Blackhawks Prospect Rankings: Frank Nazar or Artyom Levshunov at #1?

It’s why I called in one of my closest friends to break the tie. The top spot for CHN’s Prospect Rankings came down to Frank Nazar or Artyom Levshunov, which to be honest, I had Levshunov a bit lower than the other two.

More on that in a moment. Artyom Levshunov, off tiebreaker, ended up as CHN’s top prospect for the Blackhawks. It’s splitting hairs at this point with who ended up at the top of the list but for all intents and purposes, Nazar was my top choice with Del Mastro at two and Levshunov at three.

For both Vinnie and my close friend Jim, Levshunov came out at the top spot with Nazar sitting second. The interesting thing here is that there really isn’t a wrong answer–it’s subjective on how we each view the respective player’s spot on the prospect path. So in the final countdown version, we’ll look at the reasoning behind it and what ended up the top player.

In the End, it Came to the Potential of Artyom Levshunov

Poll any of the Blackhawks front office, and they rave about Levshunov’s potential. The main take away is that his raw skills were good enough to get him Big Ten honors without ever spending a game in training camp for Michigan State. He was impressive in the USHL. He was outstanding for the Spartans. Blackhawks Director of Pro Development Mark Eaton, like general manager Kyle Davidson, see Levshunov as the real deal.

“Like Kyle said, the full package,” Eaton said.  “Good size, great skater, and he has that “it” factor where he wants the puck, he wants to be a difference maker, he wants to be out there in the most important times of games. And he’s not a liability defensively. I think that’s a key for defensemen, that he has that 200-foot game. so, nothing but everything to like about him.”

So factoring that along with him being the second overall pick instead of Ivan Demidov or another defenseman on many lists, Levshunov has an edge there. Go further into how he projects to be a top pairing defenseman in the league, for sure, the argument is there.

So let’s look at why I chose Nazar as my top player.

Frank Nazar Brings A Compelling Case, Too

Here was my argument for Frank Nazar. Not only was he a factor in every important game for the University of Michigan during their tournament run, he made a splash once he slid into the lineup for the Blackhawks. Don’t forget that Nazar had the spectacular between the legs assist against Levshunov’s Spartans to cinch Michigan’s playoff win over State. It wasn’t only that Nazar scored a goal in his first professional game, it’s the little things he did that stood out.

Nazar has the elite instincts to find ways to be in the right place at the right time. His first career goal came as a result of his work in disrupting an offensive chance. Before you know it, Nazar was off to the races after a beauty of an outlet pass–burying the goal. Even in the games after where he was off the score sheet, Nazar was chipping in on both ends of the ice, showing that in just a small sample size, it’s only a matter of time before he’s the player the Blackhawks envisioned.

Now, the moves by Davidson in the off-season might have Nazar starting in Rockford. Yet there’s still that shot he fights his way into the opening lineup because he has those skills that can–and already have–transferred over to the pro level.

So while I’m willing to concede the second spot, there’s absolutely a compelling argument for both. But in the end what matters most for the Blackhawks, is that they don’t spend very long on this list and like Connor Bedard, and Kevin Korchinski, graduate to full time contributors in Chicago.

More CHN Prospect Rankings Stories

It’s Oliver Moore at #4 | Nick Lardis Leads The Final Four | The Excellence and Evolution of Ethan Del Mastro