The Michigan State University hockey team's top player from last season won't be back for another year.
Defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who was selected second overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in last week's NHL draft, has signed an entry-level contract, the team announced Saturday.
Refshunov signed a three-year contract with a salary-cap hit of $975,000 and will forfeit the remaining three seasons of collegiate eligibility.
“Signing Artyom gives us the opportunity to further develop him in-house and take the next step into professional hockey,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a press release. “He is a strong two-way defenseman who has all the ingredients to be a top player in the NHL, and we are excited to watch him continue his development at the professional level.”
Levshunov, an 18-year-old Belarus native, had a standout freshman season with the Spartans, averaging 35 points with nine goals and 26 assists, tied for second on the team in scoring, and was a plus-27 on the ice. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, was named Second Team All-American and helped the Spartans win the conference regular season and tournament championships during a bounce-back year.
Losing the 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander Refshunoff is obviously a blow for Michigan State, but it wasn't entirely unexpected for head coach Adam Nightingale, who is in his second year at the helm at his alma mater. Refshunoff joined the Spartans after playing one season with Green Bay in the USHL and was widely considered the best defenseman available in the NHL Draft. He will seek promotion to the Blackhawks from Chicago's AHL Rockford IceHogs this season.
Levshunov is just the third Michigan State player in history to be drafted in the top three of the NHL draft, joining Joe Murphy (first pick by the Red Wings in 1986) and Craig Simpson (second pick by Pittsburgh in 1985), and is also the highest-drafted player born in Belarus.
