Categories
Dans les coulisses

Former Canadiens scout questions Artyom Levshunov’s real age

Artyom Levshunov was selected second overall in the latest NHL amateur draft.

I celebrated my 25th birthday (some twenty years ago) on the summit of the Chartreuse, a mountain on the outskirts of Grenoble. I remember it because there was nothing but fish to eat (I don’t like fish), I gave one of the weirdest shows of my entire musical career… and a French woman came up to me after the show to tell me I should shave my hair. She was referring to my premature baldness, I imagine…

Even though I thought I was a bit young to switch to clippers, that’s what I did when I got back to Montreal. Since then, I’ve alternated between “shaving” and “letting my hair grow… to remind myself that I don’t have much left”.

Why am I telling you about this this morning? Of course, it has something to do with sport…

On the night of the NHL amateur draft, I was surprised to see Artyom Levshunov missing the hair on the front of his head as he donned a Blackhawks jersey.

Artyom Levshunov was selected second overall in the last NHL amateur draft.

(Credit: Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

Levshunov, who is only 18, seems to have already started losing his hair. And I thought he was precocious at 25…

It’s very rare to see young people under 20 going bald.

“The signs of baldness generally start to appear between the ages of 25 and 35, and become more pronounced as the baldness develops. In rare cases, baldness can begin as early as the late teens.” –Google

So Levshunov is a rare case. OK.

However, Grant McCagg, former Montreal Canadiens scout now at the helm of the Sick Podcast – Recrutes Draftcast, recently expressed doubts about Levshunov’s real age.

A few weeks ago, he actually reported that Levshunov had looked 18 for the past three years, suspecting him of being older than displayed on his papers. Thumbs up to Gabriel Simard-Desgagnés for the find.

Did McCagg rely on the young man’s looks (and hair)? His attitude in general? His play on the ice? Who knows?

McCagg recalled that this wasn’t the first time a Russian or Belarusian player had been the subject of such questioning. Ovechkin, Grigorenko…

Having a 20-year-old play with and against 18-year-olds whose development isn’t at the same stage can help you look good.

Personally, I don’t think there was any age manipulation in Levshunov’s case. But then, I don’t know anything and anything’s possible, isn’t it?

It’s already happened in soccer with some African players…

The factremains that I think Artyom Levshunov and I just have something in common: premature baldness. That’s it.

Note that Levshunov has signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks and will not be returning to university in September. The second overall pick will be interesting to watch in 2024-25. I can’t wait to see what he’ll be able to accomplish at 22 18-19 in the best league in the world.

In Overtime

– The sale of the CapFriendly site to the Capitals has not yet been completed. As soon as it is – if of course it is – the site will close.

– Two big duels await us tomorrow and Wednesday in Germany.

– Cristiano Ronaldo would still like to play for Portugal.

– I think everyone would say yes.

– Now it’s the Dallas Stars’ turn to abandon traditional TV for a streaming platform.