Artyom Levshunov will be a star on and off the ice – in Chicago or elsewhere

Artyom Levshunov (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

LAS VEGAS – “Hello, everyone,” Artyom Levshunov said, arms spread out wide, announcing himself.

There are prospects known for their winning personalities. And then there are prospects who start the talking at NHL Draft Media day before the media get a word out. That’s Artyom Levshunov, the gregarious Belarusian defenseman coming out of Michigan State.

Oops. Not Artyom. It’s ‘Arty.’ He’s on a nickname basis with the hockey public. That didn’t take long.

Unlike many players hailing from his part of the world, he’s already comfortable speaking English and attracting attention. It’s the result of his coming to North America beginning in 2022-23, when, because of the CHL ban on Russian and Belarusian imports due to the conflict in Ukraine, he opted for the USHL and the Green Bay Gamblers. At 18, he’s already completed what can be a difficult initial learning curve and integrated into North American life. He’s known as a happy-go-lucky student who rides his bike around the Michigan State campus in the dead of winter.

“I think I got used to it a little bit,” he said. “Of course it’s a different world than Belarus here. But yeah, I like to be here. America is fun. I love it.”

He understands that he has a potential to be a global star not just because of his considerable on-ice talents, but because he’s marketable. Everything about his behavior Wednesday indicates he’s ready for that.

“I just try to be myself, that’s it,” he said. “It’s pretty simple.”

To be clear: Levshunov’s big personality is a nice bonus, but it’s not his selling point. He’s no mascot. He’s a major-league talent, the type with potential to fundamentally change an NHL franchise for the better. Consider that, despite being a sturdy 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, he says the idols he studies are Erik Karlsson and Cale Makar. To be that fluid and aim to control a game the way they do – in a much bigger body – is a frightening thought for Levshunov’s future opponents.

“I like to take something from them for myself and try to learn from them,” he said. “I like a lot of players, but I try to be myself on the ice, try to be Artyom Levshunov.”

The big question as the 2024 Draft is just a couple days out: where exactly will he “be Artyom Levshunov” after Friday night?

There seems to be a swing pick in the NHL Draft almost every year. In 2016, for instance, it was No. 3, when the Columbus Blue Jackets shocked everyone by passing on Jesse Puljujarvi for Pierre-Luc Dubois. In 2022, it was, believe it or not, the No. 1 slot, when Shane Wright fell after the Montreal Canadiens opted for Juraj Slafkovsky.

This season: look no further than the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 2, a pick for which they are reportedly fielding calls but unlikely to trade.

If we’re choosing the most game-changing talent available: you could make a strong case the pick should be right winger Ivan Demidov, whose skill set Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis likens to Nikita Kucherov’s. But the Blackhawks already have generational talent Connor Bedard to build around and have fortified their forward prospect pipeline with additional first-rounders Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore in the past couple drafts to boot. They have highly underrated young shutdown blueliner in Alex Vlasic locked up on a team-friendly deal long term and have a high-end puck moving prospect with a full NHL season under his belt now in Kevin Korchinski, but a prospect pool can never really have too many good young blueliners.

And there’s a case to be made that Levshunov’s ceiling is as high as anyone’s in this Draft. He’s long, rangy, athletic, considered a physical freak. He’s gifted offensively while also possessing the total package of talent to make him an all-situations horse. When a player of that ilk is available, even in a Draft full of other high-end blueliners, sometimes you have to pounce. The Ducks did so two years ago with they nabbed Pavel Mintyukov 10^th overall. A couple years later, his leap to the NHL gave them the luxury of trading away Jamie Drysdale for help up front in Cutter Gauthier. Load up the D-corps in the present and you can always flip one to address another position in the future, right?

So perhaps the Hawks call Levshunov’s name Friday at Sphere in Las Vegas. It’s a result Levshunov has spent plenty of time considering. He’s liked his conversations with them and calls them “good people.”

“They have a lot of younger players there, they have a really good organization there,” he said.

How soon would he be able to help them? The Hawks have a ton of cap space and are positioned to become more competitive next season – which would be wise to do while Bedard remains on his entry-level AAV. Plenty of scouts believe Levshunov has a pro-ready game already, though it’s too early to know if he’ll turn pro. As he indicated to Daily Faceoff Wednesday, “it depends on the team that picks me. We’ll see after the Draft.”

So perhaps Chicago secures its franchise defenseman Friday night. If not, don’t bet on ‘Arty’ falling far. His ceiling is simply too high, on and off the ice.

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Artyom Levshunov will be a star on and off the ice – in Chicago or elsewhere

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