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LAS VEGAS — The Chicago Blackhawks’ final Stanley Cup window shut completely with the demise of their protection.
Johnny Oduya left in free company. Niklas Hjalmarsson was traded. Brent Seabrook couldn’t bodily preserve his excessive degree. Duncan Keith tried to hold the load, but it surely wasn’t sufficient as youthful and older reinforcements didn’t fill the holes.
Now, after years of defensive struggles, the blue line is the primary space Blackhawks normal supervisor Kyle Davidson has labored to handle within the franchise’s rebuild. After drafting a defenseman within the first spherical in every of his first two drafts, Davidson chosen his third and arguably most important one Friday when the Blackhawks took Artyom Levshunov with the No. 2 choose within the 2024 NHL Draft.
Though the Blackhawks debated internally and had been immensely intrigued by draft prospect Ivan Demidov’s offensive means, Chicago opted for the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Levshunov, whom they consider has the scale, energy and two-way upside to be a future No. 1 defenseman. The Blackhawks did their homework all through the previous two years on Levshunov and had been satisfied of his potential.
“I simply assume (he’s) the overall package deal,” Davidson stated. “Offensively, he can drive offense, he can skate, he’s tremendous cellular, he’s acquired good dimension, he’s aggressive, he’s a bodily defender, and we simply assume there’s extra upside to return. So, simply the package deal in addition to the potential development left to return is — it was simply so intriguing and one thing we actually felt that may simply make us a significantly better group.”
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Levshunov is initially from Belarus and arrived in the USA earlier than the 2022-23 season. He performed for the Inexperienced Bay Gamblers within the USHL in his first season, then went on to play faculty hockey and was a freshman defenseman at Michigan State this previous season.
Blackhawks newbie scouting director Mike Doneghey has motive to consider Levshunov can develop immensely.
“I simply assume he’s to this point behind the curve, although he’s a giant man,” Doneghey stated. “You see him and he’s acquired lengthy arms and lengthy legs — it’s simply, he hasn’t skilled in North America. In August, he goes to Michigan State, so he didn’t actually have a faculty coaching session like most children do. I simply assume his ceiling is high-end.”
The Blackhawks have one other main resolution forward: whether or not to ask Levshunov to return to Michigan State for a sophomore season or flip professional. The Blackhawks may signal Levshunov and assign him to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.
“I’ll in all probability speak with (Levshunov’s agent) Dan Milstein and sort of give him our thought of what we predict and what we consider is the very best path however we’ll let him hear that first,” Davidson stated of the place Levshunov will play subsequent season.
Apart from what the Blackhawks envision him to be, Levshunov additionally helps fill a necessity for right-handed defensemen throughout the group. Outdoors of present NHL defensemen Seth Jones and Connor Murphy, the Blackhawks solely have just a few prospects who’re right-handed. Sam Rinzel, who’s returning to the College of Minnesota for his sophomore season, can also be right-handed.
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(Photograph: Michael Miller / ISI Images / Getty Pictures)
