Much like last year’s draft, there’s a bit of a toss-up at second overall. The Sharks will take Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini as the first-overall pick. However, with the second choice, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a choice to make.
That choice is between Ivan Demidov, a Russian winger whose 60 points in 30 junior games gave him one of the best seasons at that level of all time, and Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who logged heavy minutes as a freshman for Michigan State University this season and is the top blue liner in the class based on consolidated public rankings. Speaking on Friday’s episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” Scott Powers reports the team is leaning toward Levshunov with less than a month to go until draft day.
Levshunov would immediately become the Hawks’ top defense prospect, surpassing 2022 seventh-overall pick Kevin Korchinski. And like Korchinski two years ago, it seems unlikely he’d jump to the NHL immediately. A sophomore campaign at Michigan State makes sense for Levshunov before potentially turning pro in 2025.
It shouldn’t be ruled out completely, though. Levshunov is coming off a banner season that saw him named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He was named to the year-end First All-Star Team as well.
Levshunov’s nine goals, 26 assists, 35 points and +27 rating in 38 games helped the Spartans win their first regular-season and conference tournament championships since the conference’s inception in 2013. A right-shot defender, the 18-year-old already stands at 6’2″ and 209 lbs.
Chicago taking Levshunov off the board would leave Demidov available for the Ducks at third overall, becoming the crown jewel of an already deep pool of young forwards that includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras. Demidov is the second-ranked prospect behind Celebrini in public consolidated rankings and TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s most recent polling of NHL scouts.
Can’t go wrong on this kid!
That’s what they said about Cam Barker.
Ivan Demidov has a greater likelihood of being Cam Barker 2.0. Not saying that he will, but I’d rather have a player that has played against more skilled competition and has proven that he can hang. Ivan hasn’t.
Can’t teach size, but a knack for goals can also be hard to find.
Good. It’s the correct decision to make.
Shane Malloy from hockey prospect radio (did their top 32 draft ranking last night) has him at #2, so this wouldn’t be a suprise. I like that he has Zeev Buium at #4 as well (another stud Dman).
Shows how deep this draft is. Buium is going to be a great defenseman.
I think this is the right way to go and said so already. The Hawks have Korchinski who can skate and run the power play eventually from the left side. This gives the Hawks a RH defenseman who can do the same. With Vlasic and Jones signed for years it gives the Hawks puck movers in the bottom 4 also. I totally think it’s the right move. If the Hawks come out of this with Leshuvonov and Michael Hage, I’d be totally happy.
Seth Jones’ caddy; Davidson better loosen the purse strings to address that sad sack support group or Bedard will break
There’s expectation that they are going to press forward this year with free agency…basically a year earlier than previously expected.
Im sure Levshunov will be a good defender but Demidov is forsure the better player, could be as good as Cellebrini, With a #2 pick typically you pick the better player over position they play, Levshunov at #2 doesn’t make much sense tbh
It’s also strange because this draft is pretty deep defensively. But it’s not a given that Demidov is the #2 best player in the class. A lot of analysts have him ranked lower.
based on the comments from Davidson, about rumors and such, even before player interviews and the combine, nothing is certain right now, Demidov stats at his age and league were better than Kucherov, Ovechkin, and every Russian star player in the NHL, scouts giving both Demidov and Cellebrinni both 99% star probability though that may not mean anything other than comparing at their current age, anything can derail that too and their careers. Demidov did say after his contract (expires after the 2024-2025 season) that he plans on coming to North America. I like Levshunov too i just think Demidov is the better player and he is considered the most offensively skilled player in the draft as well
link to nbcsportschicago.com