RD Artyom Levshunov - Michigan State Univ., NCAA (2024, 2nd, CHI)

[95snipes]

Significant plays from one game of Levshunov:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804200521320010088

I watched this game and remember watching it. I have notes on this game from March and in my notes I say as part of criticism that his passes aren't clean, tape to tape and he doesn't skate with the puck to put his teammates in a good position. And you can see it here, the film doesn't lie. If you objectively look at the shifts in this video (he obviously played more than 7 minutes during the game) -

0:09 of the video, 19:35 of the 1st period (-)

1st shift of the game. You have a slow forecheck here, his initial read isn't there and he throws the puck the other way for a turnover. I get that's a set play, but you either need to skate it or that pass needs to be hard. Levshunov throws a floater in no man's land which is an easy step and zone keep for Wisconsin.


0:25 of the video, 19:25 of the 1st period (-)

That's more on the forwards for the neutral zone turnover than Levshunov, but you take a poor angle and let the Badger player walk right around you.


0:40 of the video, 17:35 of the 1st period (-)

Whitelaw gets the outside on Lev.


0:54 of the video, 17:19 of the 1st period (-)

These are the exact plays that I knock Levshunov for. You could call that a puck battle, but Levshunov is first to that puck. He lacks any sort of composure and 'throws it' back around the boards. This results in a 50/50 puck battle that MSU loses and sustained Wisco pressure.


1:19 of the video, 15:17 of the 1st period (-)

Wisconsin is changing here, Larson opens up to his forehand, Lev passes on the back side to his backhand, turnover and the end result is Wisconsin possession in MSU's zone.


1:40 of the video, 14:36 of the 1st period (+)

He scored a goal, that's obviously good. That's a floater from the blueline, really soft goal to give up. It's hard to tell from the angle, but it might have been going over the net.


1:59 of the video, 12:35 of the 1st period (+)

Has back support, good read / step here to kill the breakout. Gets tripped otherwise likely ends up with the puck.


2:13 of the video, 10:03 of the 1st period (+)

Does a good job defending there stick on puck.


2:38 of the video, 6:26 of the 1st period (-)

Weird sequence leading up this and ends up a tough play because his winger's not in position yet for the breakout pass and Lev has no real play, but it's a continued pattern of putting the puck in a bad spot for a teammate.


3:06 of the video, 17:51 of the 2nd period (+)

Nothing crazy here, but has his head up and makes a good first pass to Howard.


3:29 of the video, 15:04 of the 2nd period (-)

He's on his backhand, but I don't love this play. One not particularly hard forechecker. Not too difficult of a pass to Dorwart or an easy reverse and you have full possession, instead icing.


3:52 of the video, 11:52 of the 2nd period (+)

Is able to cut off Whitelaw in the neutral zone. Right after that looks like a miscommunication between his partner, both take the left side, and there's a scoring chance against.


4:32 of the video, 8:44 of the 2nd period (-)

Conceptually, I like the idea of putting pucks into space for teammates when it puts them in an advantage. But it's situational awareness and that's not the case here. You're shorthanded for another 4 minutes, that puck has to get out. All 5 Badgers are on the screen, if he rifles the puck as hard as he can, that puck isn't staying in the zone. Instead he floats it around the boards and results in a puck battle that MSU loses.


4:56 of the video, 1:39 of the 2nd period (+)

That's a great play to beat the forecheck as nervous as he can make you with the puck.


5:08 of the video, 19:44 of the 3rd period (+)

Wins puck from Whitelaw and moves puck up for a break the other way.


5:20 of the video, 18:06 of the 3rd period (+)

Get a fluttering puck from his partner that skips over his stick. A little bit of panic, but makes the pass, chip by Larson and it's a 2 on 1. You notice in a lot of these sequences, he's looking to move the puck north as quickly as possible, which can be good and bad.


5:47 of the video, 15:41 of the 3rd period (+)

Strbak's beat and Levshunov defends it well overall. If you pause at 5:46/5:47 a chip pass to the streaking right winger could have been problematic. Strbak's flatfooted and Howard's taking the angle, but may have been able to close that.


6:11 of the video, 12:13 of the 3rd period

There's nothing wrong with this, but you have time with the puck. Move your feet and make a play, hit your winger directly, look to the center support, or let the forecheckers commit and give it to your partner. Why throw it off the boards and make it hard for your winger. It's an easy step for Wisconsin and you're not exiting the zone with possession.


For all of the talk for how much he improved over the year, this game was in March. The overall impact in this game was hit or miss. Some good plays in transition, could tilt the ice at times, but quite a few negative plays with and without the puck.

 

[majormajor]

I watched this game and remember watching it. I have notes on this game from March and in my notes I say as part of criticism that his passes aren't clean, tape to tape and he doesn't skate with the puck to put his teammates in a good position. And you can see it here, the film doesn't lie. If you objectively look at the shifts in this video (he obviously played more than 7 minutes during the game) -

0:09 of the video, 19:35 of the 1st period (-)

1st shift of the game. You have a slow forecheck here, his initial read isn't there and he throws the puck the other way for a turnover. I get that's a set play, but you either need to skate it or that pass needs to be hard. Levshunov throws a floater in no man's land which is an easy step and zone keep for Wisconsin.


0:25 of the video, 19:25 of the 1st period (-)

That's more on the forwards for the neutral zone turnover than Levshunov, but you take a poor angle and let the Badger player walk right around you.


0:40 of the video, 17:35 of the 1st period (-)

Whitelaw gets the outside on Lev.


0:54 of the video, 17:19 of the 1st period (-)

These are the exact plays that I knock Levshunov for. You could call that a puck battle, but Levshunov is first to that puck. He lacks any sort of composure and 'throws it' back around the boards. This results in a 50/50 puck battle that MSU loses and sustained Wisco pressure.


1:19 of the video, 15:17 of the 1st period (-)

Wisconsin is changing here, Larson opens up to his forehand, Lev passes on the back side to his backhand, turnover and the end result is Wisconsin possession in MSU's zone.


1:40 of the video, 14:36 of the 1st period (+)

He scored a goal, that's obviously good. That's a floater from the blueline, really soft goal to give up. It's hard to tell from the angle, but it might have been going over the net.


1:59 of the video, 12:35 of the 1st period (+)

Has back support, good read / step here to kill the breakout. Gets tripped otherwise likely ends up with the puck.


2:13 of the video, 10:03 of the 1st period (+)

Does a good job defending there stick on puck.


2:38 of the video, 6:26 of the 1st period (-)

Weird sequence leading up this and ends up a tough play because his winger's not in position yet for the breakout pass and Lev has no real play, but it's a continued pattern of putting the puck in a bad spot for a teammate.


3:06 of the video, 17:51 of the 2nd period (+)

Nothing crazy here, but has his head up and makes a good first pass to Howard.


3:29 of the video, 15:04 of the 2nd period (-)

He's on his backhand, but I don't love this play. One not particularly hard forechecker. Not too difficult of a pass to Dorwart or an easy reverse and you have full possession, instead icing.


3:52 of the video, 11:52 of the 2nd period (+)

Is able to cut off Whitelaw in the neutral zone. Right after that looks like a miscommunication between his partner, both take the left side, and there's a scoring chance against.


4:32 of the video, 8:44 of the 2nd period (-)

Conceptually, I like the idea of putting pucks into space for teammates when it puts them in an advantage. But it's situational awareness and that's not the case here. You're shorthanded for another 4 minutes, that puck has to get out. All 5 Badgers are on the screen, if he rifles the puck as hard as he can, that puck isn't staying in the zone. Instead he floats it around the boards and results in a puck battle that MSU loses.


4:56 of the video, 1:39 of the 2nd period (+)

That's a great play to beat the forecheck as nervous as he can make you with the puck.


5:08 of the video, 19:44 of the 3rd period (+)

Wins puck from Whitelaw and moves puck up for a break the other way.


5:20 of the video, 18:06 of the 3rd period (+)

Get a fluttering puck from his partner that skips over his stick. A little bit of panic, but makes the pass, chip by Larson and it's a 2 on 1. You notice in a lot of these sequences, he's looking to move the puck north as quickly as possible, which can be good and bad.


5:47 of the video, 15:41 of the 3rd period (+)

Strbak's beat and Levshunov defends it well overall. If you pause at 5:46/5:47 a chip pass to the streaking right winger could have been problematic. Strbak's flatfooted and Howard's taking the angle, but may have been able to close that.


6:11 of the video, 12:13 of the 3rd period

There's nothing wrong with this, but you have time with the puck. Move your feet and make a play, hit your winger directly, look to the center support, or let the forecheckers commit and give it to your partner. Why throw it off the boards and make it hard for your winger. It's an easy step for Wisconsin and you're not exiting the zone with possession.


For all of the talk for how much he improved over the year, this game was in March. The overall impact in this game was hit or miss. Some good plays in transition, could tilt the ice at times, but quite a few negative plays with and without the puck.

I think the examples of him getting beat on the rush are going to get cleaned up in his pro game, if his coaches make it the priority. He's such a good skater and has great pivoting ability, if he learns how to do it better.

The passing continues to be shockingly bad with him in every viewing I have. I've seen about 15 games at this point. Is it even Jack Johnson level?

I'd love to understand better how so many scouts have him top 2 or 3 in the draft. It's really hard to square with the player I'm watching.

 

[95snipes]

I think the examples of him getting beat on the rush are going to get cleaned up in his pro game, if his coaches make it the priority. He's such a good skater and has great pivoting ability, if he learns how to do it better.

The passing continues to be shockingly bad with him in every viewing I have. I've seen about 15 games at this point. Is it even Jack Johnson level?

I'd love to understand better how so many scouts have him top 2 or 3 in the draft. It's really hard to square with the player I'm watching.

I agree with all of this. The rush defense is what I have most confidence projecting improvement in.

The raw physical toolkit is appealing and what a lot of people like about him, but I'm with you on that. I have him much lower and have never really seen it under the standard of a franchise defenseman.

 

[Habs7631]

I watched this game and remember watching it. I have notes on this game from March and in my notes I say as part of criticism that his passes aren't clean, tape to tape and he doesn't skate with the puck to put his teammates in a good position. And you can see it here, the film doesn't lie. If you objectively look at the shifts in this video (he obviously played more than 7 minutes during the game) -

0:09 of the video, 19:35 of the 1st period (-)

1st shift of the game. You have a slow forecheck here, his initial read isn't there and he throws the puck the other way for a turnover. I get that's a set play, but you either need to skate it or that pass needs to be hard. Levshunov throws a floater in no man's land which is an easy step and zone keep for Wisconsin.


0:25 of the video, 19:25 of the 1st period (-)

That's more on the forwards for the neutral zone turnover than Levshunov, but you take a poor angle and let the Badger player walk right around you.


0:40 of the video, 17:35 of the 1st period (-)

Whitelaw gets the outside on Lev.


0:54 of the video, 17:19 of the 1st period (-)

These are the exact plays that I knock Levshunov for. You could call that a puck battle, but Levshunov is first to that puck. He lacks any sort of composure and 'throws it' back around the boards. This results in a 50/50 puck battle that MSU loses and sustained Wisco pressure.


1:19 of the video, 15:17 of the 1st period (-)

Wisconsin is changing here, Larson opens up to his forehand, Lev passes on the back side to his backhand, turnover and the end result is Wisconsin possession in MSU's zone.


1:40 of the video, 14:36 of the 1st period (+)

He scored a goal, that's obviously good. That's a floater from the blueline, really soft goal to give up. It's hard to tell from the angle, but it might have been going over the net.


1:59 of the video, 12:35 of the 1st period (+)

Has back support, good read / step here to kill the breakout. Gets tripped otherwise likely ends up with the puck.


2:13 of the video, 10:03 of the 1st period (+)

Does a good job defending there stick on puck.


2:38 of the video, 6:26 of the 1st period (-)

Weird sequence leading up this and ends up a tough play because his winger's not in position yet for the breakout pass and Lev has no real play, but it's a continued pattern of putting the puck in a bad spot for a teammate.


3:06 of the video, 17:51 of the 2nd period (+)

Nothing crazy here, but has his head up and makes a good first pass to Howard.


3:29 of the video, 15:04 of the 2nd period (-)

He's on his backhand, but I don't love this play. One not particularly hard forechecker. Not too difficult of a pass to Dorwart or an easy reverse and you have full possession, instead icing.


3:52 of the video, 11:52 of the 2nd period (+)

Is able to cut off Whitelaw in the neutral zone. Right after that looks like a miscommunication between his partner, both take the left side, and there's a scoring chance against.


4:32 of the video, 8:44 of the 2nd period (-)

Conceptually, I like the idea of putting pucks into space for teammates when it puts them in an advantage. But it's situational awareness and that's not the case here. You're shorthanded for another 4 minutes, that puck has to get out. All 5 Badgers are on the screen, if he rifles the puck as hard as he can, that puck isn't staying in the zone. Instead he floats it around the boards and results in a puck battle that MSU loses.


4:56 of the video, 1:39 of the 2nd period (+)

That's a great play to beat the forecheck as nervous as he can make you with the puck.


5:08 of the video, 19:44 of the 3rd period (+)

Wins puck from Whitelaw and moves puck up for a break the other way.


5:20 of the video, 18:06 of the 3rd period (+)

Get a fluttering puck from his partner that skips over his stick. A little bit of panic, but makes the pass, chip by Larson and it's a 2 on 1. You notice in a lot of these sequences, he's looking to move the puck north as quickly as possible, which can be good and bad.


5:47 of the video, 15:41 of the 3rd period (+)

Strbak's beat and Levshunov defends it well overall. If you pause at 5:46/5:47 a chip pass to the streaking right winger could have been problematic. Strbak's flatfooted and Howard's taking the angle, but may have been able to close that.


6:11 of the video, 12:13 of the 3rd period

There's nothing wrong with this, but you have time with the puck. Move your feet and make a play, hit your winger directly, look to the center support, or let the forecheckers commit and give it to your partner. Why throw it off the boards and make it hard for your winger. It's an easy step for Wisconsin and you're not exiting the zone with possession.


For all of the talk for how much he improved over the year, this game was in March. The overall impact in this game was hit or miss. Some good plays in transition, could tilt the ice at times, but quite a few negative plays with and without the puck.

My biggest issue with him is just how soft he seems to be on 50/50 pucks. Like he doesn’t want to get physical and he almost always just put his stick out there as a way to “contain” the other guy.

The contrast with Silayev is crazy. For all his offensive deficiencies (I made comments about him in his thread), Silayev goes in 50/50 puck battle like an absolute savage. Pokecheck, slashing the arms, cross check on the ribs, flattening the guy against the boards, you name it. Straight bully behavior, you’re gonna go in a 50/50 with Silayev you’re gonna pay the price.

But this guy? Man he’s soft. He looks so disinterested defensively most of the time it’s crazy. People talk about Parekh looking too casual defensively, Lev looks just as casual to me.

If he was left-handed, he’d be below Buium and Dickinson I’m sure. RD being such a premium is boosting his draft stock in my opinion. He’s not the best D in this draft.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Three points on Lev

1. Context is his development between D-1 and D+0 seasons.
2. He's an OFD in the USHL, worst +/- on the team with -15 rating.
3. He turned into a 2-way D in the NCAA as a rookie. 2nd on team scoring and 1st in +/- rating with +27.

Lev is a raw product and his raw production just so happens to be better than most. The fact he's doing it in the NCAA as a rookie speaks more volumes than a CHL product in their 2nd or 3rd season in the CHL. He literally carried his NCAA team offensively and defensively. He was the 2nd highest U19, rookie scoring d-man in the NCAA this past season behind Zeev Buium and 9th best scoring d-man in all of the NCAA. His +/- rating ranked 6th best among defensemen in the all of the NCAA.

Comparing Lev to Silayev or Dickinson is comparing apples to oranges. Lev was an OFD (offensive d-man) turned/turning 2-way D. Silayev is a DFD (defensive d-man) and not much offense to speak off. Dickinson is a DFD turned/turning 2-way D. The way DFD's think and play the game is different from OFD's.

Zeev Buium has had the benefit of being in the US NTDP for two seasons before going to the NCAA. He was a 2-way D in his D-1 season and parlayed that into a top-pairing D at the NCAA level for a stacked Denver. He played top-pairing RD for Denver even though he's a left shot.

Why is Lev rated higher than Zeev if Zeev was the highest, raw scoring d-man in the NCAA last year with 50 pts and the 2nd best +/- rating in the NCAA for d-men with +33 rating? Part of the reason is Denver was a stacked team and Michigan St (Lev's team) was not a stacked team. Two seasons ago, Denver was ranked 4th overall and MSU was ranked 16th, but also missed the NCAA tourney. This past season, Denver was ranked 3rd and MSU 4th. If you remove Zeev from Denver, then Denver will still be a top team. If you remove Lev from MSU, then MSU probably isn't a top team. Lev's performance with MSU appears to carry more value despite being raw and having plenty of mistakes.

Lev's higher value being raw probably lies within his biometrics at 6'1.75 and 205 lbs. Zeev is at 6'0 and 186 lbs. Lev has the NHL body today, which allows his simple and efficient way of playing to become highly productive as a rookie in the NCAA. It makes one wonder how big a jump in his development will Lev have in his D+1 should he stay in the NCAA for another season.

The gamble isn't who the defenseman is today, but who the defenseman can be in three to five years from now. Many like Lev's projection into the future more because he's a raw prospect producing at a high level, which means that ceiling could be higher. It helps that Lev did prove over the summer that he can develop his defensive play as an OFD. That's the projectable quality factor.

2-way D
LD Zeev, NCAA: 2-way D for two seasons due to US NTDP
RD Lev, NCAA: OFD turned 2-way D
LD Dickinson, OHL/CHL: DFD turned 2pway D

DFD
LD Silayev, KHL

OFD
LD Parekh, OHL/CHL
RD Yakemchuk, WHL/CHL

I'm quire surprised that 6'2.75 and 203 lbs Dickinson isn't getting more love b/c he can skate like the wind, improved his offense, and improved his defense. That high offensive production appears not to be projectable to the NHL level despite scoring 70 points. (Just like Zeev, Dickinson was on a stacked London Knights team in the OHL.)

Many scouting pundits believe Lev's 2-way upside is higher than the other defensemen. This is where I'm in agreement with. But we really won't know until three to five years from now if Lev does pan out.

 

[95snipes]

My biggest issue with him is just how soft he seems to be on 50/50 pucks. Like he doesn’t want to get physical and he almost always just put his stick out there as a way to “contain” the other guy.

The contrast with Silayev is crazy. For all his offensive deficiencies (I made comments about him in his thread), Silayev goes in 50/50 puck battle like an absolute savage. Pokecheck, slashing the arms, cross check on the ribs, flattening the guy against the boards, you name it. Straight bully behavior, you’re gonna go in a 50/50 with Silayev you’re gonna pay the price.

But this guy? Man he’s soft. He looks so disinterested defensively most of the time it’s crazy. People talk about Parekh looking too casual defensively, Lev looks just as casual to me.

If he was left-handed, he’d be below Buium and Dickinson I’m sure. RD being such a premium is boosting his draft stock in my opinion. He’s not the best D in this draft.

I agree. The two biggest knocks all year for me were compete and hockey sense.

 

[95snipes]

Why is Lev rated higher than Zeev if Zeev was the highest, raw scoring d-man in the NCAA last year with 50 pts and the 2nd best +/- rating in the NCAA for d-men with +33 rating? Part of the reason is Denver was a stacked team and Michigan St (Lev's team) was not a stacked team. Two seasons ago, Denver was ranked 4th overall and MSU was ranked 16th, but also missed the NCAA tourney. This past season, Denver was ranked 3rd and MSU 4th. If you remove Zeev from Denver, then Denver will still be a top team. If you remove Lev from MSU, then MSU probably isn't a top team. Lev's performance with MSU appears to carry more value despite being raw and having plenty of mistakes.

I've seen this posted a few times now and it ignores all context around Michigan State. Last year was year 1 of Nightingale and a rebuilding year for State. This year was year 2 and they built a competitive team.

They had a strong transfer class with 3 impact transfers

Isaac Howard (Tampa 1st rounder)
Red Savage (Detroit pick)
Joey Larson (MSU top 6 forward)

On top of that they had a good freshman class with

Levshunov
Trey Augustine (Detroit 2nd rounder)
Maxim Strbak (Buffalo 2nd rounder)
Gavin O'Connell (MSU top 6 forward)
Patrick Geary (USA world jr prelim roster)
Tommi Männistö (Finn world junior)

It wasn't even close to the same team from last year. It's fair to give Levshunov credit, but it would be incorrect to say he single-handedly turned around their program.

With Buium at one point I thought that too. 'Yeah the points are impressive, but look at his team'. The more the season progressed, it became more clear that was wrong. Buium was DU's best player down the stretch in the NCHC playoffs and Frozen Four.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Well today's the big day, rumours/leaks supposedly have Lev going second in the draft. As a Hawks fan I was hoping the rumors weren't so...but even Vegas has doubled down on Lev at #2.

 

[Chuck Testa]

Please don't pick this schmuck at 2nd overall.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Accepted it happening

Disappointing

 

[bert]

He has a negative reputation? I haven't seen anybody write anything negative about the player. It's just that many, me included, aren't excited about him because of him lacking the elite skills of the fellow defensemen in this draft. I explained it above. There's no area where Levshunov is top of the table. He's good in all areas but still outclassed. There are defensemen with better motors, better vision, better hands, more grit, higher intensity in this draft. Levshunov isn't the strongest on the puck and he doesn't have the best shot either. It's also not like I'd call anything about him elite. The combination of size and skating is excellent but then again...both Dickinson and Silayev are taller and at least as smooth skating as Levshunov. So while it's intriguing it's also not unique...not even in his draft year.

I understand that Levshunov is one of the safer picks in this year's draft but like I said...if I wanna avoid risks and am looking for a defenseman I'm picking Dickinson over Levshunov every day of the week. Dickinson is a top prospect with mostly good to average tools as well but has better hands, better vision and seems to be significantly more dynamic.

So again. No negative reputation. It's just that many seem to share my sentiment of Levshunov being more of a double digit pick than a real option at nr.2. He's a top prospect and should go in the 1st round. There's nothing bad to say about Levshunov.

You did exactly what you're saying no one is doing lol.

I watched both Levshunov and Dickinson quite a bit and I couldn't disagree more. Levshunov imposes his will on a game way better. Much better shot way harder on pucks. Heavier stick and more offensive ability.

 

[clydesdale line]

Gonna be fun watching this kid prove 75% of Hawks fans wrong down the road.

 

[Dr Quincy]

You did exactly what you're saying no one is doing lol.

I watched both Levshunov and Dickinson quite a bit and I couldn't disagree more. Levshunov imposes his will on a game way better. Much better shot way harder on pucks. Heavier stick and more offensive ability.

I agree. He has warts, but I think a lot of people are underselling his strengths.

 

[hawksrule]

Gonna be fun watching this kid prove 75% of Hawks fans wrong down the road.

I hope he does.

 

[DemiGod]

Gonna be fun watching this kid prove 75% of Hawks fans wrong down the road.

75% only? I would say more, it seems like everyone sees it except KD

 

[MMC]

Welcome to Chicago

 

[cliffclaven]

Am I the only one who thinks the hawks need D instead of scoring? I think it was a good pick.

 

[Michael Farkas]

For the first time in a while (excuse the rust on top of the lack of talent), I put together a video breakdown on a prospect. This isn't a highlight reel or even really a blow by blow scouting report (both have been done to death on this player I think)...but I took a look into how he generates offense and a little bit of the structural and mental processor concerns that I have...

It's not super flowery, so it might not be for everyone...but it was created in good faith.

 

[Faceboner]

Accepted it happening

Disappointing

While I think demidov still had the 2nd highest ceiling lev still has top pairing potential he reminds me of doughty if he pans out you have a cornerstone #1rhd I see his floor as a #3 akin to hanafin or a dougie Hamilton lite not a bad player

 

[Faceboner]

You did exactly what you're saying no one is doing lol.

I watched both Levshunov and Dickinson quite a bit and I couldn't disagree more. Levshunov imposes his will on a game way better. Much better shot way harder on pucks. Heavier stick and more offensive ability.

Dickinson is a little smoother and more polished but he also played in junior compared to the ncaa lev is still so raw but he still has immense upside no reason to believe he can't fix his cons more his problems seem easy to mend just more polish and maybe another year in ncaa unless Chicago wants more hands on development with him on Rockford as he does have the physical attributes but unless you give him top pair all special teams time he might be better off

 

[coooldude]

For the first time in a while (excuse the rust on top of the lack of talent), I put together a video breakdown on a prospect. This isn't a highlight reel or even really a blow by blow scouting report (both have been done to death on this player I think)...but I took a look into how he generates offense and a little bit of the structural and mental processor concerns that I have...

It's not super flowery, so it might not be for everyone...but it was created in good faith.

I mean, you're seeing what I saw and saying it more eloquently. I fully acknowledge I could be totally wrong about the prospect, and it's not my problem anymore anyway (Chicago's problem and I hope I'm right!).

You had highlights from 6 of his 9 goals, 2 of which were EN, 3 of which were floaters from just inside the blue line that the goalie flubbed, and 1 was a point shot that ricocheted through traffic. None of them were all that impressive (as I was reminded, having watched I think half or more of these live and didn't feel like they were that impressive then).

Plus, you saw what I consistently saw which is that the is a pure floater on D, he's either in the play or way behind the play and not really ever recovering.

I think the Bouchard comp is apt, stretch passer pushing the play while roving, which gives you great highlights but also some real head scratchers. We'll see what happens but I would have gone Demidov.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Exactly. And look, it's a tough eval no matter what. It's not like I don't see why he went 2. Right? I don't think you feel that way either. It's easy enough to believe in the upside. He's a horse, he's right handed, the production is there, in the 1st period he's physical usually haha...like, it's not a mystery.

I just don't know if all of his game translates at full value. And like I said, there's a big time "fit" aspect to this kind of player in my eyes. For me, Zeev Buium just plays where ever and it's fine. He's smart, he's adaptable, he has no real weaknesses, there isn't really a (forgive the word choice) "gimmick" to his offense - and that's too derisive of a word and I immediately regret it - but Buium has a more varied style of attack in all three zones. He's more competitive, he's smarter, he can solve problems on the fly, etc. - so I don't mind him where ever he goes. Naturally, the results will vary a bit based on your surroundings - playing on a power play with Kucherov, for instance, is a lot different than playing on a power play with [insert player that shouldn't be on a power play here].

But with Levshunov, as much as he's sort of rover...there's a bit of a method to his madness. Years ago, I would have said, "wait for a while on this player...two more years of college, a year and a half in the A, and then give him a shot" and all that time, have coaches rebuild his game in the process.

Now, I don't see it like that...I say: give him the information that he needs to develop as many pro tendencies as you can...pound away at the stuff you can really control (the technical and the physical) and then as an NHL coaching staff give him a runway to succeed.

Don't be the goalie coach that watches a hybrid or standup goalie and try to reinvent him as a butterfly goalie. That's not coaching. That's you as a coach showing off your lack of adaptability and your lack of imagination. There's a give and take to this.

One quick example, he's unpopular right now because people are silly billies (excuse my French) but Mike Sullivan does a lot of great things in Pittsburgh...and one of them was with Mike Matheson. I don't personally care for players whose best asset is skating because it's very ubiquitous. Pittsburgh got Matheson as a contract dump for the declining Patric Hornqvist (my spirit animal). And Matheson was kind of a mess, but he can skate for days. So, my thought was...[forget] it! Just let him skate, let him surf in the NZ, let him self chip and chase, there's a lot of smart forwards on this team, let's cover for him.

And in a lot of ways, Sullivan and his group allowed that. And they added to his game down on the wall, he incorporated some pretty neat puck protection maneuvers and a bit of deception coming off of or playing off the wall...and he ended with a career high in points and I think plus/minus despite not playing big minutes or much on the power play. Pittsburgh cashed out of it for Petry and I don't blame them. But it's easy to see how that might have gone really sideways if they didn't allow him to play to his strengths more while still playing within a structure. And I think he had a really productive time in Montreal which is great because maybe he carried some of that new technique and new confidence with him. It's give and take. That's why players don't perform equally in every spot, ya know?

 

[TheNumber4]

Don’t know why the Hawks went Seabrook and not Keith for the Bedard build.

 

[majormajor]

For the first time in a while (excuse the rust on top of the lack of talent), I put together a video breakdown on a prospect. This isn't a highlight reel or even really a blow by blow scouting report (both have been done to death on this player I think)...but I took a look into how he generates offense and a little bit of the structural and mental processor concerns that I have...

It's not super flowery, so it might not be for everyone...but it was created in good faith.

I've flagged that exact play here at 2:09 in posts before. It's certainly one of Levshunov's (or any top prospects) worst looking plays this year.



He makes a bad challenge at the point and after he gets burned he doesn't get back to the net to help tie up sticks, instead he wheels out wide for some reason? I can't explain how this mistake was made.

Edit: What do you think of the Jack Johnson comparison?

I see Lev to some extent with Bouchard. Though I think Bouchard is a much better passer, he settles pucks and doesn't toss grenades. Levshunov meanwhile is a better skater and stronger. Where Bouchard makes mistakes it's often the case that he can't physically recover, while Levshunov physically can but for whatever reason doesn't recover. And obviously the shot - Bouchard's defining characteristic, which Levshunov doesn't have. Lev has a good quick release on his wrister though.

The reason I prefer the Jack Johnson comparison is because he's a unit and a great skater who in his "prime" played a chaotic rover style. Lev's puck skills are more like Johnson than Bouchard, in my opinion.

 

[Michael Farkas]

What do you think of the Jack Johnson comparison?

I can sort of see it, but ultimately I lean away from it. A couple reasons, Jack Johnson was basically a power forward lining up at defense when he was a prospect. He was more reckless than Levshunov. He was much consistently tougher than Levshunov. And he was a big end to end rush guy, it felt like Jack had the puck too much. It was all just a little more extreme and mean compared to what we have here for me.

It's not crazy by any means though. It's almost hard to pull up the image of what JMFJ looked like as a prospect given how many changes he's gone through in his career haha