Chicago is now ultra-deep in D-Man prospects with addition of skilled man-sized 18-year-old from Belarus.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Friday in Las Vegas.
Blackhawks center and Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard, Chicago famous 2023 first overall draft pick, called out Levshunov's name at the Sphere.
"I was thinking they could pick me and it happened and I'm happy," Levshunov told reporters.
The addition of Levshunov, a personable 6-foot-2, 205-pound native of Belarus, gives the Blackhawks an even deeper group of top-flight promising young defensemen as the team rebuilds.
Kevin Korchinski, who just turned 20, and 23-year-old Alex Vlasic were impressive in their first full NHL seasons in 2023-24. Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan are on the verge of graduating from Rockford of the AHL. Sam Rinzel is waiting in the wings, entering a sophomore season at the University of Minnesota.
Levshunov, nicknamed "Arty the Party," starred as a freshman last season for the Spartans. He posted nine goals and 35 points in 38 games to finish tied for ninth among NCAA Division I D-men. Levshunov had a plus-27 mark en route to being named Big Ten rookie and defensive player of the year.
According to the NHL Central Scouting, Levshunov is a "smooth-skating defenseman with high-end puck skills. Uses his size, strength and reach as assets to effectively defend in the defensive zone and has a good grasp of positioning and coverage. Quick and agile skater.”
Could Become A No. 1 NHL Defenseman
Levshunov's package of strong skating and high-end puck skills, combined with his size and strength — he's already "man-sized" — have some scouts believing the defenseman could turn pro and move up to the NHL soon.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson and his staff were sold on Levshunov's massive upside several weeks ago. Davidson said he could become a No. 1 NHL defenseman with Chicago. See following the video.
Levshunov said Friday he isn't sure if he'll return for a sophomore season at Michigan State or turn pro in the fall. He is eligible to sign a contract and could be skating with Bedard before long.
"We'll see, we'll see," Levshunov told reporters. "First I think I need to talk with my advisors, my family, with the team, the Chicago Blackhawks." See the following video.
Davidson also didn't have an immediate timeline, saying he wanted to confer with the defenseman's agent, Ron Milstein.
Levshunov is the fourth player from Belarus to be selected in the first round and by far in the highest slot. No Belarussian had been selected higher than defenseman Ruslan Salei, who went No. 9 to Anaheim in 1996. Levshunov also the first Belarussian to be drafted since Montréal took Andrei Kostitsyn with the No. 10 pick in 2003.
Chicago had a no-brainer last year when it drafted first overall and took Bedard, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie of 2023-24 on Thursday night.
Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson said he was confident in his pick of Levshunov this year following a robust internal analysis and debate. In the mix was Russian forward Ivan Demidov, but it turned out Levshunov was the player who was considered the best fit for the rebuilding Blackhawks.
"I think we feel pretty confident with where we're going to go," Davidson said on Thursday without tipping his pick. "They're all really good options and that lends itself to a debate that you want to give the proper time to, right? You don't want to anoint anyone or any one direction too soon. So you give it time to breathe. You give it time to digest new information.
"It's been a pretty healthy debate and one that we've taken a lot of time to consider. But with great options come that debate. If it was a no-brainer, then we probably would have known months ago, or whenever the lottery was." See following video.
Scouting Levshunov has been easy as he made an immediate impact in NCAA play, often on rinks within a drive of Chicago. If he returns to Michigan State, he could turn pro at the close of the college season.