SALT LAKE CITY — Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov understands plus/minus isn’t the best measuring stick to evaluate one’s play.
But after seeing his name next to many minuses lately, Levshunov was ecstatic Sunday to finally be on the positive side after a game. In the Blackhawks’ 4-0 win over the Utah Mammoth, Levshunov was a plus-one as the Blackhawks scored one goal with him on the ice and allowed none. His last plus game came on Jan. 10. Since then, he accumulated a minus-14, including a memorable game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in which he was on the ice for five goals against.
“Actually, today, I’m super happy to have a plus,” Levshunov said, smiling widely. “Usually I’m on the ice when we give up the goal, even when it’s not my mistake. I was super excited to have a plus. It’s what I need. I need to keep going.”
The Blackhawks were hoping for this sort of effect on Levshunov’s play when they gave him a reset right before the Olympic break. His play had become more erratic and the Penguins game accentuated that. Following that night, the Blackhawks sat Levshunov for the final three games before the break, designed a development plan for him and were hopeful he’d regain his confidence and his play when the Blackhawks started back up.
The Blackhawks have been pleased with his first three games back. Sunday especially stood out as Levshunov was more in control of the game throughout the zones. He was better at breaking the puck out and spent less time in the defensive zone.
When he did have to defend, he was positionally sound and was physical around the net. He also showed more confidence with the puck and looked to create for himself and others. He attempted five shots and put four on net. In his 14:10 of five-on-five ice time, the Blackhawks had a 17-16 advantage in shot attempts, 9-5 in shots on goal and 1-0 in goals, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“All around, he had a good game,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “He was physical. Again, the package is what’s going to make him a special player. It’s the physicality, the good defense and the ability to move the puck and create some offense. He had a real strong game. He’s come out and played three real solid games. I know he’s had a mistake that’s led to some goals, but overall, I think his play has been good.”
Fellow Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic took notice of Levshunov’s play, too.
“Yeah, tonight was excellent,” he said. “I think he was using his body, using his frame. He’s one of the stronger guys out there, I think. And it was evident tonight: he’s pushing guys around, kind of bullying some guys down low. And that’s his game. I think he’s obviously really skilled with the puck offensively, and once he gets his feet moving, he’s fantastic. But tonight it was an unbelievable showing from him, just defensively, and kind of showed everybody what he’s capable of.”
Levshunov executed a lot of the things he and the Blackhawks have worked on.
“It was a good game defensively,” Levshunov said. “Offensively, I had some chances. I’m focusing more on the defense. Defend, defend hard, play hard, play physical, right? Then again, if I have my chances to go on the rush, go on the rush, play offense. But play good defense, play structured.”
Finding that balance is what Blashill and his staff talked a lot about with Levshunov.
“The big balance for most offensive players, when they come in the league, is how do you produce offense and be good defensively?” Blashill said prior to Sunday’s game. “There’s a lot of teams whose players it took a long time for them to learn to do both of those. He’s 20 years old now as a defenseman. Obviously we went through a stretch where we were pushing him offensively and we want him to reach his offensive ceiling, but it can’t be at the sacrifice of defense, but you just can’t rack up minuses like that and be expected to continue to play. Right now, his primary focus is making sure he’s really good defensively and then learning how to add that offense while being accountable defensively.”
There is a lot of focus on Levshunov as the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft. His highs and lows are put under a microscope because the expectation is for him to be a difference-maker.
Blashill was the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings when Moritz Seider broke into the NHL as a young defenseman during the 2021-22 season. Seider had been the No. 6 pick in 2019.
“Arty may become an offensive player — he might be — but I think he’s going to be a really good player no matter what because he’s really strong, he’s going to be able to defend really well, he’s going to be able to add offense,” Blashill said. “I coached a guy like that in Moritz Seider in Detroit. Moritz is now an all-situations defenseman who’s out there six-on-five, out there five-on-six, PK, PP. That’s a huge value. You look around the league and name me the number of guys who do all that — there’s not very many of them.
“I don’t know if anybody would say he’s this elite, elite offensive guy, but he’s a great winner, and that’s partially why they’re winning. But it took him time to get there. It’s going to take Korch (Kevin Korchinski), Arty, all these young D, time to get there.”
Levshunov will undoubtedly go through ups and downs for some time still. He’s not a finished product by any means. But games like Sunday remind him and everyone else what he and the Blackhawks can be when he’s playing well.
“It’s about confidence, doing the right things, doing the right ways,” Levshunov said.