Chicago Blackhawks call-up top prospect from Rockford

The Chicago Blackhawks have seen some turnover over the last few weeks after Taylor Hall was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 third round draft pick. With the youngsters in the organization getting a chance to prove themselves at the NHL level, more opportunities will be made for players down in Rockford to get their turn as the season progresses.

General manager Kyle Davidson spoke with the media last week and was confident on the current state of the team’s rebuild with the calendar turning to 2025. Most of the franchise’s top names in their prospect pool are playing at the amateur level and are just scratching the surface of what they can be in the future.

Another big piece of Chicago’s rebuild will get a taste of being in the show this week. The number two overall pick of the 2024 draft, Artyom Levshunov has been called up from Rockford, per reports. The former Michigan State Spartan signed his entry level deal right off the bat and has been developing in the AHL all season. His first NHL chance will be interesting compared to other call-ups that players receive, but it will still be massive for his overall development.

Artyom Levshunov’s first Chicago Blackhawks’ stint will be different

Despite Levshunov getting the call, he won’t be playing in any NHL games. Davidson stated that the AHL All-Star break gives the young defensemen a good chance to run with the big club before heading back to Rockford.

“With the AHL currently in their All-Star break, we felt this would be a good opportunity for Arty’s development to come and get some NHL-level practice experience, something he was not able to do during training camp this season due to injury,” Davidson said. “While we don’t expect him to see any game action during his recall, we’re confident the experience will be a positive one fir Arty as he continues on his development path.”

The fact that the Blackhawks front office thinks highly enough of the 19-year-old to give him this call is good to see for fans. In 38 games with the IceHogs this season, Levshunov has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points to along with his plus/minus of -5.