Ranking the Blackhawks goaltenders from worst to first for the 2024-25 season
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The Chicago Blackhawks have four goaltenders either slated to play at the NHL or AHL level and throughout an 82-game season, maybe all four of them will see time with the big club. Ideally, that won’t be the case, as our No. 4 player on this list can use another season of development while our No. 3 player, ideally, will never see NHL ice again.
But why did I rank the four goaltenders in the system in their respective spots, and what can we expect from them this season? Which netminder, or netminders, am I ultra high on, and who am I taking a more realistic approach with as the 2024-25 training camp and preseason draws nearer?
4 - Drew Commesso
Don’t get me wrong; I like Drew Commesso a lot, and there’s an excellent chance he will leapfrog over Arvid Soderblom at some point this season. But given the latter’s vast NHL experience and rather enticing play when he was developing in Rockford, he still deserves to be ranked over Commesso.
That said, this will be the season Commesso breaks out following what was an encouraging first year in Rockford. Commesso finished the year with a solid 2.65 GAA, a 0.906 save percentage, and 18 wins. Not to mention, he also finished the regular season with two shutouts before appearing in three postseason games, posting a 0.915 save percentage and a 2.57 GAA.
3 - Arvid Söderblom
Yeah, we can label Arvid Soderblom a “bust” at the NHL level, even if he was never a draft pick. Still, he had more than enough chances in the NHL after perennial stellar showings with the Rockford IceHogs between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
But the result in two full seasons and 50 games with the Chicago Blackhawks ended with just seven wins, a 3.84 GAA, an 0.883 GAA, and a 0.364 quality starts percentage. These overall numbers may not have been as bad if Soderblom progressed and didn’t regress, but that, unfortunately, wasn’t the case.
2 - Laurent Brossoit
Laurent Brossoit is one player that I was more than excited to see come to Chicago. While I mentioned he won’t be the netminder he was over these last two seasons, it shouldn’t matter. He’s someone who will provide an amazing stopgap until someone like Drew Commesso is ready to be the 1B, whether that occurs in 2025-26 or even later.
There are times when fans of rebuilding franchises groan when the top goaltender isn’t starting, but this isn’t happening with Brossoit unless he struggles through a down season. But don’t expect it to happen; instead, look for Brossoit to keep playing a steady, reliable game.
1 - Petr Mrazek
The Blackhawks may have been in a battle with the San Jose Sharks for last place in 2023-24, but Petr Mrazek is one player we can’t blame. Arvid Soderblom’s performance is something that a contingent of fans may excuse because the Blackhawks weren’t a good team, but Petr Mrazek finished the year with a 0.907 save percentage, a 3.05 GAA, and a 0.547 quality starts percentage.
It tells us that, yes, even with a bad team like the Blackhawks, you can still enjoy a decent season. Now that the Hawks look better on paper for 2024-25 than most of us may have imagined, I’m interested to see how well Mrazek fares this season.
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(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects)