With the Chicago Blackhawks‘ training camp just days away, nearly all eyes will look to 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard and how he’ll perform in his first season of professional hockey. Beyond that, some may look at how the rest of the team’s youth will play throughout training camp and the preseason, including Kevin Korchinski and Lukas Reichel. Can defenseman Seth Jones step up and play like the $9.5 million blueliner he is? Others may wonder how newly-acquired veterans Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall and Corey Perry will fare with their new club.
But what about Chicago’s goaltending? Little has been said or written about who will backstop the Blackhawks this season, but you might be surprised as to what the team has in store. Let’s take a look at last season’s committee of netminders and how they will fare in 2023-24.
Soderblom & Stalock: Better Than Expected
Six goalies stood between the pipes for the Blackhawks through the 2022-23 season, mostly led by a trio of Petr Mrazek, Alex Stalock and Arvid Soderblom. Considering the team was near the bottom of the NHL barrel, no one would blame you if you thought their goaltending was less than stellar. Turns out, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
After playing just one game the previous two seasons, Stalock had a solid bounce-back campaign, posting a .908 save percentage (SV%) in 27 appearances, providing the Blackhawks with capable goaltending during a rebuilding season. He would go on to sign a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks in the offseason.
With Soderblom, the numbers may not look great, but like the theme song of an ’80s cartoon reminds us, there’s more than meets the eye. Despite a 2-10-2 record and .894 SV% in 15 appearances, the Swedish goalie held his own for the most part, especially when you consider how poor the defense played in front of him. He faced over 30 shots in more than half of his games, including four games with over 40. Take away a 7-1 loss against the New York Rangers in December, and Soderblom would have a .904 SV%.
With Stalock gone, expect Soderblom to get more starts this season than the 13 he had in 2022-23.
Jaxson Stauber: Wait, Who’s This Guy?
Jaxson Stauber provided some of the most intrigue for Blackhawks fans last season. After spending two seasons putting up stellar numbers for Providence College in the NCAA’s Hockey East Conference, he signed a two-year entry-level deal with Chicago. His first professional stint with the team’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, didn’t blow anyone away, going 6-4-0 in 12 appearances, and posting a .896 SV%.
Stauber was called up on Jan. 17 while Stalock battled illness. Making his first NHL start four days later against the St. Louis Blues, he made 29 saves in a 5-3 win. Five days later, he stopped 34 of 35 shots in a 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. Two games, two wins. Not bad. How was he rewarded? By being sent back down to the minors, of course! Don’t fret, he was called up a week later, earning his third win in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Arizona Coyotes, becoming the first goaltender in Blackhawks history to start his career with a 3-0-0 record.
Related: Bedard, Blackhawks Prospects Shine at Ted Kurvers Showcase
Stauber ended up with a 5-1-0 record in six appearances before being sent down to Rockford on Feb. 26 for the rest of the season. His stint with the Blackhawks might have been brief, but he certainly left an impression on both fans and those who cover the team. Expect him to get the majority of starts in Rockford, and likely some appearances with the big club should they be stung by the injury bug.
For Petr Mrazek, It’s a Make-or-Break Season
That leads us to Mrazek. Over three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes between 2018-19 and 2020-21, he had above-average numbers, posting a 50-32-8 record with a .911 SV% in 92 appearances. After signing a three-year, $11.4 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the 2021-22 season, many hoped he would evolve into the All-Star caliber goaltender some thought he could be.
That never happened. In his one-and-only season in Toronto, he never posted a monthly SV% above .900 and was placed on waivers in March. Despite posting a 12-6-0 record, he finished the season with a .888 SV%. It was so bad that at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, he was traded to Chicago, along with a first-round pick, in exchange for only a second-round pick.
Looking for a fresh start with the Blackhawks, 2022-23 was largely forgettable for Mrazek. He started the season going 2-10-1 in his first 14 games, posting a .878 SV%. Outplayed by his goaltending colleagues, many were left wondering what happened to the 2010 fifth-round pick. Surprisingly, he finished the season somewhat strong, despite a 2-6-1 record, posting a .907 SV% in his final 11 appearances and playing some of his best hockey of the season. Take away a 7-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken on April 8, and that SV% jumps to .921 in his final 10 games.
Now entering the final year of the contract he signed in Toronto, this is a make-or-break season for the 31-year-old. The Blackhawks are still in rebuild mode, but that doesn’t mean the coaches and management expect the goaltending to be a bust. If Mrazek expects to sign another deal after the season –– with Chicago or anywhere else for that matter –– then he needs to find some of that mojo he had in Carolina. If he doesn’t, there won’t be any room left for him at the table.
Bonus Tidbit: Blackhawks’ Prospect Drew Commesso
Someone to keep an eye on this season in Rockford will be Drew Commesso. The former Boston University Terrier recorded a shutout in a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues in the Blackhawks’ opening game of the Ted Kurvers Prospect Showcase in St. Paul, Minn. on Saturday night.
He also made one appearance in the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship for Team USA. The 2020 second-round pick said he picked up some valuable experience working with veteran goalies like Casey DeSmith of the Vancouver Canucks and Cal Petersen of the Philadelphia Flyers. Expect Commesso to get some opportunity in Rockford through the 2023-24 season.
A Slight Improvement in Net Could Mean Making the Playoffs
Blackhawks fans should feel optimistic about the team’s goaltending this upcoming season. As a whole, the team posted a .892 SV% in 2022-23, well below the league average of .904. That will likely improve in 2023-24, which could be the difference between finishing near the bottom of the league and staying competitive into the months of March and April.
Will that be good enough to make the playoffs? Maybe. Maybe not. But fans of teams with 18-year-old first-overall picks carry plenty of hope, and when that pick is someone like Bedard, anything is possible.
