Rising Stars: How one Blackhawks player is shaping up

No, Blackhawks fans, it’s not deja vu. You know, that sensation that feels like you’ve been somewhere before. Maybe there’s something happening in the present that you could have sworn occurred in the past, even if it never did. 

Nope, for this hockey team, it’s the same old, same old. Through 38 games prior to Friday night’s slate, the Hawks are competing once more to land the first-overall pick, this time with their division rival, the Nashville Predators, and the Pacific’s San Jose Sharks. 

Yeah, maybe it’ll again come down to the Hawks and Sharks, where Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini might only end up hoping their team will land another potential cornerstone like James Hagens. 

Speaking of Bedard, he’s finally back in the double-digits in shooting percentage after a long layoff. He’s also back in the double digits for goals scored, with 10 heading into Friday’s matchup vs. the Montreal Canadiens. 

But I don’t want to talk about Bedard or even a rising star in defenseman Alex Vlasic. Instead, let’s roll with yet another update on Arvid Soderblom. 

Blackhawks young goaltender is still exceeding expectations

I’ve written about Soderblom several times already, but the kid keeps impressing me as we dive into the new calendar year. Soderblom still hasn’t recorded his shutout, but so far, not a single one of the Hawks goaltenders has. 

But, through 16 games and 14 starts, Soderblom has a 0.907 save percentage, a 2.78 GAA, and a 0.571 quality starts percentage to go with just one ‘really bad start,’ which came when the Dallas Stars manhandled the Hawks. Yeah, he’s only played, at this point, in seven games fewer than Petr Mrazek and has him beaten in all the above metrics. 

His 5-9-1 record is every bit as forgettable as the Blackhawks points total, but considering he’s already matched his win total in less than half of the starts he made last season is rather impressive. And despite the bad start he had against Dallas, Soderblom’s numbers remain epic compared to what he did last year. 

If he can bounce back from that poor outing against the Stars, there’s no question that the Hawks may have a real netminder in Soderblom. Further, if he can just stay consistent until April, general manager Kyle Davidson might be glad he stuck with him.