Blackhawks select defenseman Arytom Levshunov, forward Sacha Boisvert in NHL Draft
LAS VEGAS (CBS) -- The Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov as the No. 2 overall pick in the NHL Draft on Friday evening.
The 18-year-old native of Zhlobin, Belarus played with Michigan State during the 2023-2024 season—and was named the Big Ten defensive player of the year and freshman of the year. He was a two-way standout with 35 points in 38 games with the Spartans.
Previously, he played one season with the United States Hockey League in Green Bay.
Levshunov could go back to college next season, or end up signing with the team. But he is excited to be a part of the organization.
"When I woke up, I just—whole day, I was thinking about the draft, where I will be," he said. "But yeah, this was actually pretty simple—especially for me. But I just came to the draft, and I was drafted…. I am so excited to be, again, to be part of the Blackhawks."
The Blackhawks also had pick No. 18 in the draft, for which they added some skill. They picked forward Sacha Boisvert, a native of Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada, who played two seasons with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks junior ice hockey team in Michigan.
Both players have joined a team that is building around Connor Bedard, who announced the 'Hawks top pick in Las Vegas exactly one year after he was selected number one overall.
General Manager Kyle Davidson said earlier that he believes the players the 'Hawks draft over the next two days will help them take another step in their rebuild.
"I believe that it's going to leave us in a really, really strong spot from a prospect and young-player standpoint, so that's extremely exciting," Davidson said. "Given what we set out to do a couple years ago, this is where we want to be. We want to be in this position where we feel really good about not just a handful of players, but a number of players—and a collection of players—that we can really see coming up and forming something special, and I strongly believe that we'll leave Vegas feeling that way."
The Blackhawks also traded up their No. 34 and 540 picks to the Carolina Hurricanes for the No. 27 pick. They chose Marek Vanacker—a winger for the Ontario Hockey League Brantford Bulldogs and a native of Delhi, Ontario.