Blackhawks draft Artyom Levshunov with No. 2 pick, adding new cornerstone prospect

LAS VEGAS — Artyom Levshunov approached the entire NHL draft process with a refreshing sense of levity, and that didn't change even when the Blackhawks officially selected him Friday with the No. 2 overall pick.

"It was a special day for me, but...I just came to the draft and was drafted," Levshunov said. "That’s it. Life goes on, right? [The] world goes on. I’m so excited again to be part of it."

The 18-year-old defenseman, coming off an impressive freshman season at Michigan State, immediately leaps to the top of the Hawks' already talented defensive prospect pool.

With Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic already in the NHL, Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan in position to contend for NHL jobs in 2024-25 and Sam Rinzel developing in college, Levshunov adds potentially the final piece to the Hawks' long-term defensive core.

"I was a little bit nervous, but I was thinking that they could pick me," Levshunov said. "It happened, and I’m happy."

He becomes the highest-drafted Belarus native of all time — easily surpassing former Ducks defenseman Ruslan Salei, who went ninth overall in 1996 — and the highest-drafted Michigan State product since the Red Wings took forward Joe Murphy first overall in 1986.

Plus, he's the first Michigan State product the Hawks specifically have drafted since 2002, when they nabbed a versatile defenseman by the name of Duncan Keith. That might be a good omen.

Levshunov, indeed, possesses the potential to grow into a true No. 1 NHL defenseman, one able to make stops and force turnovers with ease in the defensive zone, move the puck smoothly through the neutral zone and contribute at a significant rate in the offensive zone. His offensive game is more refined than his defensive game at this point, but he's expected to continue developing in all areas.

To pick him, however, the Hawks passed up their shot at Russian winger Ivan Demidov, who looked like he could've been a tailor-made complement to Connor Bedard for years to come. Demidov instead fell to the Canadiens at the No. 5 pick.

Whether Levshunov will play in the NHL next season remains to be seen. He and the Hawks will have to determine together this summer (and possibly during training camp) whether he's ready for the big leagues, would benefit from some time in the AHL or should return for his sophomore collegiate year.

First, though, he will fly to Chicago on Sunday to attend the Hawks' off-ice-only development camp. There, the entire organization will almost certainly fall in love with his goofy, lighthearted personality, which he has managed to preserve in spite of his father's tragic death due to COVID-19 complications.

"He was supposed to be here on this day to see me," he said. "But one time he told me, 'Just be yourself, stay strong and you will be good.'"

After that, Levshunov jumped over North America, spending one year with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL before enrolling at Michigan State last fall as his English fluency improved.

He tallied 35 points in 38 games, leading all Spartan defensemen by a mile and trailing the overall team scoring lead by just one point.

His right-handedness fits well with the Hawks, since Vlasic, Korchinski, Kaiser, Del Mastro and Allan are all left-handed. Veteran defensemen Seth Jones and Connor Murphy are right-handed, but Rinzel is the only notable right-handed prospect they owned before Friday.

"He’s going to be a big-time player just because of how easy he makes the game look," Chris Peters, NHL scouting expert for FloHockey, said last month. “He just has no panic level."

This story will be updated.