Chicago Blackhawks Organization Punishes Former Second Overall Pick for Violating Team Rules
Artyom Levshunov is set to be a key piece of the Chicago Blackhawks future, but now the 19-year old has been punished by his AHL team after violating team rules.
Despite many potential options, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the second-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and quickly went on to sign the immensely talented Belarusian native.
The 19-year old would immediately join the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs, with many believing that by the end of the 2024/25 campaign, he'd find himself on the Blackhawks blue line if he performed at the level that was expected of him when they bypassed other top prospects to pick him at No. 2 overall.
Through 31 games played, Levshunov has been solid and shown plenty of development while tallying 2 goals and 11 points, but he hasn't exactly set the world alight thus far.
Now, there's been a major issue with his situation, as Frank Seravalli has revealed that he was a healthy scratch for a recent Ice Hogs game due to the fact that he broke a team rule.
Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be a major issue, as the rule he broke was simply turning up a few minutes late to a team meeting, but given the amount of stock the organization has put into the 19-year old, it's safe to say that they'll be hoping this doesn't become a trend.
From all reports, this is very uncharacteristic from Levshunov, who was said to have missed the team meeting by a matter of minutes, and while they had to punish him, it will no doubt serve him well moving forward as he'll continue to learn just how important it is to be a professional as he becomes a huge part of the Blackhawks future.
