We’re in the dog days of summer, and it’s mostly quiet on the Chicago Blackhawks front. This is a time to regroup from a productive NHL 2024 Draft and free agency frenzy, and take stock of where the organization stands. We can look forward to the 2024-25 season and hypothesize who will make the team out of training camp, and how much better the club might be. But it’s all pretty much a waiting game at this point.
Nevertheless, there’s almost always juicy tidbits of interest, even in mid-July. Let’s get to some of the latest news and rumors.
Levshunov Goes Pro
Before the draft, the debate was whether the Blackhawks would select forward Ivan Demidov or defenseman Artyom Levshunov with their No. 2 overall pick. Once we learned it was Levshunov, the discussion turned to whether the Belarus native would go pro right away, or go back to Michigan State for another season.
Related – 8 Thoughts on Blackhawks 8 Selections in the 2024 Draft
This question was answered on July 6, when the Blackhawks announced they had signed Levshunov to a three-year, entry level contract with a $975,000 annual cap hit (which is the maximum salary allowed for a rookie). Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson seemed pleased about this decision.
Signing Artyom gives us the opportunity to continue his development in-house and [lets him] take the next step into professional hockey. He’s a strong two-way defenseman that has all the tools to be a high-end player in the NHL, and we’re excited to continue his growth at the pro level.
I personally thought Levshunov would return to Michigan State, where he tallied nine goals and 35 points in 38 games in his freshman season. After all, Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale cited numerous defensemen who spent two seasons in a college program before then stepping into the NHL. (from ‘What I learned about Blackhawks from the NHL Scouting Combine’, TheAthleticCHI – 6/10/24)
Levshunov has also only been in the United States for two years (he played with the USHL Green Bay Gamblers in the 2022-23 season). Blackhawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton recognizes that hockey is a different game over in Europe, and Levshunov hasn’t had the advantage of much high-end strength and conditioning in America.
Considering the young blueliner is so green, perhaps it’s better to ease him in? You never want to rush a prospect, especially a defenseman, who traditionally take longer to develop. But Levshunov was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Apparently, the Blackhawks and Levshunov determined there was nothing left to prove at the collegiate level.
Instead, it sounds like the 6-foot-2, 210-pound defenseman will likely play with the AHL Rockford IceHogs this coming season. Said Eaton,
Being able to be hands-on every single day is a huge bonus. That is the line that we walk with our amateur prospects: the realization that they all play for other coaches, they all play in different systems. So if we have the ability to have him in-house and…[have] our development staff working with him on a daily basis, [that can] start to close that gap between where he is and where he needs to go.
Sure, Levshunov will come to training camp and technically “compete” for a spot with the big club. But based on the above-mentioned inexperience, I would be very surprised if he didn’t get a season of seasoning in Rockford. Now for the 2025-26 season; well that could be a very different story.
“Home Away From Home” Preseason Game in Milwaukee
The Blackhawks released their 2024-25 season schedule on July 2. Furthermore, on July 9 they officially announced their final preseason game against the St. Louis Blues will be another “Home Away from Home” game at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (the home of the NBA Milwaukee Bucks). Tommy Hawk gave us the scoop in a very “cheesy” Wisconsin way.
*chef's kiss*🧀 pic.twitter.com/0KKZCv7FQe
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 9, 2024
This is the second time the team will host a game in Milwaukee. In 2022 the Blackhawks hosted the Minnesota Wild for another preseason game at this same stadium. Considering Wisconsin is a huge college hockey state, yet has no NHL team of its own, it seems like a no-brainer to revisit this venue.
Related – Blackhawks 2024-25 Season Schedule: 10 Games to Circle
In 2022, the tickets (about 15,000 seats available) sold out in less than an hour. 81% of those were purchased by Wisconsin residents versus Blackhawks fans from Illinois. It goes without saying if you want to attend you should secure your seats early! Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Central Time on Friday, July 12.
Where Are They Now? Patrick Sharp
We all need a little nostalgia in our lives. So why not revisit one of the Blackhawks’ all-time favorite players from the dynasty days, Patrick Sharp.
Most women swoon over Sharpy and his good looks, but he also happened to be a pretty good hockey player. While he was origianlly drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2001 NHL Draft, he was traded to the Blackhawks in 2005-06 season. The rest is history. Sharp went on to be one of the best complementary players on the team, and often-times the primary player as well. He amassed 249 goals, 283 assists and 532 points in 749 games with the Blackhawks, through 11 seasons. He also added 42 goals and 38 assists for 80 points in 117 playoffs games. And of course, he’s raised the Stanley Cup three times with Chicago.
Sharp spent two seasons with the Dallas Stars towards the end of his career, but then came back to Chicago for one final season before retiring after the 2017-18 season. From there, he served as a TV broadcaster for the Blackhawks and the NBC national panel for a few years. His good looks might have initially gotten him these gigs, but he turned out to be a knowledgeable and insightful broadcaster, earning him even more respect in the hockey world. But eventually this ran it’s course. Said Sharp,
I think (television) was great for me the first three or four years after retiring. It kept me in the game, fed my ego, got a lot of face time. But as the years went on, it became less enjoyable. I loved the people I worked with, both with the Hawks and at NBC. It felt like they were a part of a team. But I missed actually wearing a team logo and working with players and being a part of something.
(from ‘Why Patrick Sharp gave up a blossoming TV career to join the Flyers’ front office’, The Athletic – 7/10/24)
Which is why Sharp signed on a little more than a year ago as a special advisor to hockey operations with the team that drafted him, the Flyers. The now 42-year-old retired hockey player admitted it was “weird, I won’t lie about that” to return to the Flyers organization after being so ingrained with the Blackhawks as a player and then as a broadcaster.
Related – Meet the New Blackhawks: Tyler Bertuzzi
Believe it or not, it was a former Blackhawks’ teammate that encouraged Sharp on this new path. Brian Campbell is now an advisor to hockey operations as well, but with the Blackhawks. He and Sharp were teammates and friends in Chicago for four seasons, and Campbell knows a little bit about what made Sharp tick. He explained,
He (Sharp) was doing the TV and I just kind of explained to him how much I’m enjoying being a part of a team now. That’s why we kept talking about it. … I know him inside, and what fuels him and what makes him tick and gets the adrenaline going. I felt that was a natural fit for him to move forward, in the right situation, and doing it the right way.
I’m sure a lot of fans would love to have Sharp as a member of the Blackhawks’ family. But they would also want him to be happy, which it seems he is. He says he loves being around the team and the young players, and just thinking and talking about hockey.
Does this mean we have to start rooting for the Flyers? Well, let’s not get too carried away.
Best of luck to Sharpy in his new endeavors!
Blackhawks One of the Most Improved Teams
Let’s get back to the current Blackhawks and the upcoming 2024-25 season. According to an article in The Athletic by Dom Luszczyszyn, the Blackhawks are the most improved team in the NHL after most of the free agency signings are complete. (from ‘Which NHL teams have improved the most this offseason’, The Athletic – 7/10/24)
On paper, at least.
Chicago has added what should amount to two top-six forwards (Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen), three experienced bottom-six forwards (Ilya Mikheyev, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith), two NHL-caliber defensemen (Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie) and a goalie with stellar numbers (Laurent Brossoit).
That’s a lot of talent and a lot of new faces! These players are meant to provide support to the young, up-and-coming prospects such as Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic and Kevin Korchinski. Not to mention the plethora of prospects who could be joining the team this season, such as Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and Landon Slaggert, to name just a few.
It’s exciting to think about. But considering the Blackhawks finished 31st in the league last season, we still need to temper our expectations. They might have greatly improved, but they were also pretty bad to begin with. So let’s not start talking about the playoffs just yet.
Even so, fans will be looking forward to a much more competitive team this coming season. It should be fun to watch. What do you think, Blackhawks fans? Will the team be as improved as they’re being touted?!
Related – Ranking the Blackhawks’ 2024 Free Agent Signings
That’s all for this edition of Blackhawks News and Rumors. We’ll have more news and analysis as the offseason progresses, and more updates come to the surface. Also, be sure to tune in for our latest summer series, “Meet the New Blackhawks”. We’ll introduce you to all of the above players, so you know a little more about them before training camp starts.
Is it October yet?!
