CHICAGO \u2014 In the last decade, 76 different teenagers have played in at least 18 NHL games in a season.<\/p>\n
Just 16 of them were defensemen.<\/p>\n
In other words, what Artyom Levshunov is doing isn\u2019t normal. It\u2019s worth remembering that while riding the rickety rollercoaster that is the Levshunov experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s easier for forwards because they just go forward, play offense,\u201d Levshunov said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to play defense and offense both. Sometimes, it can be difficult to have balance with that. It\u2019s why it takes time, I think, to get that confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confidence isn\u2019t an issue for Levshunov. Even after he was held on the ice an extra 10 or 15 minutes following Saturday\u2019s morning skate at the United Center, an obvious indicator that he would be a healthy scratch in the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens \u2014 a 3-2 Blackhawks loss \u2014 Levshunov maintained his good humor. Asked if he was going to be in the lineup that night, Levshunov offered a wry chuckle and said, \u201cProbably not!\u201d<\/p>\n
Levshunov\u2019s first two games were very \u2026 well, on brand. On his first shift against Florida, he turned the puck over in the neutral zone, leading to a Panthers scoring chance. He then took two penalties in the first period. Against Boston two nights later, he made a beautiful instinctive play to set up Andr\u00e9 Burakovsky\u2019s equalizer early in the third period. He then took two more penalties, including a killer high-stick with 2:42 left and the score tied, after which he complained to the officials rather than continuing to play.<\/p>\n
That last one was the biggest reason Levshunov was introduced in a suit rather than a jersey during a raucous pregame ceremony Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a learning process and that\u2019s just the reality of it,\u201d Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. \u201cI thought there was some good moments and there were some moments that he has to learn from. Certainly the penalty late in the game is a big moment. Guys are going to make mistakes, and we\u2019ve talked about that as a staff and with our group. This isn\u2019t about making mistakes. This is about certain choices. And what are those certain choices? Any kind of winning hockey moments and that\u2019s one of them, you can\u2019t take penalties late in a game like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It felt significant, even though it was obviously coincidental, that Levshunov was scratched in Ivan Demidov\u2019s first game at the United Center. The Blackhawks were torn on whether to take the cowboy defenseman or the flashy forward with the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, and ultimately settled on Levshunov. Fans, seeing the gaping hole on Connor Bedard\u2019s wing, clamored for Demidov, and as a result, the two will always be linked. Just like Blackhawks fans think of Alex DeBrincat whenever they see Kevin Korchinski (or, on the other end of the spectrum, think of Kirby Dach when they see Frank Nazar) because of the draft-day decisions that led them to Chicago, Levshunov will always be compared to Demidov.<\/p>\n
In the long run, it could be a fair fight. Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks are counting on it. But as 19-year-olds, it\u2019s a battle Levshunov is unlikely to win. Demidov is a betting favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the league\u2019s top rookie after posting a goal and an assist in his two NHL games last season. Levshunov is still riding the wave as an AHL\/NHL tweener after 18 promising but eventful NHL games last year.<\/p>\n
The Belarussian Levshunov and Russian Demidov got to know each other a bit in the lead-up to the draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI follow him and I watch him,\u201d Levshunov said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a good player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Demidov was a little more coy, saying he didn\u2019t think he was in competition with Levshunov.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to compare with myself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Levshunov\u2019s positive attitude could go a long way, because the Boston game won\u2019t be the last time he stumbles, and the Montreal game might not be the last time he\u2019s benched. Remember, Cale Makar didn\u2019t make his NHL debut until he was 20. Quinn Hughes played two full seasons of college hockey to Levshunov\u2019s one. And the patron saint of Blackhawks defensemen, Duncan Keith, was 22 when he debuted, after two seasons in college and the WHL and two full seasons in the American Hockey League.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to suggest that Levshunov should still be at Michigan State, or in Rockford, for that matter. And there\u2019s some truth to that. But his game feels better suited to the NHL than the rougher, dump-and-chase AHL, and it was pretty clear to all involved that Levshunov wasn\u2019t terribly interested in another year of college.<\/p>\n
So the Blackhawks will get the jaw-dropping plays, and they\u2019ll get the forehead-slapping miscues. It\u2019s a developmental season in Chicago, anyway. After all, their four centers Saturday night were 20, 21, 21 and 23 years old.<\/p>\n
Levshunov\u2019s attitude should help. He didn\u2019t seem offended by the scratch, and he seemed to fully grasp the message sent by Blashill.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been creating, creating more scoring chances,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve got to play defense, too. If I play good defense, the offense will come. Defense first. Then offense. Gotta save the house first, and then go outside. That\u2019s why it\u2019s difficult. Still, when I get back, I\u2019ll play hard, play strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all the Blackhawks can ask. For now.<\/p>\n
Here are some observations from the game:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Practice time is at a premium in the NHL, so Blashill said he is trying to maximize his morning skates with more than just warmup drills and line rushes. To that end, the Blackhawks spent much of Saturday\u2019s early skate working on the penalty kill.<\/p>\n
Then they spent darn near half the game doing the same.<\/p>\n
Montreal had 10 power plays \u2014 scoring on two of them \u2014 in a feisty and scrappy home opener that wasn\u2019t decided until Kaiden Guhle\u2019s shot through heavy traffic beat Spencer Knight with 15 seconds left in the game.<\/p>\n
There were several post-whistle skirmishes, including a near line brawl that featured Louis Crevier and Guhle going at it at center ice (eliciting \u201cUSA! USA!\u201d chants from the crowd despite both players being Canadian) after Guhle laid a big hit on Nazar. Crevier got a 10-minute misconduct for going after Guhle.<\/p>\n
Bedard even found himself in the middle of a couple of scrums, at one point earning an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for apparently flipping a puck at Alexandre Carrier\u2019s, uh, midsection.<\/p>\n
Blashill had no problem with any of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll do that all day, every day,\u201d he said of Crevier\u2019s response to the hit on Nazar. \u201cWe\u2019re going to look after each other. We\u2019re going to fight for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blashill seemed to suggest it was a good night for diving, the way it was officiated, but said, \u201cWe\u2019re not going to be a team that goes down light. We\u2019re going to be a team that plays through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Blackhawks have just one point in three games, and it\u2019s very early, but they\u2019re undeniably faster and more competitive than they were for most of the past few seasons. Their scrappiness \u2014 they seem adamant about not being pushed around this season, even if it means crossing a few lines \u2014 doesn\u2019t hurt, either.<\/p>\n
Captain Nick Foligno is weary of moral victories, but he senses they\u2019re close to breaking through.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the hard part, right?\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re reality- and results-based. So I\u2019m encouraged by what I see. But at the end of the day, we need to find a way to get wins. That\u2019s how you learn, as well, to be in tight games.\u201d<\/p>\n
JURAJ $%#$% SLAFKOVSKY#GoHabsGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/VH4hFA3XKT<\/a><\/p>\n