Chicago Blackhawks Select Artyom Levshunov with No. 2 Pick in 2024 NHL Draft on Friday

Jun 28, 2024, 11:25 PM

The Chicago Blackhawks have selected Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday. This decision comes a year after the team chose center Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in 2023. Bedard announced the selection of Levshunov, who becomes the highest-picked Belarus native in NHL history. Despite some opinions that the Blackhawks should have taken a chance on winger Ivan Demidov, the team opted for the safe pick in Levshunov. Levshunov played under new Rochester Americans coach Michael Leone with the Green Bay Gamblers before joining Michigan State. This marks just the third time in NHL history that college hockey players have gone 1-2 overall in the draft.