RD Artyom Levshunov - Michigan State Univ., NCAA (2024 Draft)

[tomd]

So Anaheim

Assuming Levshunov goes in the top 3, the Ducks currently have about a 20% chance of being in a position to take him. I don't think it will be Anaheim.

 

[TopShelfWaterBottle]

Assuming Levshunov goes in the top 3, the Ducks currently have about a 20% chance of being in a position to take him. I don't think it will be Anaheim.

More so quoting the part about a team that can develop him right

 

[coooldude]

Probably my 5th full game focusing on this dude -- disclaimer, I'm no pro, just a keyboard jockey. He had a great first period where he was sharp, making good reads in D and O zones, small touch passes and forcing controlled turnovers... I was excited.

Second period, he looked pretty lost and got roundly outworked and outskated in his own zone. Lucky not to be on ice for a goal against with at least 4 high danger chances against, 2 of which were directly his fault (not making the read to cover the backdoor on one, another not really tying up the guy in front of the net)... got crushed a few times in his own zone.

Third period a bit of a mixed bag... some shots from the point that made it through, some that hit shinpads, generally looked a half step behind the play. Then, of course, he steps way TF up with a great rush down the wall and a perfect centering pass for the tying goal. Heading into OT now, hopefully he can step up.

Just really want to see one of these prospects separate with a really great showing... today to me was more of the same for Lev, which is: tons of skill, flashes of huge potential, and a lot of (for me) concerning lackadaisical / slow reads and play. Feel like this guy would be a really frustrating top pairing D with the volatility, but then again as a Sharks fan, so was Brent Burns. (not saying that's the comp... just the vibe).

 

[William H Bonney]

I do think the Bogosian vibe that was previously brought up is pretty apt. Both physical specimens in their draft season who excelled a lot on the backs of their athleticism, but had real concerns about how much of their apparent upside was skills versus physical advantages.

Similar to Bogosian, I think Levshunov's potential is very high, but the delta on his ceiling vs floor is pretty drastic for a guy who's going to go very high. Hopefully he doesn't deal with all the injuries that Bogosian had.

 

[BKarchitect]

I do think the Bogosian vibe that was previously brought up is pretty apt. Both physical specimens in their draft season who excelled a lot on the backs of their athleticism, but had real concerns about how much of their apparent upside was skills versus physical advantages.

Similar to Bogosian, I think Levshunov's potential is very high, but the delta on his ceiling vs floor is pretty drastic for a guy who's going to go very high. Hopefully he doesn't deal with all the injuries that Bogosian had.

No Bogo slander allowed! He’s basically the Wild’s third best defenseman right now playing 19 minutes a night with 12 points and a +7 at the tender age of 33! And he’s got a Cup

 

[BKarchitect]

Probably my 5th full game focusing on this dude -- disclaimer, I'm no pro, just a keyboard jockey. He had a great first period where he was sharp, making good reads in D and O zones, small touch passes and forcing controlled turnovers... I was excited.

Second period, he looked pretty lost and got roundly outworked and outskated in his own zone. Lucky not to be on ice for a goal against with at least 4 high danger chances against, 2 of which were directly his fault (not making the read to cover the backdoor on one, another not really tying up the guy in front of the net)... got crushed a few times in his own zone.

Third period a bit of a mixed bag... some shots from the point that made it through, some that hit shinpads, generally looked a half step behind the play. Then, of course, he steps way TF up with a great rush down the wall and a perfect centering pass for the tying goal. Heading into OT now, hopefully he can step up.

Just really want to see one of these prospects separate with a really great showing... today to me was more of the same for Lev, which is: tons of skill, flashes of huge potential, and a lot of (for me) concerning lackadaisical / slow reads and play. Feel like this guy would be a really frustrating top pairing D with the volatility, but then again as a Sharks fan, so was Brent Burns. (not saying that's the comp... just the vibe).

Thanks for the recap. Always good to hear a well articulated and honest opinion.

I would only caveat this by saying…”and then you realize he is 18 years-old and in his second season in North America and second season playing anything above second-tier Belarusian hockey.”

Obviously if there is a disconnect between his ability to think quickly and his physical tools, for sure, agreed, it could impact his development curve.

But even given those deficiencies - he’s really been on a rocket ship of growth, literally and in terms of his levels of play…such that the upside remains really, really tantalizing to me.

I’d actually like to see him maybe play a full AHL season next year. I think physically by next fall he will be able to toy with most college players but I also worry a team may rush him because he “looks” like an NHL player. I think a full season of professional play under carefully supervised coaching will be a good path for him.

 

[95snipes]

Thanks for the recap. Always good to hear a well articulated and honest opinion.

I would only caveat this by saying…”and then you realize he is 18 years-old and in his second season in North America and second season playing anything above second-tier Belarusian hockey.”

Obviously if there is a disconnect between his ability to think quickly and his physical tools, for sure, agreed, it could impact his development curve.

But even given those deficiencies - he’s really been on a rocket ship of growth, literally and in terms of his levels of play…such that the upside remains really, really tantalizing to me.

I’d actually like to see him maybe play a full AHL season next year. I think physically by next fall he will be able to toy with most college players but I also worry a team may rush him because he “looks” like an NHL player. I think a full season of professional play under carefully supervised coaching will be a good path for him.

It should be Michigan State next year and it's an easier decision than choosing Charles Barkley in a pick up basketball game. He's already jumped levels quite a bit as you mentioned and has plenty to learn still in the NCAA. He is consistently overwhelmed under pressure / heavy forecheck. It's been that way all year. Lost in coverage. Lacks compete. I could go on and on. He needs to go back to MSU and work on his weaknesses, not try to figure out another level of hockey. Because the raw skill level belongs near the top of the draft but the player today is nowhere near that. In my opinion, he needs to be slow cooked. Another year at MSU, maybe 2, then see where his game is. Possibly some time in the AHL. If you rush him, the odds of him busting skyrocket.

Just my opinion. For the game today, I thought he was mostly bad for 59 minutes, but made a play few could to save MSU's season.

 

[coooldude]

Thanks for the recap. Always good to hear a well articulated and honest opinion.

I would only caveat this by saying…”and then you realize he is 18 years-old and in his second season in North America and second season playing anything above second-tier Belarusian hockey.”

Obviously if there is a disconnect between his ability to think quickly and his physical tools, for sure, agreed, it could impact his development curve.

But even given those deficiencies - he’s really been on a rocket ship of growth, literally and in terms of his levels of play…such that the upside remains really, really tantalizing to me.

I’d actually like to see him maybe play a full AHL season next year. I think physically by next fall he will be able to toy with most college players but I also worry a team may rush him because he “looks” like an NHL player. I think a full season of professional play under carefully supervised coaching will be a good path for him.

All fair, I should note that my POV is 100% biased towards evaluating him for the Sharks pick. At 2-4OA I'm not sure if it's him, or the other risky picks that are the right bet, but I have concerns about the 6-8 players who could all be considered at 2 even if they'd all be amazing at 8. If I'm picking 6-10 and he's available then it's a smash. I agree with you and the next poster that he needs a lot of cooking next year and the few years after.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think him, Silayev, and Dickinson are fighting for the first defenseman off the board. Yakemchuk has a small chance to do so also, but it seems like he’s not as consensus as a top defenseman. I think Buium and Parekh are their own lower tier. I don’t think NHL teams would consider them ahead of a bunch of defensemen that are 6’2+.

Levshunov being the RHD makes him a no brainer, but that’s just me.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Who picks him over Demidov will regret about the move till the end of times...

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Who picks him over Demidov will regret about the move till the end of times...

What about someone picking Silayev over Demidov?

 

[S E P H]

I do think the Bogosian vibe that was previously brought up is pretty apt. Both physical specimens in their draft season who excelled a lot on the backs of their athleticism, but had real concerns about how much of their apparent upside was skills versus physical advantages.

Similar to Bogosian, I think Levshunov's potential is very high, but the delta on his ceiling vs floor is pretty drastic for a guy who's going to go very high. Hopefully he doesn't deal with all the injuries that Bogosian had.

He (Artyom) is way too inconsistent for me at the moment, definitely would not draft him in the top 5, but a large part of that could be him being very raw. He has had some big jumps league-wise coming from Europe to USHL to NCAA, and he's produced at all levels so far. Bogosian is a bit too negative, I see him more as a Filip Hronek type who can potentially develop into a Sergachev/Morrissey if he fixes on his weaknesses. Too much of a gamble though, definitely would pass if I were a top 5 team.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Sergachyov is a good comparison. I remember the narrative about him as a draft-eligible was similar to what it currently is for Levshunov. He was also an athletic freak. He learned to tone done the mistakes eventually and has become a top pairing defenseman.

 

[Kshahdoo]

What about someone picking Silayev over Demidov?

The same.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I've watched full games on the NA guys 5 - 7 times each and less on Silayev For me, he's overrated in the rankings where he is going high in the 1st round. He is very raw and very inconsistent .. He has the right physical tools and you do see flashes defensively, in transition and more so in the ozone. IMO he should rank below Silayev and Dickinson defensively; Other than some occasional flashes of physicality and use of his size and length he doesn't play the position well. He should rank below Parekh, Buium, Dickinson in transition; His passing crispness and accuracy and decision making isn't near the same level here; and he should rank below Parekh, Buium offensively; These two really excel here.

There are many people that work in the business that have and likely are ranking Levshunov very high .. I am not saying they are wrong..I am providing my opinion based solely on my viewings. As a complete package if that's what it is, I would much rather bet on the younger Dickinson than Levshunov... If you want a #1PP QB and a star offensive defenseman go with Parekh or Buium. If you want a minute munching shut down D .. go with Silayev.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

His offensive game is not where you'd think it would be for a potential top 5 guy. He needs another year or two at State to work on decision making and overall crispness of that.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

His offensive game is not where you'd think it would be for a potential top 5 guy.

He has 35 in 37 games as like the second youngest player in the NCAA.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

He has 35 in 37 games as like the second youngest player in the NCAA.

It didn't look great last night and other nights it has looked pedestrian

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It didn't look great last night and other nights it has looked pedestrian

But I mean a lot of these guys like Parekh, Buium, and Silayev are where they are because of stats or measurables, not some inconsistencies from game to game.

 

[rt]

His offensive game is not where you'd think it would be for a potential top 5 guy. He needs another year or two at State to work on decision making and overall crispness of that.

Has there been a more offensively productive first year draft eligible NCAA freshmen defensemen in the last 15 years, outside of Zeev Buium? How many guys in that timeframe have had more productive freshman seasons as defensemen the year AFTER they were drafted? I think (I might be wrong) that the answers are “No” and “None”.

 

[WarriorofTime]

He is consistently overwhelmed under pressure / heavy forecheck. It's been that way all year. Lost in coverage. Lacks compete. I could go on and on.

Best Big Ten defenseman this year, beating out Seamus Casey amongst others. Best player on the best MSU team, in generations (they're objectively better than the 07 national championship team even if they don't have the same NCAA Tournament result). I don't think your reading is accurate and you've been actively hunting clips to make him look bad.

 

[95snipes]

Best Big Ten defenseman this year, beating out Seamus Casey amongst others. I don't think your reading is accurate and you've been actively hunting clips to make him look bad.

The awards don't mean anything.

I don't actively hunt anything. I'm not a fan of the player yes, not someone I'm high on, and I present arguments to support my viewpoint. I've watched a good portion of MSU's games this year. If you can't see his struggles then we view the player completely differently.

People can disagree with me and that's fine. Not everyone has to agree. Only time will tell.

Edit - I could easily pulled 5+ sequences from last night alone if that was my sole goal.

 

[rt]

The awards don't mean anything.

I don't actively hunt anything. I'm not a fan of the player yes, not someone I'm high on, and I present arguments to support my viewpoint. I've watched a good portion of MSU's games this year. If you can't see his struggles then we view the player completely differently.

People can disagree with me and that's fine. Not everyone has to agree. Only time will tell.

How about production? Does generational production mean anything?

 

[WarriorofTime]

The awards don't mean anything.

It means coaches and media that follow the play night in and out considered him the best performing defenseman in the confernece.

I don't actively hunt anything.

yes you have, I see you post clips that would suggest he's a trainwreck is his own end. His results this year suggest that this is not the case, unless you are prepared to defend a belief that he has either been insanely lucky or his teammates are elite at covering up his weaknesses, both of which are not commonly held opinions.

I'm not a fan of the player yes, not someone I'm high on, and I present arguments to support my viewpoint.

That's fine but it bears acknowledgment that your opinion is an extreme minority from Big Ten Hockey people and people that "rate" draft prospects. My issue is it's been bordering on "agenda" for a while and I have a feeling you formed an early impression and are getting a bit of tunnel vision. This is very common when people look at prospects.

 

[coooldude]

yes you have, I see you post clips that would suggest he's a trainwreck is his own end. His results this year suggest that this is not the case, unless you are prepared to defend a belief that he has either been insanely lucky or his teammates are elite at covering up his weaknesses, both of which are not commonly held opinions.

I'm not nearly as negative as that poster -- I just think Lev is inconsistent and does make poor reads on occasion/ seem behind the play, which you can chalk up to his age and inexperience in high-level hockey... but it does present some development risks (or he'd be a clear 2OA). He's not a trainwreck in his own end, but he sometimes is a trainwreck in his own end (there were a few notable shifts last night that were really bad, but there was also an entire first period where he looked excellent).

I don't think there's any questioning Lev's offensive capabilities and typically from my watches, he is pretty quick/sharp in the O zone, and his O upside and hype is justified, but does still sometimes make the wrong read and force a shot into the shinpads, etc (nobody's perfect).

But in the D zone and in transition... it is true that his D partner is Sr. Nash Nienhuis who did and does help stabilize Lev, and clearly did so last night in the game.