Anaheim Ducks 2024 Draft Target: Artyom Levshunov
The Anaheim Ducks will be selecting third overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. There are several directions the Ducks can take with making that pick and one of them is hulking Belarusian defenseman, Artyom Levshunov.
The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday, May 7, and was won by the San Jose Sharks who will be selecting first overall. The Anaheim Ducks will select third.
The undisputed top prospect the Sharks will almost certainly select is the standout Freshman center from Boston University, Macklin Celebrini. After Celebrini, there is an extremely murky tier of 5-10 players who could each make a case as the second-best prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft. Each of those players has one or two significant question marks, however.
This series will spotlight five of the most common names atop the rankings of expert NHL Draft outlets.
Artyom Levshunov
Artyom Levshunov is widely regarded as the top right-handed defenseman in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. His influence is felt on every shift he plays and he's eager to contribute offensively any chance he gets.
Levshunov made the transition to North America in 2022-23 when he was drafted in the 8th round of the USHL Draft by the Green Bay Gamblers. That selection was proved a steal as he finished 2022-23 fifth among USHL defensemen in scoring with 13 goals and 42 points in 62 games.
Levshunov committed to Michigan State University and started his NCAA career in 2023-24. In his freshman year, Levshunov finished second on his team in scoring and ninth among NCAA defensemen with nine goals and 35 points in 38 games.
Michigan State lost in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament to their rival University of Michigan by a score of 5-2.
The Potential Upside
At 6-foot-2, 209-pounds, and with the production he's shown, it's understandable why NHL general managers and scouting staffs would be salivating over a player with Levshunov's makeup.
Levshunov involves himself in every attack or offensive opportunity. He is composed with the puck on his stick and makes delightful slip passes to teammates in tight spaces.
He is strong on his edges and utilizes four-way mobility to create plays along the offensive blueline and down the wall. With his reach, he's able to keep pucks away from defenders just long enough to make a dangerous pass to a cutting teammate or get off his plus-shot.
Levshunov has a strong grasp on how plays develop and knows the lanes to fill and where on the ice he needs to be to receive the puck on the rush or in the offensive zone.
He possesses a decent understanding of angles and translates his offensive acumen in that respect to the defensive side of the puck to often steer attackers to low-percentage ice.
The Potential Downside
While Levshunov is eager and able to positively impact the game on the offensive end, he sometimes jumps into a rush too early and before a play has developed. He will also often attempt passes that are too complicated and optimistic when a simpler play is available.
While he is strong on his edges and explosive, his forward stride can be clunky and he utilizes a push/shuffle stride to get himself into position.
His defensive game could use a bit of polish as well. He tends to pressure and pinch in the offensive zone when he doesn't have high F3 support, causing an odd-man rush the other way.
For a player who's as good a four-way skater as Levshunov, he often leaves gaps too big when defending rushes along his strong side. When the rush is on the weak side, he will too often try and pressure to kill the play early, but can leave his side vacated and a player open for a rush opportunity.
He can look a bit lackadaisical in defensive zone coverage and be slow to react and retrieve loose pucks. He tends to lose more battles than he probably should for someone with his combination of size and skill and he could use a bit more motor.
By all accounts, Levshunov is a remarkably hard worker and incredibly coachable. The upside to his offensive game is significant and rounding out some of his deficiencies could yield a quality top-pair defenseman.
The Potential Fit (with the Ducks)
The Anaheim Ducks have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL (if not, the best) with several young players already assuming significant roles at the highest level.
While the right side of the blueline is plenty deep with prospects like Tristan Luneau (20), Drew Helleson (23), Noah Warren (19), and Ian Moore (22), after trading Jamie Drysdale (22) for Cutter Gauthier (20) in January, the Ducks' right-shot defensemen pool may lack the potency on display at other positions.
If there were an issue with the Ducks drafting Levshunov, it would be that many of the qualities he brings and the aspects of the game he's best at could be redundant with those of Olen Zellweger (20), Pavel Mintyukov (20), and Tristan Luneau.
If Levshunov were to round out his game completely, he could eventually be half of a supremely formidable offensive duo with one of the team's young, gifted left-shot defensemen (Zellweger, Mintyukov, Lacombe).
The Chicago Blackhawks currently hold the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. They're undoubtedly taking a hard look at Levshunov and having internal discussions on what he can add to their own up-and-coming defense corps. If they were to pass on Levshunov, Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek and Director of Amateur Scouting Martin Madden would show where their priorities lie with the decision to select or pass on Artyom Levshunov.