The Chicago Blackhawks’ long-awaited future got a little bit closer Sunday as they called up defenseman Artyom Levshunov, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and the organization’s top prospect.
Levshunov could make his NHL debut as soon as Monday against the Colorado Avalanche. It’d be a heck of an introduction to the NHL, as the Avs are bona fide Stanley Cup contenders and one of the fastest and most dangerous teams in the league. The Blackhawks’ next game after Monday is against 32nd-place San Jose on Thursday, meaning Levshunov could square off against Macklin Celebrini, the only player taken ahead of him at the draft last June. The Blackhawks were off Sunday, so there’s no official word on when Levshunov will make his debut.
ARTY PARTY ALERT🥳@Enterprise | 📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/ARQB7Y3ZHk pic.twitter.com/v7m7OWMgis
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 9, 2025
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Levshunov is still a little raw at 19 years old, but he’s been coming into his own with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs lately. Since Jan. 31, he has three goals and eight assists in 14 games. For the season, he has five goals and 17 assists in 50 games. Levshunov was briefly recalled earlier in the season during the AHL All-Star break to give him a few practices with the team. Interim head coach Anders Sörensen said that Levshunov was “baffled” by how fast the pace was in an NHL practice, but that was the entire point of the call-up at the time, to give Levshunov a taste.
As a right-shot defenseman, Levshunov could slot in anywhere from Seth Jones’ old spot on the top pairing with newly minted No. 1 Alex Vlasic, in a more sheltered role alongside veteran Connor Murphy, or alongside a familiar Rockford teammate such as Wyatt Kaiser or Ethan Del Mastro. He projects as an offensive-minded player, leading all AHL rookies in shots on goal with 137.
Levshunov, along with Kevin Korchinski (the No. 7 pick in 2022), Sam Rinzel (the No. 25 pick in 2022) and Vlasic (who’s already established himself as a shutdown NHL defender at 23 years old) are expected to anchor the Blackhawks’ blue line for years to come. Korchinski spent the entire 2023-24 season in Chicago because he wasn’t eligible for the AHL, but has been in Rockford for most of this season. Rinzel is starring at the University of Minnesota and could suit up for the Blackhawks before the end of the season.
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