Everything aligned for the Blackhawks to give top prospect Artyom Levshunov his first taste of the NHL this week.
During the AHL’s All-Star Break, Levshunov was called up to participate in Hawks practices Monday and Tuesday and morning skate Wednesday.
The 19-year-old Belarusian defenseman won’t play Wednesday against the Oilers and probably won’t be ready to make his official NHL debut until next season, but the practices alone gave him an eye-opening glimpse into this world.
“We’ve had two spirited practices with a lot of pace and compete [level], and that was a good learning experience for him to see,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said Wednesday. “He was baffled [by] how quick it was at times. But that’s good. That’s how you realize where you need to be.”
Said Levshunov: “I have learned a lot [about] how high-level [it is] here. Everything is, for sure, faster and harder than in the AHL.”
This entire season is a trial-by-fire for Levshunov, whom the Hawks drafted knowing he would need longer to develop than an average second overall pick. Their development staff has pushed him hard, giving him tons of minutes in the AHL.
“They’re putting him through the wringer, and he keeps going,” defenseman Ethan Del Mastro said. “He’s got no off-switch. He loves working. You can see him being more mature in his game.”
In Levshunov’s first 38 AHL games, he has recorded 13 points and 112 shots on goal (second-most among all AHL defensemen) but the IceHogs have been outscored 30-20 during his ice time.
Rockford interim coach Mark Eaton has talked to him about taking fewer risks joining rushes up the ice, but the Hawks also want him trusting himself to make bold plays when he has the time and space to do so.
“He’s a good skater,” forward Jason Dickinson said. “He’ll be a good transporter of the puck. [He’s] a guy that can break the puck out on his own because he’s got good elusiveness and can break the forecheck.”
Crevier sidelined
In the moment Saturday in Florida, Alex Vlasic didn’t realize his defensive partner, Louis Crevier, had been concussed by a hit from Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich.
After watching the replay, however, Vlasic considered Gadjovich’s shoulder to Crevier’s head “a dirty, unnecessary” play — and “kind of an obvious one,” at that. It was definitely a missed call by the referees. Sans Crevier, the Hawks moved Connor Murphy onto Vlasic’s pairing Wednesday.
This hit by Florida’s Jonah Gadjovich to the head of Louis Crevier, who is now concussed, definitely should’ve been a penalty on Saturday.
Alex Vlasic agrees: “Just a dirty, unnecessary hit…and kind of an obvious one.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 4, 2025
Bedard’s defense
During the ABC intermission show Saturday, Mark Messier became the latest out-of-touch former NHL star to unfairly criticize Hawks star Connor Bedard, whose disproportionate ratio of fame-to-team success seems to be held against him even though he didn’t ask for it.
“He’s a 19-year-old kid, and he is under a microscope,” Sorensen said Wednesday in Bedard’s defense. “Everything we’re asking him to do, he puts his best foot forward and tries it. Mistakes are part of it. With him, the effort has been there. But he gets highlighted a lot because of his stature and profile of his game. He’s handling it real well. I give him a lot of credit.”
Notes
Veteran forward Craig Smith will return to the Hawks’ lineup Wednesday, making his first appearance since Jan. 8 — and his sixth since Dec. 7 — due to a lingering back injury.
The Hawks will wear their beautiful Winter Classic jerseys again Saturday at the Blues — their final game before the two-week international break. They’ll also don them at home Feb. 23 against Toronto and March 7 against Utah.