Should Blackhawks draft Ivan Demidov or Artyom Levshunov? Experts weigh in

The Chicago Blackhawks will discuss a lot of players they could pick at No. 2 in next month’s NHL Draft. They have to talk through all the big prospects.

But, as we’ve already written, it likely comes down to two players — Ivan Demidov and Artyom Levshunov — for Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson. And in surveying some of the most respected scouting gurus, a choice between Demidov and Levshunov seems even more likely.

We asked nine draft experts on who the Blackhawks should pick and why. Here are their answers.

Corey Pronman, The Athletic

Pick:

Levshunov

Reason: I know the Blackhawks have a lot of good young defensemen coming, but until they’re there and producing, you have to take the best player. Levshunov projects as a No. 1 defenseman. I don’t know too many teams who would say you can have too many No. 1 defensemen. He’s 6 feet 2 inches, mobile, plays all situations and had a better year in the Big Ten than Owen Power or Quinn Hughes did in their draft season. That’s a guy you can build a winner around if he hits.

I respect the elite skill Demidov has. He’s the most skilled player in the draft, he plays hard and will score a lot in the NHL, but he’s more of a luxury than what the Blackhawks need to build a winner.

Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: I love Levshunov, and he’d be a great pick. Physical specimen. High defensive upside. Great, long skater. Excellent transition game and activity level offensively. Rapidly developing finer skills. He’d be the No. 1 or No. 2 of the future and a cornerstone of a blue line that will be built around size — see: Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, et al.

I still think it should probably be Demidov, though. It is so, so hard to find first-line forwards with point-per-game potential. Finding two in the same birth year with Connor Bedard and Demidov could change everything for the ceiling of that team. Look around the NHL playoffs right now at the great duos. Connor McDavid and Leon Draistaitl, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov — and the way Sam Reinhart joined them this year. Bedard and Demidov could be that for the Blackhawks if things break right.

Chris Peters, FloHockey

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: The debate for me is between two players, Demidov and Levshunov. I think that’s the two best fits in terms of what Chicago needs and also the quality of the player and the confidence in the player to be a high-level player.

(Demidov) is a scorer. He has that shot-pass threat ability. I think he has good hockey sense. Yes, there are some concerns about his skating. Does he have the overall burst to create separation, things like that? Maybe not, but I think that he does have strength. He has this really refined offensive hockey sense where he finds ways to get pucks through, he’s confident with the puck.

I just think if you have a Connor Bedard already, you look at the rest of the forwards that you have in your system, you don’t have anybody that’s near the quality of Ivan Demidov right now. I love Frank Nazar. I was a big Lucas Reichel fan. Obviously, that’s kind of been up and down. But Ivan Demidov is that next-level player.

And if you already have Connor Bedard as the focal point of your offense, you still need that secondary guy that is going to provide scoring depth and also be a top-level scorer. You think back to Patrick Kane’s Hart Trophy year and having Artemi Panarin, how much that mattered. So that’s why Demidov ended up in that spot for me.

Byron Bader, Hockey Prospecting

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: When you see Demidov with your eyes, he’s a game-breaking star who can always create something out of nothing. And when you look at how he profiles in the Hockey Prospecting model, he shows like a near-certain superstar, so the eye test is matching the analytics.

Any forward that has ever had the type of equivalency we’ve seen from Demidov in his pre-draft year and draft year, going back to the ’80s, has turned into a point-per-game-plus superstar over their careers. Bedard looked similar and is already trending to be a superstar in the NHL. Matvei Michkov looked that way and will likely make an immediate impact with the Flyers when he makes his way to the NHL. Before that, it was Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel. You need stars to compete and contend in the NHL, and Demidov is almost guaranteed to be that.

Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: From a forward perspective, I truly believe Demidov is the next best forward. Having said that, there’s a few caveats there. The first one being he played in the MHL (junior league in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) all year, and that’s a difficult league to really get a read on because it’s not a great league and he dominated the league. So, you know, that does present some scouting challenges.

In a vacuum, when you watch him in that league, there’s no doubt. He goes to the right areas. He plays hard. He’s a good competitor. He knows where to go on the ice. His skill set is crazy. Probably leans more playmaker than goal scorer. But he’s really good.

Now, is part of that a product of the competition? Partially, but I think, in a vacuum, the skill set still says to me he’s the guy whose game will translate.

The other issue is what is your risk tolerance for being able to get the player over here? That’s the next thing you have to consider. And what does that timeline look like? He signed for one more year. From what I understand, they want to get him signed to a longer-term deal, and there might be some pressures to coerce him to do that. So, that’s problematic. I don’t know well enough with the connections that Kyle (Davidson) has to Russia, if they’re boots on the ground there in terms of scouts, if they have someone who has the inside track.

Craig Button, TSN

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: The Hawks find themselves in a favorable position selecting second in the draft. A number of talented yet different types of defenders present as options. Smart, skilled, some big, strong skating very solid types who always form the backbone of a successful team. It’s a smorgasbord of players who will be successful in the NHL. But nobody who conjures up images of Duncan Keith. More like Brent Seabrook.

Now, Ivan Demidov conjures up images of Nikita Kucherov/Patrick Kane. Game breakers. Difference makers. Mercurial talents. Alongside Connor Bedard, that is exciting. It’s an addition that multiplies the talents of both Bedard and Demidov not just merely adding to their talents. Opportunity to add a rare talent presented itself last year at the draft. It is presented once again.

Cam Robinson, Elite Prospects

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: Who Chicago should draft is a much different question than who I think they will draft. But we’ll go with should here. For my money, this comes down to three players – Ivan Demidov, Cayden Lindstrom and Artyom Levshunov: the ultra-dynamic winger, the raw, power pivot and the potential top-pairing defenseman.

In the end, the prospect of attaching Ivan Demidov to Connor Bedard’s hip for the next decade-plus would be too exciting a proposition to pass up. The external factors around him add a very real cloud of doubt, but I’m not a GM in a hot seat, so it’s easier to make this call. Bringing Demidov’s elite offensive mind and toolkit would set the franchise up with an electric duo. I hedge him just a hair over Lindstrom, who I think would also be a tremendous addition to the club long term.

Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: If I’m the Hawks, I’m chasing after Ivan Demidov. I get the idea of drafting a defender at No. 2, especially with a class like this. But with Demidov, you’re getting someone capable of not only keeping up with Bedard out there but being able to come close to matching his talent. His puck work, his skill, his speed, everything together makes him so valuable. He’s got the “hero” factor that allows him to take over games when you need him most, and I’ll always bet on high upside potential like that.

Will Scouch, Scouching

Pick:

Demidov

Reason: I’d definitely be targeting Ivan Demidov from St. Petersburg. Combining him with Connor Bedard would be an absolutely groundbreaking pair, especially with Oliver Moore and other dynamic offensive talents in the Blackhawks’ cupboard. Remarkable skill level with immense creativity and a relentless nose for offense as a playmaker, and playing with Bedard would sell itself, but he could elevate any goal scorer’s game.

(Photos: Maksim Konstantinov, Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)