It's not impossible for Drew Commesso to make the Blackhawks in 2026-27

Goalie Drew Commesso is one that many are watching next season. The 24 year old is heading into his fourth year pro, but he has only five games of NHL experience, as he has spent the majority of his Chicago Blackhawks tenure with the Rockford IceHogs.

After several years of development in the AHL and a two-year extension he received this summer, many are wondering what kind of jump he will make.

His 2026-27 storyline centers on whether he will make a strong enough impression on the Blackhawks next season to earn a spot.

Commesso's career recap

In three seasons in Rockford, Commesso has been pretty consistent, with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in 114 games. Last season, he had a 3.08 goals-against and a .901 save percentage in 37 games.

Comesso reflected on last season in his Rockford exit interview: "It was just a lot of growth, a lot of learning. Personally for me, I feel like I felt really comfortable. And we had a lot of new guys this year, so being an older guy on the team, it's kind of a new role for me. It was nice to bring them in and make them feel welcomed. And yeah, I mean, every season I've had in Rockford's been a bit different, but I cherish them all."

He played in three games this season, and his call-ups were sporadic as they came when illness spread through the Blackhawks locker room, but he really took advantage of it. He got his first career win, and he also got his first shutout against the Nashville Predators in January. In his three games, he went 2-1, with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

He seemed steady at the NHL level and controlled his starts. There wasn't much hecticness. Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill praised his demeanor, an ongoing theme for the Blackhawks' goalies, as Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom have been praised for their calm demeanors, too.

How Commesso can earn a spot

There is an ongoing conversation about whether Commesso should be Knight's backup on the Blackhawks next season. His stats show growth, and having three years of development in the AHL (including two IceHogs playoff runs) is a plus. Furthermore, his play was encouraging in a small NHL sample size.

But when it comes to the backup spot, Söderblom is the one he has to leap over, as he has held the No. 2 role for the past three seasons and is in the final year of his two-year contract.

However, it's not impossible for Commesso to get that spot, either.

General manager Kyle Davidson envisions Commesso fighting for a spot, as he said in July, "Drew's someone that's put in a lot of work, not only before turning pro, but since he's gotten to pro and played largely in Rockford. And he came up and played well in his couple opportunities here. So... you go into training camp, and you want to foster competition, and we're certainly going to do that, and I'm sure the other goaltenders will embrace that as well, and come in and prove that they're the ones that should be here to break camp. And so Drew's part of that conversation, and we've got a ton of faith in Drew, both currently and down the road, and so we're excited to see him come in and try and push for a spot and show that he's ready for NHL action."

Commesso will get his Blackhawks opportunity. "When" is the question. He could very well have an impressive training camp and make the team. Or, as last season showed, things happen throughout a long season, and he may get more NHL reps, even if he starts in Rockford again.

He said about his summer plans, "Yeah, not much planned. I'm going to definitely take some time to recover and heal, get back in the gym really quickly. And yeah, I'm really excited. Honestly, just my mindset going into the summer is to have (the) best summer of my pro career. I'm really looking forward to working out, putting on muscle, and improving on the ice, as well. It's going to be a big summer for me. I'm really excited, but at the same time, I'm excited to exhale and spend some time with family, see some friends I haven't seen in a while..."

With a big summer and an anticipated goalie competition ahead at training camp, Commesso's future looks bright.

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