The Chicago Blackhawks have a supremely talented player in Artyom Levshunov, but he hasn't budded into a star yet. He needs more time.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Artyom Levshunov out of Michigan State as the 2nd overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Since then, he has been developing as one of the top prospects in the organization.
Levshunov started his pro career in the AHL during the 2024-25 season before making his NHL debut in the second half. In 2025-26, he played the entire campaign in Chicago with his NHL mates.
In 68 games played, Levshunov had 2 goals and 22 assists for 24 points. He trailed only Louis Crevier among team leaders by a defenseman. Crevier had 25 points in 78 games, so Levshunov had a better points-per-game percentage.
Where things went poorly for Levshunov was decision-making in all three zones, and his ability to defend as a whole leaves a lot to be desired. +/- is a lousy stat compared to some of the newer metrics available, but being -41 (the worst mark in the NHL) is never a great sign.
Ahead of the Olympic break, the Blackhawks put Levshunov on a new development program. Instead of sending him back to the Rockford IceHogs, they scratched him but let him stay with the NHL team so he could focus on certain areas of development.
Levshunov played better once he returned to the post-Olympic break lineup, but there is still a lot of work that needs to take place.
The most important thing the Blackhawks can do at this stage is not to come to any conclusions about his future as an NHL player. No, he didn't start off the way that Matthew Schaefer or Lane Hutson did to begin their NHL careers, but not every highly touted rookie defenseman is on the same pace.
There is always going to be the "Ivan Demidov" people, but there is nothing Levshunov can do to change their minds. The Blackhawks must focus on getting the player they have to his full potential.
Are the Blackhawks doomed if he becomes a solid middle-pair defender instead of a star? Absolutely not. They are still looking for that franchise number one, but there will be other opportunities down the line. Getting Levshunov to a good baseline is the focus right now without overreacting to his first 86 career NHL games.
There were moments during the 2025-26 season that flashed a bit of Levshunov's brilliance. He has good vision and skills with the puck. When he makes the right choice on what to do with it or how to defend an attacking player, it works well.
They took him second overall, so they are going to continue working with him in an attempt to make him a solid every-day NHL contributor. There are plenty of players who make great careers out of that, despite where they are drafted.
The Florida Panthers would draft Aaron Ekblad first overall in 2012 over and over again. He never turned into a Norris Trophy-caliber superstar, but he was a solid anchor on their blue line during some incredible runs.
Levshunov still may become a superstar, but the goal is to build a winning team, and he has the tools to be a part of that.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.