Chicago Blackhawks defensive prospect Artyom Levshunov revealed Tuesday that he played on a broken right foot for a month without realizing it.
“I had a fracture from the summer, playing in a three-on-three tournament in Florida, just blocked a shot and there was a fracture,” he told reporters after the morning skate before Tuesday night’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks. “I found out later, a month after it happened. I was skating for the next month, training.
“It just bothered me a little on the ice. Had an MRI scan and it showed it was fractured. But now I feel good.”
Levshunov, the No. 2 pick in this year’s NHL draft, took a significant step in his recovery by participating in the morning skate.
“Excited to get back,” the 18-year-old defenseman said. “Yeah, it was cool. It was a good practice.”
Coach Luke Richardson said Levshunov “looked good.”
“I think he was excited,” Richardson said. “He was taping his sticks an hour before practice today, ready to go.
“Sometimes those things, you feel like you’re OK (but) you have to let things settle, listen to the doctors. That’s a learning experience for him. He looks great and he’s excited to get back on the ice with the guys.”
The conventional wisdom is that Levshunov will begin his pro career with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, but it’s possible the Hawks will give him a taste of the NHL first.
“I don’t know that schedule yet or timeline even for games,” Richardson said. “Today was the first morning skate, so hopefully he’ll get in a few practices this week and management will make that call, the best spot for him to start.
“Because he really missed even rookie camp and training camp, he’s kind of behind on that part of it.”
“I had a fracture. … I found out later, a month after it happened.”
—Blackhawks prospect Artyom Levshunov on his right foot injury pic.twitter.com/3e86fIL09g
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) October 22, 2024
When Levshunov was held out of the first day of practice for the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in September, IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen said the injury “doesn’t seem to be too bad.”
But Levshunov was held out for the rest of the showcase and never got to participate in what would’ve been his first NHL training camp.
“It was tough,” he said. “Sort of boring, skating by myself and the skills coach.”
He and goaltender Laurent Brossoit (right knee) were placed on injured reserve/non-roster on Oct. 4.
When he found he had been skating on a fractured foot, Levshunov said, “Yeah, I was surprised. It wasn’t like too much pain but it was just bothering me on the ice a little bit. But, yeah, fractured.”
He was upbeat Tuesday despite the setback to the start of his career.
“It is what it is,” he said. “Life goes on. I mean, just work goes on. Can’t wait to play my first game.”
He got to take his time learning the Hawks system.
“We’ve been including him in everything,” Richardson said. “He’s here at the rink and talking to everyone all day. He’s a talker.”
