Prospect Info: 2024 2nd Overall - Artyom Levshunov

[Sarava]

I hope they leave him at Michigan State for one more season. Sign him when their season ends and give him the last few games of the year.

 

[bwana63]

Really hope Lev hits. Doesn't need to be a legit #1, I'd settle for a good top pairing, minutes munching dman. and that his floor is good middle pairing. not thrilled about this pick, but I'll be ecstatic to be wrong.

one thing's for sure: don't rush him

 

[ChiHawks10]

I hope they leave him at Michigan State for one more season. Sign him when their season ends and give him the last few games of the year.

He can play in the AHL. Don't see any reason why you don't have him in Rockford over college, personally. It wouldn't bother me in any way if he goes back to college. I just don't see a need for him to.

 

[dj Mahoney]

Arty Could be a similar player to another RD that was picked 2nd overall way back in 2008. It would be incredible if he was .

Drew Doughty Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Drew Doughty, a hockey player from London, ONT born Dec 8 1989 who was active from 2005 to 2024.

www.hockeydb.com

 

[deytookerjaabs]

I'd prefer him back at Michigan State and have them focus on his assertiveness in making the best decisions with the puck, reading the play before it happens, etc.

In the games I watched he was involved in some error prone breakdowns that didn't hurt his team. At the next level some of those bad decisions just once a game will kill you. NCAA is more forgiving.

Physically, he'd probably be fine in the AHL, but no one questions his build/stride.

 

[kmwtrucks]

this is kind of what I saw as well. I was feeling better for a few days but this brought be back to earth

 

[Mjul Qvist]

this is kind of what I saw as well. I was feeling better for a few days but this brought be back to earth

What a stupid video that is. Like he is not going to develop anymore? He will be coached and he will develop. We will see how he fits in few years.

 

[Idionym]

this is kind of what I saw as well. I was feeling better for a few days but this brought be back to earth

Well if scouting mastermind Michael Farkas (375 subscribers) says it's true...

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

NCAA or AHL is fine with me. The quality of competition is good in both places.
Let him get lots of ice time and develop his game.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I say let him make choice

Don't put pressure on kid and let him do what he feels comfortable with

Not like the program is set to fall off cliff that he is returning to or that there is anything being done by coaching that would concern Hawks unlike other programs in state

 

[deytookerjaabs]

What a stupid video that is. Like he is not going to develop anymore? He will be coached and he will develop. We will see how he fits in few years.

Well if scouting mastermind Michael Farkas (375 subscribers) says it's true...

You should critique the points, not the person and/or how many followers they have.

While I don't agree with everything this guy says, he makes a lot of reasonable statements. I really like how he pointed out failing to spread responsibilities on the ice, like Bedard being used as an exit, a neutral zone solution and then the offensive solution many times in one shift is just too much to ask. And, his point of Lev's lowlights vis a vis coaching "as if coaches at every level haven't already tried to address x, y, z" is spot on. Those are things that will have to be addressed to succeed in the NHL.

"Moving problems down the line," that was great, discussing how the better/best players clean up a mess rather than pass the grenade to the next guy.

Plus, he talks about a thing of ultimate importance...having a structure & teammates to make a particular style work for a player, instead of just the usual one-dimensional videos that are like "oh look at what this guy CAN do, woahhhh!"

 

[ClydeLee]

You should critique the points, not the person and/or how many followers they have.

While I don't agree with everything this guy says, he makes a lot of reasonable statements. I really like how he pointed out failing to spread responsibilities on the ice, like Bedard being used as an exit, a neutral zone solution and then the offensive solution many times in one shift is just too much to ask. And, his point of Lev's lowlights vis a vis coaching "as if coaches at every level haven't already tried to address x, y, z" is spot on. Those are things that will have to be addressed to succeed in the NHL.

"Moving problems down the line," that was great, discussing how the better/best players clean up a mess rather than pass the grenade to the next guy.

Plus, he talks about a thing of ultimate importance...having a structure & teammates to make a particular style work for a player, instead of just the usual one-dimensional videos that are like "oh look at what this guy CAN do, woahhhh!"

I watched 2 minutes but the style was not my tea, it's not about negative, but it's clearly flawed analyzing focus. It's weird things like oh he's not involved in plays he is though?

But the coaching element is the key because people who scouted him knowing his development point out some things specifically, yeah he wasn't being coached in Belarus to do. Because they aren't the structured programs. And it's hard to focus on details when making big leaps so suddenly. Why I think he should state at MSt.

Lev seems like he would fit with stretch passes here. The ocused on Bedard's lack of burner qualiry... everyone else we sign or draft 9/10 them are speeders. Seems like that would fit perfectly.

 

[clydesdale line]

Turn pro or return to school? Blackhawks, Artyom Levshunov have a decision to make

Dissecting the pros and cons of Levshunov signing and turning pro right away or delaying that for at least a year and returning to college.

www.nytimes.com

 

[x Tame Impala]

Why delay his AHL time if that's where he'd be in the 25/26 season? Rather get him over here now working with our guys and getting acclimated to the size and speed of the AHL game.

One of his major assets was jumping up a league 3 years in a row so I don't see why that should be stopped. I'll be fine with either decision however.

 

[Larmer83]

Turn pro or return to school? Blackhawks, Artyom Levshunov have a decision to make

Dissecting the pros and cons of Levshunov signing and turning pro right away or delaying that for at least a year and returning to college.

www.nytimes.com

From the article:
The New Jersey Devils drafted Simon Nemec second in the 2022 draft, signed him and had him play in the AHL for a full season.

The Devils started him this season in the AHL but moved him to the NHL due to injuries and a suspension.

 

[ClydeLee]

From the article:
The New Jersey Devils drafted Simon Nemec second in the 2022 draft, signed him and had him play in the AHL for a full season.

The Devils started him this season in the AHL but moved him to the NHL due to injuries and a suspension.

I would like him to stay at MSU for consistency, but there's certainly a difference here.

If say Korch stays in the NHL, the blackhawks still will have EDM, Kaiser, Allan, Crevier, and Phillips (if they both sign their tenders) all 5 guys can play while they keep Lev in the A if that's the gameplan.

 

[Larmer83]

I would like him to stay at MSU for consistency, but there's certainly a difference here.

If say Korch stays in the NHL, the blackhawks still will have EDM, Kaiser, Allan, Crevier, and Phillips (if they both sign their tenders) all 5 guys can play while they keep Lev in the A if that's the gameplan.

Levshunov was drafted, presumably, to be a #1 minute munching defenseman. On the PK, he was behind Strbak(Aslo a freshman) on the right side. Although the NCAA stats are not available, I'm guessing he had favorable zone starts compared to the other MSU dmen.

From the article that @clydesdale line posted:
The Blackhawks can eliminate the third party in his development and have him under their own guidance from the start. It’s something teams rarely get a chance to do. The Blackhawks can manage how much he plays, can spend additional time with him on and off the ice and even give him games off if needed. Plus, they don’t have to accelerate him to the NHL within his first two years like a player drafted from the CHL. The Blackhawks would have loved to send Kevin Korchinski to the AHL this past season if that was an option. It’s like Levshunov would spend the whole season or most of it in Rockford. He’d be a development priority for the IceHogs coach and the Blackhawks development staff.

In Rockford, the Hawks can do a Vlasic/Kaiser reverse engineering to clean-up some of his defensive deficiences.

In the article, Wheeler makes the case that he should go back to college but says the following:
“Though he’s pro-ready from a physical, skating and skill standpoint, his game is still quite green in some other areas — reads, decision making, defensive habits".

 

[Mjul Qvist]

Plus, he talks about a thing of ultimate importance...having a structure & teammates to make a particular style work for a player, instead of just the usual one-dimensional videos that are like "oh look at what this guy CAN do, woahhhh!"

There are a lot of good scouting videos about Levshunov that focuses on good and bad things. How he is going to fit the Hawks? Well I have a strong feeling that Blackhawks scouting department has pondered that in two years they have scouted him. I guess they believe the fit is there when they drafted him second overall? That is why the video is so stupid also.

 

[Bubba88]

Rockford will have more options on D. He won't be asked to be their #1 all situations D. He can get time.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Dude could be the next Evan Bouchard. By that I mean, no matter what level he eventually achieves, there will be a loud HFBoard contingent will always take the most negative view towards his game and downplay it. They won't come off not liking him as a Draft prospect.

 

[wladyslaw]

I really wanted Demidov... and watching Lev take plays off... really makes me Want Demidov even more...

Lev looks like somewhere between $eth Jones and Murphy... Meh player for 2nd Pick-- BAD!!!!!!!

 

[Pile]

I'd personally want to see him in the AHL. Continue the trend of pushing his comfort level while having our staff take over his development. As mentioned, many teams aren't awarded the luxury of instantly having that kind of developmental control without rushing them to the NHL. I feel we shouldn't squander it.

As someone from camp Demidov, I hate to see people already calling this a bad pick.. Like it or not, we need him to be the guy we thought we were picking at #2. Insinuating we got it wrong doesn't change anything. You don't need to like the pick, but spare us the doom and gloom until we actually see how it starts playing out.

 

[crazyhawk]

They chose him over Demidov and all the rest. There must be some very good reasons which we're not privy to that hinged that decision. That said, GM's have made stupid decisions many a time so let's sure hope this isn't one of them.
All I can think of is Lev's meteoric rise through leagues has them believing he is a specimen unlike most all others and his trajectory will keep him climbing to the heights of a top 1RD in the league. As usual .. time will tell.

 

[belfour30]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808536622545133868

 

[bwanajamba]

As someone who was a massive Demidov fanboy, it's clear as day why they made the pick. High end tools, high end production, lots of development runway. They're betting that a kid who went from Belarusian juniors to the Big Ten in two years (and, let's be real, looked great in the process) will be able to put the finer points of his game together with more stability, more time in a system, and more time in the weight room. I think it's a pretty good bet even if it isn't the pick I was hoping for.

It's hard to make an apples to apples comparison with kids who have spent their whole lives in high level development systems so I get why some people would have been more comfortable with Buium, Silayev, etc but calling this a bad pick is premature.