New Blackhawks prospect defenseman Artyom Levshunov signed his three-year entry-level contract Saturday, indicating where he will play in 2024-25.
The contract, which will carry a $975,000 salary-cap hit, means the No. 2 overall pick won't return to Michigan State for his sophomore year of college.
Instead, Levshunov will join the Hawks for training camp in September and theoretically compete for an NHL roster spot, but he'll likely end up starting the regular season with Rockford in the AHL.
"Signing Artyom gives us the opportunity to continue his development in-house and [lets him] take the next step into professional hockey," general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. "He’s a strong two-way defenseman that has all the tools to be a high-end player in the NHL, and we’re excited to continue his growth at the pro level."
If the 18-year-old blueliner plays fewer than 10 NHL games, his contract will slide a year, making it set to expire in 2028. He could actually be eligible for another slide in 2025-26, too, but it seems likely he'll be in the NHL by that point.
Hawks assistant GM Mark Eaton recently analyzed the advantages of having Levshunov in Rockford, where he will play significantly more games — against tougher competition — than he would have in the Big Ten.
"Being able to be hands-on every single day is a huge bonus," Eaton said. "That is the line that we walk with our amateur prospects: the realization that they all play for other coaches, they all play in different systems. So if we have the ability to have him in-house and...[have] our development staff working with him on a daily basis, [that can] start to close that gap between where he is and where he needs to go."
Levshunov, measuring 6-2 and 210 pounds, possesses plenty of size and physical strength. But having come over from Belarus less than two years ago, he has relatively little high-level hockey experience. That will soon change.
"Playing the North American game, [which is] different from over in Europe, he’s only going to get more comfortable with that," Eaton added. "Learning the pro game is a process every young player goes through. The sooner he can start to gain that experience and get comfortable over here, it’s only going to benefit him."
