Artyom Levshunov’s first NHL season gave the Blackhawks plenty to work with, and now the next phase is all about what he does with it.
Chicago’s former second overall pick showed the kind of growth the organization wanted to see, even if the ride came with the usual rookie bumps. He spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Rockford IceHogs, but the Blackhawks still gave him a real look at the NHL level, and he responded with 24 points in 68 games.
That was only one point behind team defense leader Louis Crevier. Among Blackhawks rookies, Levshunov finished second in points, first in assists with 22, and first in ice time at 19:35 per game.
He also ranked 10th on the team in scoring, and Natural Stat Trick had him skating the most games alongside Crevier and Wyatt Kaiser.
The Blackhawks also weren’t shy about challenging him. In January, they scratched him for three games before the Olympic break so he could work with Brian Keane, the team’s director of skill development, and assistant coach Anders Sorensen to help “reset some foundational things.”
By March, head coach Jeff Blashill was already pointing to the progress. “I thought he made great, great strides.
You know, obviously stacked up too many minuses. But if you look at where he started and where he was a year ago, the age he's trying to play the hardest position in, the rawness of which he was when we drafted him... when we teach him stuff, and we show him stuff, he goes out and does it.
His hockey instincts are really, really good. He still needs to learn how to, like, I guess I'd say, connect the dots directionally at times, in terms of following like systematic directions or things like that.
But Arty is a way better player today than he was at the beginning of the year, and I think there's going to be continued growth with him.”
Late in March, Levshunov even found himself on the top pair with Alex Vlasic, though a hand fracture cost him the final nine games of the season.
There were learning moments, but there were also signs the Blackhawks can build on. He worked on both power-play units, and 11 of his 24 points came with the man advantage, a useful number heading into next season.
Now the focus shifts to the summer, and Blashill made it clear what kind of offseason he expects. “I think it's a huge summer for Arty.
I think Arty made great strides this season. What do I want to see him improve?
He's almost a freak athlete, body-wise. Like, he's really strong, really powerful.
I think there's another level of learning to kind of push and not pace himself and things like that. That can be done through summer training and learning how to just push yourself to the max at all times.
That'll happen.
Blashill continued, “I think, specifically, learning on the ice, some of the shooting stuff that we started earlier this year. I think that's critical.
I think off the ice, there's some hip flexibility, things that are going to make him a better skater. That's critical.
I think his ability, like, moving up the ice and like a lot of players, he gets into a tripod mode when he wants to pass the puck, and learning how to balance tripod with continuing to move his feet, and not slow himself down too much. All those things are things that are real specific things that he's going to work on this summer.
And Arty's like the rest of our guys. Like, he's got a choice to make, and he can make it a great summer, a good summer, an okay summer, and if he makes it either of the last two, it's not good enough.
We need a great summer out of him just like everybody else.”
Blashill also said in exit interviews that the Blackhawks have been mindful of the human side of Levshunov’s development, including the fact that he is now 20, came from Belarus and has dealt with a language barrier.
The team believes the growth is real. And if Levshunov’s summer matches the expectations placed on it, 2026-27 could be the season where that progress really starts to show.
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