Hawks Weekly Update 7/1
Levshunov is a Blackhawk, a pre-draft trade, and a look at Fanatics
This week we’re going to do something a little different. This post will be focused entirely on all the news from last week and a second post will come out focused on Hawks History (hint, it’s about a certain #27).
The big news is the draft, I also look at some sweater/jersey changes, new NHL rules, and other items. I’m saving all free agency stuff for a separate post or just next week, including RFAs. Things will probably get weird with that.
Let’s get into the draft.
The 2024 NHL Draft
I’m a little surprised at the negativity towards the draft from Blackhawks fans. A lot of Twitter scouts and Xbox GMs weren’t just upset about not picking Demidov, there was a lot of backlash over the 18th pick and even the trade-up for a third 1st-round pick.
Bottom line up front, we won’t know how this draft pans out (good or bad) for a few years. And I promise that the Blackhawks put in more work researching these players than some Twitter meatball who bought Elite Prospects’ draft guide.
That doesn’t mean “us fans” can’t be critical. We just need to be smart about it. Depending on how Levshunov develops and if Demidov turns into a monster scorer, then we can look back on the decisions made in this draft and point fingers. But a cornerstone defenseman? Those dudes stay with a team for a long time. We can always get a scorer down the road. Defensemen are always hard to come by.
Including Levshunov, the Hawks drafted a lot of “safe” picks. Low-ceiling/high-floor types. But Kyle also drafted large and fast; three of the drafts fastest players were picked by Davidson.
Every pick, except Levshunov and Ty Henry, were forwards. No goalies were drafted as the scouting department feels content in net for now. (As far as prospects go, what we have now is a different story)
I’m ok with the trades, although there’s one I think we all wish happened (boy can we wish).
I think trading the 2 picks to the Hurricanes for pick 27 was good. The scouting department saw something there and KD made the trade.
Quality over quantity is the name of Davidson’s game.
What I will say about the draft is this. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Kyle Davidson say he was going to draft the most skilled player and not draft toward need? Outside of Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov was the most skilled. But two other teams passed on him as well. Maybe Levshunov will be that special.
Pick 2 - Artyom Levshunov
The Blackhawks ended up drafting Artyom Levshunov, which shouldn’t be a surprise but it got some peppers hot. It shouldn’t be getting anyone’s peppers hot, but it is.
The NCAA defenseman will be a great addition to the Hawks blueline… if he pans out. I’m a fan of building from the back out. The Hawks have a decent list of defensemen who might pan out into something nice. While it’s unrealistic to think you can develop a defense solely through drafted players, highly drafted defensemen are a nice addition.
And like I said before, a cornerstone defenseman is a wonderful addition.
Levshunov was the best Big 10 defenseman as a freshman last season. He scored 31 points in 38 games, which highlights his offensive skill. It’s the defensive end of his game that has drawn a lot of criticism.
The alternative pick was Ivan Demidov, who ended up going 5th to Montreal. Demidov would have been a great addition to the prospect pool as the Hawks are still kind of barren in terms of forward prospects. It sounds like the Hawks did try to trade up to get the 4th pick from Columbus, but that never happened. Can you imagine if we got both Demidov and Levshunov?
Pick 18 - Sacha Boisvert
At 18 you have Sacha Boisvert. The 6’2’’ 183lb center was a bit of a surprise. A lot of Xbox GM’s seemed to have a lot of strong opinions about who KD “should have” picked. Boisvert projects to be a middle 6-player with his ceiling being a second-line center. He’s an above-average skater who plays a complete 200-ft game. He also adds size to the Hawks’ small forward pool.
He had 68 points in 61 games in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Sacha will be with North Dakota next year playing college hockey.
On the critical side of the pick, you do have to wonder if trading up from 20 to 18 was worth it. The alleged “blockbuster” trade for the 4th pick included next year’s 1st. So, who knows. Maybe this pick was supposed to be a part of a package that never developed?
Pick 27 - Marek Vanacker
The Hawks made a surprise third pick in the first round when they traded both of their second-round picks to the Hurricanes. I’m all for it. At 6’0 and 165lbs, Vanacker possesses average skills but has speed and strong skating. He produced 82 points in 68 games with the Brantford Bulldogs and is projected to be a bottom-6 player if he hits.
Round 3
Pick 67 - John Mustard
Welcome to Chicago. Mr. Mustard is a fast skater with above-average skating. At 6’ 1’’, he’s known as one of the best skaters in the draft. He needs to work on defense and awareness on the ice.
He had 56 points in 60 games with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks.
Pick 72 - AJ Spellacy
Spellacy is another fast forward with size at 6’3’’ and 201lbs. He generates offense with his speed and is solid in the penalty kill.
Spellacy had 38 points in 67 games with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
Pick 92 - Jack Pridham
92 was acquired by another trade in which the Hawks gave up a 2025 3rd-round pick to the Hurricanes.
He’s fast, has good hockey sense, and is skilled.
Pridham is a forward who plays for the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors and scored 49 points in 54 games
5th Round
Pick 138 - Joel Svensson
33 points in 25 games with Vaxjo’s Junior Hockey Club. Svensson is another forward
6th Round
Pick 163 - Ty Henry
A left-handed defenseman who plays for the OHL’s Erie Otters. Henry had 7 points in 54 games last season.
Trade Horn
On June 26, the Blackhawks acquired Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, and a 2027 2nd Pick from Vancouver. The Hawks gave up a 2027 4th-round pick.
For the Canucks, it’s a nice salary dump. Mikheyev has 2 years left (including this year) on his contract with a $4.750mil cap hit. Mikheyev will slot somewhere on the third line. He also waived his no-trade clause to come here.
Sam Lafferty is a pending UFA. At the time of this writing, there hasn’t been a deal to keep him here. Word is, he would rather test the market. Considering he was solid for us before, I’d be surprised if we didn’t sign him. He’ll be a wonderful addition to the bottom six and our penalty kill.
The acquisition of the 2027 2nd-round pick is smart. That will be used as a deal sweetener when the Hawks are competitive. 2026-2027 is when the Hawks are probably going to be competing for a playoff spot.
The Best Time to Wear a Stripped Sweater…
A couple of sweater/jersey updates. First, the Blackhawks will be wearing an ad on their home reds. Circa Sports, a gambling company, will be the sponsor. Of course, I would choose no ads at all, but this was going to happen. If it’s going to happen, this is how I would perfer the ad to look. Not a fan of gambling though.
The other news is that Fanatics has officially taken over for Adidas. For now, the designs are set to be the same. The only visual difference, as far as I can tell, is that there are no “dimples” on the shoulders.
Mark Lazerus wrote about Fanatics’ response to the MLB circus. It’s great that they’re ensuring the NHL receives an exceptional product, but I’m worried about the fan products. I have no doubt the on-ice jersey will be great. But what about the stuff that we buy? Not just the jerseys. I’m talking about t-shirts, hats, etc.
I recommend reading Laz’s article. It’ll shed some light on the MLB jersey fiasco, which seems to mostly be the fault of Nike (Fanatics took the blame).
Also, the two Blackhawk Fanatics t-shirts I own are completely fine and they’re old.
#27
Jeremy Roenick will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Roenick was one of the best American hockey players and how can you not think of the 90’s Hawks without thinking of JR? With 1362 games played, 513 goals, and 703 assists, he ranks 5th among American-born players with 1216 points. I’ll drop a Hawks History post sometime this week solely focused on JR.
Rules Are Meant to be Broken
The NHL Board of Governors ratified 4 new rules. You can view them here. The one that caught my eye was that coaches can now challenge puck-over-glass if a penalty is called. Let’s make some more coaches challenges to slow the game down.
The attacking centerman now gets a warning instead of getting booted from the face off dot if it’s after an icing.
Dislodging the net now applies to goaltenders. If the goalie or his teammates dislodges the net, the attacking team gets to choose where to faceoff in the o-zone.
Players will get a warning if they are hanging off the boards before a line change. Ignoring the warning will result in an unsportsmanlike penalty.
Closing Thoughts
With RFA updates already coming in (Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier are the only two that received qualifying offers) and a ton of free agency rumors brewing, I’ll probably put out another update at the end of the week for free-agency. That is, if the Hawks have done anything worth talking about.
If it’s pretty quiet on the Blackhawks side, well, you can assume I’m not too happy.
And yes, I’m aware that Davidson is making it look like he’s not planning on doing anything.
Let’s Go Hawks.