The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Artyom Levshunov with the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft as a very raw defenseman with a high ceiling. Three years ago, Levshunov played his first season of North American hockey with the USHL in 2022. The Belarusian followed this up with an excellent freshman year at Michigan State University. He scored 35 points in 38 games (ninth overall for all defensemen) and was selected as the Big Ten Freshman and Defenseman of the Year.
Following his selection in the 2024 Draft, Levshunov faced a decision: continue playing hockey at the NCAA or sign his entry-level contract (ELC) and play pro hockey as a teenager.
Levshunov signed and played 50 games in Rockford (five goals and 17 assists) before getting a questionable call-up on March 9. Could the 19-year-old defenseman hold his own in the NHL?
Levshunov's Stats
The expectation for Levshunov during his call-up was not very high. At 19 years old and after 50 games in the AHL, Levshunov had some rounding out to do. The expectation was this: survive.
Through seven games in the NHL, Levshunov has two assists and a -9 plus/minus rating. More telling are his fancy stats. At 5-on-5, he has a 50% Corsi, a 48% expected goals share, and starts 65% of his shifts in the offensive zone. Seven games in is a tiny sample size, and head coach Anders Sorensen isn't going to start most of his shifts in the defensive zone until he can trust him.
Levshunov averages 20:38 minutes a night, 3.74 shots/60, and 13.29 shot attempts/60 (fifth highest on the team). He leads the team in giveaways with 4.57/60.
On the powerplay, Levshunov has seen time quarterbacking both units. The Blackhawks haven't gotten many powerplay opportunities in his seven games, but in 11:40 minutes, Levshunov has three shots on goal, nine shot attempts, and one assist.
Levshunov has played most of his minutes in a bottom-pair role but has seen time with Alex Vlasic on the first pair. His numbers only scratch the surface of our evaluation. Levshunov starts in the offensive zone and is in a sheltered role in the bottom pair.
Let's talk about plus/minus, a misleading stat. Levshunov is going to have bad nights where the mistakes add up. He'll take a hit on plus/minus. However, the best way to evaluate Levshunov isn't through crunching numbers. It's by watching him play.
The Tape Never Lies - Levshunov's Highlights
The first thing that jumps out is how Levshunov skates. His large 6'2"/209 lbs lumbering frame looks slow, but Levshunov has excellent skating mechanics and is fast.
On the powerplay Levshunov's role comes naturally to him. Levshunov is an excellent puck distributor and knows which player is the best option. He's also very deceptive. In the below clip, Levshunov disguises a pass for a one-timer which fools everyone, even his targeted teammate.
Levshunov needs to work on his defensive reads. He retreats too far back when defending the rush instead of playing with a tight gap. This gives the opponent time and space to create plays. For example, opponents don't have a problem cutting back to delay, open space, and allowing another player to take advantage.
Levshunov also has the tendency to space out on plays. While his playing style is deceptive in that he's skating better than he looks and can look lackadaisical when he's already one step ahead, sometimes his reads are bad. This will be corrected with more experience.
What's On Tap Next
Levshunov made a strong debut and has made improvements with every game. With seven NHL games under his belt, he would have to hit 10 games to burn the first year of his entry-level contract (ELC). Next season, when he turns 20, the Blackhawks won't have the option to slide his ELC another year.
While Levshunov certainly has some rounding out to do, particularly on defense, there's an argument for keeping him at the NHL the rest of the way. Levshunov will most likely get sent back down before the regular season ends to help the Rockford IceHogs and their playoff push. At 19 years old, things look promising for Artyom Levshunov. And there's still plenty more to get excited about as the Blackhawks have more future blueline pieces still developing.
