Given that San Jose selecting Macklin Celebrini first overall was merely a formality, the 2024 NHL Draft truly began with the Blackhawks’ No. 2 overall pick. Throughout much of the pre-draft process, Chicago and GM Kyle Davidson were mostly tasked with deciding between two blue-chip prospects in Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov and Russian forward Ivan Demidov.
When Davidson and other Blackhawks personnel took the stage at the Sphere in Las Vegas Friday night, they announced that Levshunov would be headed to Chicago.