Blackhawks calls top prospect Artyom Levshunov, whose NHL debut is about to be
Denver – The second pick is about to make his NHL debut.
The Blackhawks called the top prospect Artyom Levshunov on Sunday after participating in the 50th AHL game on Saturday. The move burned down one-third of the four allocated post-trade deadline calls, but in this case no one has much thought about it.
Levsunov is expected to play a role in the first NHL game of the week, possibly Monday's Avalanche. After that, the Hawks played against the Sharks on Thursday (and celebrated with the No. 1 pick McLean) and Saturday’s road trip against the Canucks.
The Hawks may want the 19-year-old Belarusian defensive player to experience Rockford's high-stakes game at the end of the regular season and in the AHL playoffs, so his NHL may only last for a few weeks, giving him a taste.
He reached five straight wins as the Hawks, trying to continue playing his best hockey of the season. Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom provide excellent goalkeepers that will help prevent Levshunov's inevitable rookie mistakes from leading to too many discouraged targets.
From the start of Rockford's season to the present, Levshunov has made great progress outside the Hawks organization, with disagreement on whether he is ready for the NHL. Even Hawks Brass doesn't know, they can do it.
“Many times, you don’t know [if someone is ready] Until you try until you see it. Rockford interim coach Mark Eaton said Sunday.
Considering that he has very little experience with advanced North American this season, the ups and downs of Levshunov in the fall are not surprising. He spent some time learning what works and what behavior is for professionals.
However, he has soared since January, scoring 11 points in his last 14 games and 22 points this season. He ranked third in the AHL defenseman 137.
“He started to incorporate some professional habits into his game: consistent level of competition and level of urgency,” Eaton said.
“Many times, less, right? [It’s about] Don't try your best to create an attack, but [rather] In retrieving the hockey sport and coming out of the “D'-Zone) works. [He’s] Keep it simple in the offensive zone, join [rushes] In due time, make shots and create rebounds. It sounds simple, but doing it consistently is what he gets better. ”
Levshunov arguably has the biggest improvement in the defensive zone, maintaining stricter gaps and tighter positions while using his 6-2,210-pound frame to sabotage the game.
“[He’s] “Be more proud in the defensive zone, … stay strong in front of the network,” Eaton said.[He’s] When it's his job to turn off the hockey carrier, it's closed soon.
“He has elite speed and elite power. When he uses it consistently, he can be the power in the defensive zone. Then, I think he starts to realize that having a good defense there will give you more hockey.”
Technically, this is not Levshunov's first NHL call this season. He used to participate in some Hawks practice in the AHL All-Star Game in early February. But this call is more important.
The Eagles now have eight defensive players on the roster. This is not an essential issue, as there is no limit after the deadline, but it will create some tough decisions for Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen.
Young defensive players Ethan del Mastro, Louis Crevier and Wyatt Kaiser have all strengthened since Seth Jones left, so it's interesting to see which Sorensen got off the right person for Levshunov. Meanwhile, veteran TJ Brodie encountered, who has been a healthy scratch in the past four games, is now buried on the depth list.
