Artyom Levshunov ( be, Арцём Леўшуноў, ''Arciom Leŭshunoŭ;'' born October 28, 2005) is a Belarusian professional
ice hockey defenceman for the
Chicago Blackhawks of the
National Hockey League (NHL). He played
college hockey for the
Michigan State Spartans. He was selected second overall by the Blackhawks in the
2024 NHL entry draft, the highest-drafted Belarusian player in NHL history.
Playing career
Amateur
Following the 2021–22 season, in which he scored 25 goals and 38 assists in 63 games for
Team Belarus U18 in the second-tier Belarusian
Vysshaya Liga, Levshunov was selected 111th overall by the
Green Bay Gamblers
The Green Bay Gamblers are a Junior ice hockey#Tier I, Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). They play in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, at the Resch Center.
History Professional hockey in Gre ...
in the 8th round of the 2022
United States Hockey League (USHL) Phase II Draft.
Debuting with the Gamblers as a 16-year-old and speaking very little English, he quickly earned his first USHL Defencemen of the Week on November 9, 2022, for a week in which he score 2 goals and 5 points in 2 games.
On March 20, 2023, Levshunov earned his second USHL Defenceman of the Week with 1 goal and 4 points in 2 games. Levshunov finished the
2022–23 season with 13 goals, ranking third among USHL defensemen.
After getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the
Dubuque Fighting Saints, Levshunov was named to the USHL First All-Rookie Team and the Third All-USHL Team.
Levshunov committed to play
college ice hockey for
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
in the summer of 2023. On October 7, 2023, he made his debut for the Spartans in a game against
Lake Superior State
Lake Superior State University (colloquially Lake State, Lake Superior State, Soo Tech, and LSSU) is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is enrolls approximately 2,000 students. Due to its proximity to the Canadian border, and the ...
. The next day, he recorded his first
NCAA goal and assist, also against Lake Superior State.
Professional
Chicago Blackhawks (2024–present)
Levshunov was drafted second overall by the
Chicago Blackhawks in the
2024 NHL entry draft, making him the highest drafted player from Belarus. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on July 6, 2024.
International play
Levshunov debuted internationally with
Team Belarus at the
2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were the 46th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship, played from August 9–20, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from Dece ...
, in the Division I Group A tournament, the second tier of international junior competition. He helped the team to win a gold medal with 2 assists in 5 games.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levshunov, Artyom
2005 births
Living people
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
Belarusian ice hockey defencemen
Belarusian expatriate ice hockey people
Chicago Blackhawks draft picks
21st-century Belarusian people
Green Bay Gamblers players
Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey players
NHL first-round draft picks