Why it is far too early for Chicago Blackhawks fans to be worried about Artyom Levshunov

When the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Artyom Levshunov with the second-overall pick at the 2024 NHL Draft, the team felt they had found their future number-one defenseman.

Levshunov's stock had been rapidly increasing over the last couple of seasons after coming over to North America from Belarus.

His transition from the Belarus U18 team to the NCAA in just two short years was impressive to NHL scouts and showed the young defender's ability to adapt in more competitive leagues.

The Blackhawks selected Levshunov with the hope of him becoming the face of the blueline in Chicago for years to come, leading to the team signing him to his entry-level contract and immediately sending him to the AHL to develop.

However, there has been recent discourse surrounding Levshunov's development with the Rockford IceHogs. Many have expressed worries about his play and are left wanting more, but there a multitude of reasons as to why those concerns are premature.

When looking at Levshunov's play this season, it is clear that his talents are still very raw.

His rapid ascend into higher-level leagues over a short period of time was indicative of his talent, but his jump into one of the top leagues in the world has shown that there is still work to do.

This year did not start out the way Levshunov had intended due to a foot injury sidelining him for the first few weeks of the season. Jumping right into AHL action after said injury was met with growing pains and it took some time before he began getting up to speed.

There have been good and bad moments in his rookie season as a professional, which is expected for a 19-year old defenseman. His decision making needs some work and he sometimes gets caught trying to do too much with the puck instead of making the simple play to advance the play or get out of trouble.

However, the Blackhawks' drafted Levshunov knowing that he had raw talent yet to be uncovered, and those traits do make him a very intriguing player.