Naturally, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov has been learning what it takes to play in the NHL – and the traps that await every rookie – with each game.
“How hard it is, how fast,” said Levshunov, who is taking to the English language at almost the same speed he’s taking to the pro game.
But as much as he has on his plate, the Hawks are quickly finding out more about their top defensive prospect, who was the No. 2 overall pick in this summer’s draft.
Here are four things we’ve learned about Levshunov as he gets set to play in his eighth game Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils.
1. It’s very early, but his offensive potential is still largely untapped.
Levshunov profiles as a powerful shooter, but his average shot speed (68.2 mph) is a fraction under the league-average of 68.6 mph, according to NHL Edge stats.
He has yet to score his first NHL goal, but his two assists and 1.29 shots per game already rank him third among Hawks defensemen. The rookie has established himself as a threat.
“You can see his instincts offensively, his puck plays,” Hawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen said.
Levshunov is averaging 1 minute, 40 seconds on the power play, and has manned the point on the top unit in recent games.
Sorensen has been impressed with Levshunov’s quick grasp of some of the power play’s nuances.
“For any player coming in on a new team, it’s hard to get a feel for power play, having chemistry with players,” Sorensen said. “I just like that he’s decisive with shooting. I think he wants to get his shot through and use his shot.
“When you have a threat from the point as a shooter, it makes the whole penalty kill have to be aware of that and respect it. Once you respect that middle shot so much, it opens up flank plays for (Connor) Bedard and Teuvo (Teräväinen) and these guys to make their plays.
“So I think that’s what’s nice is he has a heavy shot, and it’s natural for him to shoot it.”
Forward Frank Nazar, Levshunov’s teammate with the Rockford IceHogs, agrees.
“He’s always a threat up top. He likes to shoot,” Nazar said. “That’s something that teams take into account. And then if a team is overplaying the shot, he’s able to make the pass. That’s something that is really good for him, and it’s really good for his team.”
Levshunov might have been timid to use his shot during his first power play, but he’s not any more. He’s eager, and now just has to figure out when to use it as part of his role in the unit.
“Over time, when they build chemistry, that’s going to open up more plays,” defenseman Connor Murphy said.
2. Confident? Yes? Borderline overconfident? No.
Even before Levshunov made his NHL debut in Colorado on March 10, he had consistently maintained he wasn’t nervous after spending most of the season with the IceHogs.
“Why should I be nervous?” he said. “I’m playing hockey. I don’t need to be nervous.”
He then admitted that those “first games, I was nervous, for sure … but I try to be not nervous because it’s a game. I’ve got to play hard, play for my team.”
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Levshunov may force himself to shake off those nerves on occasion, but then his instincts kick in and he’s directing teammates.
“He’s got the air traffic controller going and pointing (directions)” Sorensen said. ”It’s good, he wants to be involved. He’s taking charge, right?
“As a young player coming in in this environment, it could be easier to (shut) down. But he wants to be on the ice, he wants the puck, he wants to tell the other guys what to do, and it’s all good.”
3. Levshunov has taken the biggest strides with his gaps.
It was an area of focus in Rockford — and it’s been his biggest strength so far with the Hawks.
“Early in the year, he just reads and gaps,” said Sorensen, who was Levshunov’s coach with the IceHogs early on. “I think that’s gotten a lot better” in Chicago.
Murphy said for young defensemen, “it’s hard to have confidence in gaps, gaps being like how tight you can play up on forwards when they’re trying to break out.
“He made a lot of plays disrupting breakouts, whether it’s rolling pucks coming up his side or the forward is trying to break out, and he’s coming forward at them and keeping plays alive to get more offensive zone time. And that’s not easy.”
The tendency for a lot of defensemen – either rookie or veteran – is to play it safe, skate backward and keep the play in front, Murphy added. But Levshunov is sure enough in his skating ability that he stays up on puck carriers.
“To have confidence is going against skilled players to step up and disrupt plays, that’s a really big part of defending,” Murphy said.
4. Levshunov has some defensive nuances to learn.
He hasn’t mastered the Hawks offense just yet, but defense can take longer to solidify, especially for offensive defensemen.
Positioning is one key area, Murphy said.
“The game is really detailed, more so than college and junior,” he said. “So just positioning on knowing with certainty, whether it’s offensive, neutral or D-zone, little ways you can stand and stick positioning you can use when the puck is in certain areas, or (whether) it’s your guy or not your guy. It allows yourself to limit the damage if things break down.”
Sorensen said Levshunov is getting better about battling in front of the net, where big forwards can box you out or push you around.
“He’s a young kid,” he said. “He’s learning to play in the league and understanding that every day is a new day, and it’s a relentless schedule here, and you’re playing teams that are fighting for playoff spots.”
Levshunov had a teachable moment Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings when he followed up a turnover in the Hawks’ end with a slashing penalty.
“Yeah, I lost the puck there,” he said. “Just maybe I should play more simple there, maybe pass from the board, not through the middle. I needed to go and take the puck back, for sure. It was slashing, but it was a good lesson for me.”
