[Speculation] Blackhawks Leaning Toward Artyom Levshunov At Second Overall

[RWJC]

Blackhawks Leaning Toward Artyom Levshunov At Second Overall

 

June 7th, 2024 at 11:59am CST • By Josh Erickson

 

Much like last year’s draft, there’s a bit of a toss-up at second overall. The Sharks will take Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini as the first-overall pick. However, with the second choice, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a choice to make.

 

That choice is between Ivan Demidov, a Russian winger whose 60 points in 30 junior games gave him one of the best seasons at that level of all time, and Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who logged heavy minutes as a freshman for Michigan State University this season and is the top blue liner in the class based on consolidated public rankings. Speaking on Friday’s episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” Scott Powers reports the team is leaning toward Levshunov with less than a month to go until draft day.

 

Levshunov would immediately become the Hawks’ top defense prospect, surpassing 2022 seventh-overall pick Kevin Korchinski. And like Korchinski two years ago, it seems unlikely he’d jump to the NHL immediately. A sophomore campaign at Michigan State makes sense for Levshunov before potentially turning pro in 2025.

It shouldn’t be ruled out completely, though. Levshunov is coming off a banner season that saw him named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He was named to the year-end First All-Star Team as well.

 

Levshunov’s nine goals, 26 assists, 35 points and +27 rating in 38 games helped the Spartans win their first regular-season and conference tournament championships since the conference’s inception in 2013. A right-shot defender, the 18-year-old already stands at 6’2″ and 209 lbs.

 

Chicago taking Levshunov off the board would leave Demidov available for the Ducks at third overall, becoming the crown jewel of an already deep pool of young forwards that includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras. Demidov is the second-ranked prospect behind Celebrini in public consolidated rankings and TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s most recent polling of NHL scouts.
 

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/06/blackhawks-leaning-toward-artyom-levshunov-at-second-overall.html#ref=home

[HKSR]

Fuck the Hawks and their favouritism from Bettman and his crooks.

[MeanSeanBean]

@Rusty Shacklefordsomething to consider for your 2nd overall pick the GFL draft?

 

[JeremyCuddles]

Can they stop drafting players I like? I'm trying to hate them.

[Bounce000]

Anaheim is 3 or 4 years away from being a wagon

[canuck73_3]

7 minutes ago, JeremyCuddles said:

Can they stop drafting players I like? I'm trying to hate them.

Good thing they're so easy to hate. 

[Coconuts]

If they project him as a 1-2D it'd make sense, Anaheim's the real winner here though. They don't have to make the tough choice, they just have to wait. 

 

I'm glad we've made the playoffs again, but I'm envious of Anaheim's stacked pool of prospects and young NHL'ers. Their rebuild has been going on for a while but they're likely going to be a wagon down the road. 

[Ghostsof1915]

I'd take Lindstrom or Silayev.

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

That would be a smart pick by the Hawks.

[DeltaSwede]

Good to hear. Eliteprospects are running some competition for prediciting in which order the top 10 (32) plays out in the draft. I've locked in on Levshunov at #2 since earlier 

[RWJC]

Update:

 

Even if the Blackhawks take Artyom Levshunov with the second-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft according to their reported interest, he may not be playing for them next season. In an interview between Levshunov and Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, Levshunov is undecided about playing in the NHL next or returning to Michigan State University for his sophomore season. If selected by Chicago, it is more than likely that Levshunov would have direct access to top-level minutes, which could be enticing for the 18-year-old Belarusian. However, if Levshunov slips to third overall and winds up in Anaheim, a loaded defensive pipeline may make Levshunov reconsider and push his rookie campaign a year or two down the road.

 

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/06/evening-notes-bowman-quenneville-ltir-levshunov.html#ref=home

[TheWhiskeyPickle]

On 6/7/2024 at 10:20 AM, Bounce000 said:

Anaheim is 3 or 4 years away from being a wagon

I thought this after the Ducks drafted McTavish in 2021. Bunch of guys need to stay healthy and actually take the next step.