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LAS VEGAS — The Chicago Blackhawks‘ latest Stanley Cup window has closed permanently with the demise of their defense.
Johnny Oduya left as a free agent. Niklas Hjalmarsson was transferred. Brent Seabrook could not physically maintain his high level. Duncan Keith attempted to carry the load, but it was not enough as younger and older reinforcements failed to fill the gaps.
Now, after years of defensive struggles, the blue line is the first area Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has worked on in rebuilding the franchise. After selecting a defenseman in the first round in each of his first two drafts, Davidson selected his third and arguably most significant one on a Friday when the Blackhawks selected Artyom Levshunov with the second pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Although the Blackhawks debated internally and were immensely intrigued by the offensive ability of draft prospect Ivan Demidov, Chicago opted for the 6-foot-10, 193-pound Levshunov, who they believe has the size, strength and potential to be a future number one defender. The Blackhawks did their homework over the past two years on Levshunov and were convinced of his potential.
“I just think he’s the complete package,” Davidson said. “Offensively, he can drive the offense, he can skate, he’s super mobile, he’s got good size, he’s aggressive, he’s a physical defender, and we think there’s more upside to come. So both the package and the potential growth that’s still to come is so intriguing and something that we really feel would make us a much better organization.”
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Levshunov is originally from Belarus and arrived in the United States ahead of the 2022-23 season. He played for the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL his first season, then went on to play college hockey and was a freshman defenseman at Michigan State last season.
Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey has reason to believe Levshunov can grow tremendously.
“I think he’s way behind the curve, even though he’s a big guy,” Doneghey said. “You look at him and he has long arms and legs; he just hasn’t trained in North America. In August, he goes to Michigan State, so he didn’t even have a college training session like most kids. I just think his ceiling is high-end.”
The Blackhawks have another big decision ahead of them: ask Levshunov to return to Michigan State for a sophomore season or turn pro. The Blackhawks could sign Levshunov and assign him to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.
“I’ll probably talk to (Levshunov’s agent) Dan Milstein and give him our idea of what we think and what we think is the best path, but we’ll let him hear that first,” Davidson said of where Levshunov will play next season.
In addition to what the Blackhawks envision him being, Levshunov also helps fill a need for right-handed defensemen within the organization. Outside of current NHL defensemen Seth Jones and Connor Murphy, the Blackhawks only have a few prospects who are right-handed. Sam Rinzel, who returns to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season, is also right-handed.
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(Photo: Michael Miller / ISI Photos / /Keynote USA/Getty Images)
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