural season in the league.
When his season with the Sun Devils ended, he signed an amateur tryout with the Texas Stars, playing six games for the AHL club as it geared up for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Entering his rookie season this year, he wasted no time scoring his first professional goal. Shlaine found the back of the net Oct. 18 at Milwaukee and had his biggest supporters in the crowd.
"I guess the history kind of repeats itself with me a lot in terms of my first goal," he said. "Just like Northern [Michigan], just like ASU, for my first goal, my parents were in the stands."
Scoring his first pro goal was amazing for Shlaine, but doing it in front of his parents made the moment even more special. His mom and dad have had such an essential role in his life, and he is very aware of how much they've done to help him along his unconventional path.
"My dad's always talking hockey, hockey, hockey, where my mom is more like my mental psychologist running me through situations, scenarios and stuff," he said. "When they come to games, it's something special for me every time they do."
Now that he has more than ten professional games under his belt, Shlaine has seen a stark difference between college hockey and the pros.
"I believe guys make fewer mistakes here. When someone makes a mistake, usually the puck ends up in the back of your net," he said. "Guys are so skilled and they make you pay for your mistakes."
Shlaine capitalized on a mistake to score his first goal in Milwaukee, but every step of his journey to get to pro hockey has been intentional and deserved, with his family behind him the entire way.