NHL coaches love predictability, but Blackhawks rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov is certainly not predictable right now.
Instead, the 19-year-old Belarusian plays like a lunatic. Eight games into his NHL career, it’s impossible to anticipate where he’ll be or what he’ll do at any given time.
In the offensive zone, Levshunov might pinch way down below the goal line, dive to hold in a puck, shoot through heavy traffic or — on rare occasions — do none of the above and play normally along the blue line.
In the defensive zone, he may or may not want to switch men off the faceoff, and he may or may not charge aggressively into a board battle. Even when trying to hold position in front of the net, it’s never certain what he’ll consider his correct position to be.
On breakouts and counterattacks, he might lead the rush, form a second layer or go for a line change. Defending the blue line, his gap control varies from extremely tight to extremely loose.
“[He does] some really good things, and [there’s] some things he’s got to learn,” Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said Wednesday. “He’s trying to learn to play in the NHL. I think his progression has been good in a lot of areas. Is he perfect? No.”
Over time, the Hawks need Levshunov — the cornerstone of their loaded future defensive corps — to shed that erraticism and become more predictable. They need him to memorize his responsibilities in every situation and stick to game plans, at least most of the time.
That will be a top priority for their new permanent coach next season.
But that element of chaos is also part of Levshunov’s style, and the Hawks shouldn’t eliminate what makes him, him. That’s a delicate line that former coach Luke Richardson crossed with young offensive defenseman Kevin Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser last season, forcing Korchinski and Kaiser to spend this season trying to rediscover their mojo.
And even now, one of the most impressive things about Levshunov is how he finds ways to make most of those bewildering plays lead to positive results.
He’s such a gifted skater (speed-, agility- and explosiveness-wise), has such elite vision and creativity and is so big and strong that he can do things that few others can.
When caught out of position, he can use his mobility and long stick to get back in position in a blink. And he doesn’t panic in harrowing situations, either. His fearless approach to hockey and happy-go-lucky approach to life surely help with that.
“I feel a lot more comfortable,” Levshunov said. “I feel great, but the work goes on every day.”
Unsurprisingly, Levshunov’s initial NHL statistics are all over the charts. He tallied two assists Wednesday against the Devils, and he would’ve tallied three if Ryan Donato’s deflection goal hadn’t been overturned. He now has four points in eight games while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time (including 24:04 on Wednesday).
The Hawks have allowed at least one goal during Levshunov’s five-on-five shifts in seven consecutive games (outscored 10-3 in total), and he and Kaiser miscommunicated badly on the Devils’ opening goal. But they’ve only gotten outshot by a respectable 70-62 margin.
Looking ahead, if Levshunov plays Friday against Vegas and Sunday against Utah, he’ll reach 10 games, burning the first year of his three-year entry-level contract.
The Hawks would be doing that intentionally in order to get him to restricted free agency in 2027 rather than 2028, making his second contract potentially less expensive.
Korchinski’s call-up from Rockford on Thursday added yet another young defenseman into the mix, however, and it’s unclear how Sorensen will juggle them all.
In general, Kaiser does seem like a good partner for Levshunov because Kaiser’s swift first three strides allow him to read off of and cover for Levshunov relatively well.
“Out there, it’s just a lot of feeling [it out],” Kaiser said Thursday. “You see little tendencies, like a little twitch [meaning] he’s going, so now I’m going. Or if he’s going to stay, we’re going to stay. Your brain subconsciously figures it out.”