After the season-ending loss in Maryland Heights, Missouri in the regional finals of the NCAA Championships for the Michigan State men's hockey team, honors and awards for the team continues to circulate the program. One more of those includes freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who was named a second-team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association, or AHCA.
Levshunov, during his highly rewarding freshman season, ended the season being tied in sixth place with assists among the conference, as well as tied for 11th in points.
Throughout Michigan State's history-turning season, Levshunov played on the top defensive pairing with senior Nash Nienhuis, where Levshunov recorded nine goals and 26 assists, totaling 35 points. He was just two points shy of the freshman defenseman scoring record, which was set by Jason Woolley and Pat Betterly.
Levshunov ended the season in a tie for eighth place nationally for points and ranked second among freshman defensemen. As a finalist for the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year Award, he also was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and polished off his list of accomplishments on All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
Levshunov is the first Spartan to earn an AHCA honors since Taro Hirose in 2019, and the first Spartan defenseman to take the honors since Torey Krug in 2012. As one of the seven freshmen who earned the honors this year, he also sits alongside Wisconsin Badgers goaltender Kyle McClellan and Michigan Wolverines forward Rutger McGroarty in the East category of the Second Team. Levshunov is projected to go top-10 in the 2024 NHL draft, according to Central Scouting Rankings.
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