Artyom Levshunov : In-Depth Scouting Report

Artyom Levshunov is a Belarusian (right-handed) defenseman who has been playing in the United States for the last two seasons. After spending a year in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers, he made the jump in the NCAA this season with Michigan State University.

Levshunov is one of the defenders that could be described as a ‘Two-Way’ in this draft. He is a calm presence in his territory and particularly when defending counter-attacks. He is never alarmed by a forward coming down at full speed, no matter if he gets attacked head-on or if he has to catch up to the forward. He makes good use of his stick and we see that his skating allows him to cover more territory than one might believe at first glance.

Having finished the season with close to a Point Per Game, Levshunov is a curious case to evaluate offensively. In the offensive zone, he is not the type of player to skate along the blue line with the puck and he is not the most comfortable or creative player with it but he is capable of distributing the puck efficiently all the same. Personally, I prefer defenseman who exudes a certain aura with the puck and who can plant doubts in the heads of their opponents as well as challenge them but although I do not find that in Levshunov and I find him a little simplistic in his approaches offensively, he still made a few plays this season that made me hesitate about the label I was going to give him as a Puck-Mover.

Just like with his puck distribution, the word to describe his shot and the use he makes of it is: Simplicity. He stands out for his ability to place pucks on net even when he is stuck along the boards. It is generally at these moments when the play seems most harmless that the defensive coverage can be more porous and Levshunov’s teammates can go to the net to take the rebounds. Several Michigan State goals have been scored this way this season.

On a technical level, Levshunov has a very ‘Swift’ shot. He releases his shot without gaining momentum beforehand. He doesn’t have to bring the puck back before releasing. This detail ensures that the forward responsible of covering him have no clues as to his intentions to shoot and this can mean that they will not react in time to place themselves in a position to block the shot. This is one of the reasons why Levshunov manages to direct so many pucks to the net. Also, he never continues the forward motion of his stick after the puck has left his blade.

Even on his slap shots, his windup is very short.

To close this aspect of his game, goalkeepers must be wary of him since he does a good job of taking shots while he is in an unorthodox position.

On the other hand, it is not for the projection of his offensive that Levshunov is a coveted prospect. What may very well be his most attractive characteristic is how he can tilt the ice in his team’s favor. His transition game has several strong points.

He offers a quality first pass but what catches my attention the most is that I find nuances that make him a unique player in this department.

We find an element of ‘Deception’ as he happens to look at a player other than his intended target. This is something that we often find in the offensive zone among skilled players but it is not something usual in breakout.

But above all, Levshunov is excellent at making cross-ice passes, from the full width of the ice, to a teammate. We don’t see wing changes like this frequently in hockey. But this allows you to catch a formation that brings a change by surprise and exploit the free side of the ice rink. Some coaching strategies are also to apply increased pressure with more than one player on one side of the ice, Levshunov is the perfect antidote to this.

For me, his greatest quality is how quickly he can move the play from a defensive situation to an offensive situation. There is nothing very flashy when you look closely at how he achieves this, but I will mention once again his efficiency. His defensive qualities allow him to gain control of the puck, whether by winning a physical confrontation or by using his stick. Then the correct pass option is quickly identified and no time is wasted in his execution. I also like that he pursues his actions and jumps into the play following his breakout pass.

This aspect was also one of the biggest strengths in a prospect last year. Another right-handed defender over 6’2: David Reinbacher.

As a French-Canadian, I constantly see comparisons being made to Montreal Canadiens players, or prospects, and quite frankly, I find these comparisons very lazy. They’re often lame and I don’t really see where people are going with them. It’s not like there aren’t other players to draw parallels with.

At the start of the season, the similarities between the two struck me due to this aforementioned ability to move from a defensive scenario to an offensive one in the blink of an eye. It was a bold position at the start of the season, but I maintain my point: I think Reinbacher is superior to Levshunov!

(Reinbacher was generally ranked around 20th in public lists last year).

Where a gap is observed between the two is regarding their Compete-Level. This is the main reason why I prefer Reinbacher.

This is observed in various scenarios. First, Levshunov sometimes jumps into the offensive play and when the puck falls into the enemy’s hands and they begin a counterattack, he does not seem in any hurry to backcheck. During a sequence, a 4 against 2 took shape for the opposing team and it was a forward who assumed the defensive backcheck. Levshunov arrived a few seconds later, sliding down.

The most notable difference between the two, however, is how they will accept contact in order to protect the puck. This was one of the things I loved most of Reinbacher last year. In the case of Levshunov, I saw him get rid of the puck softly because he didn’t want to get hit. This is an integral part of a player’s Compete-Level for me.

I have continually questioned myself with Levshunov this season. At times, I was ready to forgive him for everything I had criticized him for early in the year, but now that I have a portrait of his entire season, I must note that it is a player who is quite inconsistent in his desire to compete.

It’s a shame because when he plays hard, he has the physical strength to bully his opponents and can simply be physically dominant along the boards.

Despite the criticisms I have about him, it’s difficult to label him as ‘disinterested’ on the ice because overall, he’s a very alert player. When you watch him closely, it’s fascinating to see how he actively communicates nonverbally. He is constantly pointing with his hand or his stick to his teammates where to go on the ice, who to cover in an odd-man rush situation, where to send the puck, etc. Sometimes it’s literally like having a coach on the ice.

It’s particularly impressive to see him lead his teammates on the ice despite being the youngest player on his team. Even more so when we take into consideration that there may be a language barrier present in his case.

But above all, it demonstrates an increased understanding of the game in general. During the Combine, NHL executives like to question the prospects by showing them a sequence of play from an NHL game, and pressing pause, they ask them which players would be responsible for covering which players, going where, etc. I have the impression that Levshunov will do well in this, if questioned.

To return to his offensive production, it is a bit hard for me to justify it. As said previously, Levshunov is effective in simple plays but he does not have the hand dexterity nor the level of creativity necessary to make plays worthy of projecting him on a first PP-unit. He quickly finds himself overwhelmed if he tries a little more imaginative plays. I think many people are being fooled by the numbers he has this year in the NCAA.

In fact, this carries over to the other two zones as well. The moment he tries to keep the puck and perform a bolder play, he puts himself in trouble.

Defensively, one of the things I criticize him for is giving too much space to the shooters.

Here he makes a bad decision and instead of following his player behind the net, he brakes and goes to protect the other side.

Levshunov won’t have been one of my favorites this season, but when I look at the projection of his toolbox, I give more importance to the impact he will have defensively than other players can achieve with the puck. He was in his first steps in the NCAA and it remains possible that he will improve in the coming years.

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