Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov Adjusting on the Fly in First NHL Games

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Imagine being just 19 years old, from a small town in Belarus, and already having played in four different U.S. hockey leagues in a matter of three years? This is exactly what defenseman Artyom Levshunov has done. His first stop was Wisconsin to play for the USHL Green Bay Gamblers in the 2022-23 season. He then spent the next season playing Big-10 hockey for Michigan State University. Now in this 2024-25 season, the teenager played 50 games with the AHL Rockford IceHogs before being called up to the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that drafted him second overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.

That’s a lot of transition in a very short amount of time! Considering all that change, Levshunov is handling things extremely well. Let’s follow the defensive prospect’s path, especially how he’s acclimating in his first games in the NHL.

Levshunov’s Progression in Rockford

After the Blackhawks drafted Levshunov, they wanted to keep him close to the fold, where they could be a bigger part of his development. Subsequently, Levshunov signed a three-year, entry-level contract in July of 2024, with the expectation he would begin his pro career with the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Due to a foot injury, Levshunov missed Blackhawks’ training camp; but once healthy he joined the IceHogs. He found success rather quickly. In 50 games with the IceHogs, he recorded five goals and 17 assists, which both ranked second among defensemen on the team. His 22 points was first among the defensemen, and his 137 shots on goal was the second-most on the entire team.

Artyom Levshunov Rockford IceHogs
Artyom Levshunov had a very successful 50 games with the Rockford IceHogs before being called up to the Chicago Blackhawks. (Jonathan Kozub / Manitoba Moose)

Levshunov’s biggest hurdle was his gap control. But this is something he worked hard on while playing with the IceHogs. Said the 19-year-old after a recent IceHogs practice, “It was getting used to it and the hockey here. It feels good. It feels my way now. I had to learn it’s harder and harder in my own zone and gaps. I had to have better gaps and a few other things.” (from ‘Why Blackhawks believe defenseman Artyom Levshunov is ready for NHL debut’, The AthleticCHI – 3/9/2025)

Related – Artyom Levshunov’s Positivity Bodes Well for Blackhawks’ Future Success

With a good AHL baseline under his belt and steady improvement from the young blueliner, the Blackhawks wanted to see how his skills translated at the NHL level. He was called up to the big club on Mar. 9.

Impressive NHL Debut for Levshunov

Levshunov was thrown into the fire right away; there was no easing in. His NHL debut was on Mar. 10 against the high-power Colorado Avalanche, after just one practice with the team. “Let’s get after it, right?” said head coach Anders Sorensen about Levshunov going up one of the speediest teams in the NHL.

The Blackhawks were blanked 3-0, but there was still an overwhelming sense of positivity after the game. The young Hawks kept up with the Avs through two periods, even with defenseman Alec Martinez leaving the game early in the first period with an undisclosed injury.

Artyom Levshunov Chicago Blackhawks
Artyom Levshunov had a very impressive NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Levshunov, in his debut, was forced to step up and be part of a five-defenseman rotation, with different partners throughout the game. He more than held his own, registering three shots on goal and two blocked shots in 20:55 minutes of ice time. He was responsible defensively, and played with confidence. One concern was adjusting to the speed of NHL play, but Levshunov seemed to acclimate to that rather quickly. He also got more aggressive offensively (which is what he’s known for) as the game went on. He even manned the point on the second power play unit.

Promotion to the Top Power Play Unit

The Blackhawks must have liked what they saw, because when they matched up against the San Jose Sharks on Mar. 13, Levshunov was promoted to the top power play unit in just his second NHL game. Unfortunately, the team was only awarded one power play, of which Levshunov played 1:07 minutes.

Related – Blackhawks Captain Nick Foligno Speaks on Team’s Newfound Chemistry

But he did have some more consistency 5-on-5 than his first game, with Martinez as his partner on the third defensive pairing for most of the game. Levshunov registered one shot on goal, two missed shots, a hit, one blocked shot and three giveaways. His 20:08 minutes of ice time was second on the team only after fellow defenseman Connor Murphy, who logged 20:57 minutes.

By the way, that one shot on goal by Levshunov was SUPER close to being his first NHL goal.

The young blueliner came down to earth a little bit against the Sharks. There were those three giveaways I mentioned, and he wasn’t as aggressive offensively. But it was still a positive outing, especially for his second NHL game.

Ahead of the next matchup versus the Vancouver Canucks (Mar. 15), Coach Sorensen had this advice for Levshunov, “Just trust your instincts … I know he had a good game again last game. His gaps were good and he has good (puck) retrieval, so just keep building off that.”

Levshunov Earns 1st NHL Point

Well, the contest against the Canucks wasn’t pretty for the Blackhawks. Vancouver ran away with a 6-2 victory, and the Hawks as a whole played a very sloppy game. But Levshunov was one of the few positives. He was promoted to the top defensive pairing alongside Alex Vlasic, and he handled it well. Here’s a look at an exceptionally good defensive shift by him (No. 55).

The poor kid must be wondering what he got himself into! The Blackhawks had a terrible time clearing their own zone in this one, as seen above. But those are the ups and downs of a rebuilding team.

Levshunov logged the most ice time of the entire team, with 22:39 minutes. He registered two shots on goal and six shot attempts, along with four blocked shots. He also manned the point on the top power play again. Oh, and then there was his first NHL point, the primary assist on Wyatt Kaiser’s goal.

I love the way Kaiser gets so excited about Levshunov’s first point, looking around for the puck.

Granted, the young defenseman was also on the ice for two goals against. He didn’t have the best coverage on the goal by Tyler Myers, and got pretty easily maneuvered around for the goal by Elias Pettersson. But this is part of the learning curve.

Related – Young Blackhawks Are Ready to Take Control of the Team

All things considered, Levshunov has come quite a long way. He was playing in the USHL just two short years ago, and now he’s already one of the best players on the ice for the Blackhawks. This bodes very well for Chicago.

It’s unclear whether the organization plans to keep Levshunov up with the big club for the rest of the season or not. But based on what we’ve seen so far, he certainly deserves it. It could also help accelerate his development playing against a higher level of competition.     

The young defenseman looks to be a big part of the Blackhawks’ future. Why not let him get started with that sooner rather than later.  

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