2026 Blackhawks Top 25 Under 25: Artyom Levshunov remains at No. 7

The 2026 version of Second City Hockey’s Top 25 Under 25 rankings moves on to our Top 10, which will contain a lengthier breakdown of each individual who made it into that group.

Artyom Levshunov

Position: Defense

Age: 20 (Oct. 28, 2005)

Acquired via: First-round pick (2nd overall) in 2024 NHL Draft

2025-26 team : Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)

2025-26 stats: 24 points (2 G, 22 A), 44 PIM, 19:35 ATOI in 68 games

Size: 6-foot-2, 208 pounds

Contract: One year, $975,000 AAV (entry-level contract)

Rankings: 5 (SCH), 6 (Dave, LBR), 10 (Eric)

Last T25U25 ranking: No. 7, no movement

No one with an opinion worth acknowledging would conclude that the 2025-26 hockey season was a \"good\" one for Artyom Levshunov. At the same time, there\'s nowhere near enough evidence to make the definitive conclusion that the 2024 No. 2 overall pick is a bust. The truth lies -- as it always does -- somewhere between those two ideas. It\'s just that Levshunov\'s overall chaotic season means that the area in the middle could likely stretch across the Pacific.

The good moments from Levshunov often looked something like this:

GOAL: Artyom Levshunov FIRST NHL GOAL! What a feed from Bedard! pic.twitter.com/CuJkXziKdI

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) November 27, 2025

Or this:

Fantastic feed from Levshunov to Nazar who rings it off the post pic.twitter.com/zB9Z5JgxmM

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 4, 2026

Or this (the excellent breakout pass at the very start):

Good pass by Levshunov to Bedard to Nazar. Great boost for the next era of the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/kK0YqU1Q2l

— Anthony Donati (@AnthonyJDonati1) March 18, 2026

There was the bad, too. Most arguments will suggest there were more bad moments like the ones below than the good moments like the ones above -- and they probably aren\'t wrong. There\'s also the reality that mistakes by defensemen can feel worse because they often lead to scoring chances or goals soon after.

Soderblom has bailed out Levshunov on back-to-back shifts: pic.twitter.com/c3HFQK4ywG

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 8, 2026

Staal scored on a 2-on-1 rush. If Bedard is the lone man back, it’s probably not an ideal situation pic.twitter.com/ddCsRtwQkA

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 23, 2026

Listen to Pang say \"no\" right as Levshunov gives this one away before a Boston goal:

O-zone turnover by Levshunov leads to a Bruins goal on the other end pic.twitter.com/699EImtbOc

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 18, 2026

We could sit here and nitpick all of the mistakes that Levshunov made throughout the 2025-26 season but there\'s a holiday weekend upcoming and there are much, much better ways to spend it than by doing that. Levshunov would also be far from the first 20-year-old defenseman to struggle during his first full NHL season: there\'s a reason why the majority of the hockey players that age are still skating in juniors or the NCAA. His own coaching staff acknowledged the rapid accumulation of those errors just before last season\'s Olympic break by sitting Levshunov down for a few games ahead of it, giving Levshunov nearly a full month away from game action.

There\'s isn\'t much data to suggest that was a major turning point for Levshunov, as he was similarly sporadic over his final month of games as he was during the months prior while the team around him embarked on its worst stretch of the season once a handful of veterans were sent away at the trade deadline. A hand injury then ended Levshunov\'s season three weeks before the conclusion of the regular season, on the tail end of 5-1 and 6-1 road losses by Chicago.

There\'s still undeniable potential with Levshunov, though. The physical tools remain obvious and, when they are combined with proper mental diagnosis of what\'s happening in front of him, Levshunov can make plays that jump off the screen. Those accurate reads appear to be Levshunov\'s most consistent gaffes, though. Ill-timed pinches at the offensive blue line or poor decisions with the puck closer to his own end are all over Levshunov\'s tape, such as in the clips above.

With only 86 NHL games under his belt, Levshunov will make more mistakes next season. But some shifting of the scales from fewer mistakes to more positive plays should be expected -- if not required -- from Levshunov during this upcoming hockey season to instill some hope that the high ceiling associated with his No. 2 draft selection remains attainable.

2026 Blackhawks Top 25 Under 25 list (so far): No. 8: Nick Lardis No. 9: Oliver Moore No. 10: Kevin Korchinski Nos. 11-15: Greene, Nestrasil, Villeneuve, Commesso, Vanacker Nos. 16-20: Boisvert, Behm, Roobroeck, West, Mustard Nos. 21-25: Del Mastro, Gajan, Spellacy, Slaggert, Alalauri Honorable Mention: Samuel Savoie

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