Introduced by Nationwide Insurance coverage Agent Jeff Vukovich
LAS VEGAS — The wait is over: With the No. 2 general decide within the 2024 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks have chosen two-way defenseman Artyom Levshunov.
“Lastly, I’m drafted,” Levshunov stated. “I used to be ready for this 18 years. Lastly someplace. Not someplace — in Chicago! Feels actual now. Now it appears like a dream got here true. Now it feels actual.”
The Blackhawks closely scouted Levshunov this season and their love for him grew over time.
“I simply suppose the entire package deal,” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson stated of why they favored Levshunov. “Offensively, he can drive offense, he can skate, he is tremendous cell, he is acquired good dimension, he is aggressive, he is a bodily defender and we simply suppose there’s extra upside to return.
“The package deal in addition to the potential development left to return, it was simply so intriguing and one thing we actually felt that might simply make us a a lot better group.”
Stated Blackhawks director of newbie scouting Mike Doneghey: “You see the way in which he skates and the dimensions, for an enormous man to get across the ice that effectively, and he is very puck pleasant and he is extremely aggressive. He simply continued to take the steps.
“Everybody thought he was going to return to Inexperienced Bay, after which he finally ends up going to Michigan State and he was in a position to elevate his sport in opposition to gamers which might be 3, 4 and 5 years older than him and never miss a beat from the USHL. After which when you meet him off the ice, he is a fascinating character, his character, the way in which he treats folks, it is simply what we’re about.”
Levshunov knew the group favored him however he wasn’t certain what they had been pondering when it got here to the second general decide.
Till now.
“I used to be occupied with them as a result of we had good dialog with them through the season and on the mix,” Levshunov stated. “They got here to Buffalo and our company camp they got here to speak with me, we went for lunch. There have been a whole lot of groups, we talked with everybody. However I’m completely satisfied that Chicago picked me and I’m completely satisfied to be a part of the Blackhawks.”
Fittingly, Connor Bedard was launched on stage at The Sphere and introduced Levshunov as the choice. Bedard is the franchise cornerstone, and now the Blackhawks have a possible No. 1 defenseman to go together with him.
“It’ll be cool,” Levshunov stated of Bedard. “An unreal participant. He was drafted first general final 12 months. He’s such a superb man. It’ll be enjoyable to play with him.”
Davidson stated in his pre-draft media availability on Thursday that there was “tons” of “actually wholesome and productive” inner debate over which route to go. Whereas he did not say it publicly, the dialogue all alongside was believed to be between Levshunov and offensive playmaking ahead Ivan Demidov, and the previous received out.
Levshunov, 18, turned in a sensational freshman marketing campaign at Michigan State, the place he compiled 35 factors (9 targets, 26 assists) in 38 video games. The season prior, he ranked third amongst all USHL defensemen with 13 targets and fifth with 42 factors in 62 video games for the Inexperienced Bay Gamblers.
Levshunov is listed at 6-foot-1.75 inches and 205 kilos and initiatives to be a top-pairing defenseman within the NHL. He carries a right-handed shot, too, which makes his package deal much more enticing.
Off the ice, Levshunov is rapidly going to endear himself to Blackhawks followers. The Belarus native has a novel character and can doubtless be a locker-room favourite.
It is unclear the place Levshunov will play subsequent season, whether or not he’ll return to Michigan State for his sophomore season or flip professional and play within the AHL. The Blackhawks appear to have put some thought into that already.
“I am going to in all probability speak with [his agent] Dan Milstein and type of give him our thought of what we expect and what we imagine is the most effective path,” Davidson stated. “However we’ll let him hear that first.”
Levshunov immediately turns into the highest prospect in Chicago’s system and headlines the potential new core on the again finish that features Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic.
“Once I awoke simply all day I used to be occupied with the draft, the place I shall be,” Levshunov stated. “It was really a fairly easy day for me. I imply, not fairly easy. It was a big day for me however simply, yeah, I got here to the draft and was drafted. That’s it. Life goes on, proper? World goes on. I’m so excited once more to be a part of it.”
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