KAMLOOPS – Svyatik Artemenko is a leader.
 
The 23-year old goalkeeper born in Odesa, UKR and raised in Winnipeg, MB who now joins the WolfPack in Kamloops has stepped up in key moments time and again throughout his life.
 
After a standout youth and university career in Canada, Artemenko was on the cusp of living out his dream of playing professional soccer in his homeland of Ukraine in the winter of 2021 when he once again rose to the occasion.
 
Just one day after signing a contract with Podylla FC - a Ukrainian Second Division team based in Khmelnytskyi Oblast - the Russo-Ukrainian War broke out, and Artemenko was quick to sign up to defend his home country.
 
"It was always my passion and dream to play soccer in Ukraine but at 5:50 a.m. the day after signing my contract we all woke up after a bomb went off besides our building," said Artemenko. "I knew that the season wouldn't be continuing which was a bit heartbreaking, but at that time my headspace switched right away from being upset to knowing that I had to go defend my country at the frontlines and put my experience in the military to use."
 
A former combat engineer with the Canadian Army Reserve, Artemenko spent the next three months volunteering with an international legion of the Ukrainian Military.
 
"I had the option to leave, go back to Canada and continue with my life but I grew up in Ukraine and have family members that weren't able to leave," said Artemenko on his decision to stay. "I felt like it wouldn't be the right thing for me to do to turn my back on them, especially with my military experience, I felt it would be unfair for me to not help out in some way."
 
Returning to Canada in May – Artemenko picked up right where he left off on the soccer field. He joined Electric City FC in League1 Ontario for the 2023 Summer season where he tied for the Golden Glove as the goalie with the fewest goals against in the league.
 
"I am a calm, composed player that deals with pressure very well and I also bring a leader attribute as I was in the Ukrainian military and being a leader and being calm under very stressful situations is a must there," said Artemenko. "As a goalkeeper, you need to be a leader as you are the last line of defense and you see everything on the pitch so communicating and leading the team from the back is very important."
 
Prior to travelling to Ukraine, Artemenko was one of the most highly accomplished goalies in Canada. In just his one year of play at the university level he helped lead the Guelph Gryphons to the OUA Championship – just the school's second since 1990 – and was named both the OUA goalkeeper of the year and to the U SPORTS National Championship All-Tournament team.
 
Alongside his experience at the university and League1 levels, Artemenko has also served as a reserve goalkeeper for both Valour FC and York United in the Canadian Premier League.
 
This long journey has left Artemenko all the way to TRU thanks in large part to a couple familiar faces.
 
"TRU has two players, Dylan Hooper and Marques Scott, that I played in Winnipeg with and they recommended me to the coach and from there I kept in touch with John Antulov and ended up committing to the team," said Artemenko.
 
Joining the 'Pack after the start of the season, Artemenko has played the last three games of the year for TRU helping secure two victories and tie for TRU. The team is currently 2-5-1 on the year and sitting just outside the fourth and final playoff spot in the CW Pacific Division.
 
"Coming to TRU and playing the season is not an easy task as we are the reigning national champions, so every game is a battle as teams want to upset us," said Artemenko. "But I am up for the task and to prove to teams across Canada that it was not a fluke that we won nationals and that we fully deserved it last year."
 
Artemenko and the 'Pack are in action at home this weekend when they play host to the UFV Cascades on Friday at 5 p.m. and the TWU Spartans on Saturday at 4 p.m. with both games scheduled for Hillside Stadium.