HIGHS AND LOWS: Blackhawks goaltending on pace for rebuild

Who will become the eventual starter in Chicago? We cover Stauber, Commesso,

With the season winding down for both the Blackhawks and the IceHogs, there is plenty of controversy surrounding the goal-tending situation. Going into this past season, it was expected that the veteran Petr Mrazek would steer the ship further, during the current rebuild. As expected, the 24-year-old second-year Arvid Soderblom would get his chance at the # 2 spot after two consistent seasons in Rockford. However, the season has gone less than anticipated for the rookie goaltender. We'll dive into the Hawks goalie situation for the incoming season along with goaltenders within the Chicago organization

Mrazek has been excellent this season. He's keeping the Blackhawks in almost every game he's played this season. One of the few reasons the team has not gone 0-82 on the year. Mrazek inked a two-year extension with Chicago on January 24th, running through the 2025-2026 season. The Blackhawks have not had a consistent starting goalie since the past decade when Corey Crawford ruled the crease. While it is true that Mrazek is no Crawford he shows up every night, giving the Blackhawks a chance to win. This season, he is 18-30-4 with a .907 SV% and 3.06 GAA. On a struggling Chicago team, he has been excellent. Providing the team with consistent play all season, he is presumed the starter for the incoming season. Mrazek will be 34 when his contract expires. He is not the long-term answer for the Blackhawks. Will a goaltender below eventually replace Mrazek for the starting job in Chicago?

Soderblom is 5-22-1 with the league's lowest .881 SV% and rock bottom 3.88 GAA. His career is now at 7-34-3 posting a .884 SV% and 3.81 GAA. Along with having the worst save percentage in the NHL, Arvid has the worst GSA (Goals Saved Above Expected) with a -17.7, out of all 98 goalies to play in an NHL crease this season. Chicago wanted Arvid to get through his struggles during the season's first few months. However, when is it enough? His stats have only declined since last season. The netminder had his fair shot to be in the picture for the Hawks's coming future. The tables have been tuned for Soderblom. With one year left on his two-year deal. Is his time in Chicago coming to an end? Soderblom has rightfully earned his ticket back down to the AHL. That begs another question, who replaces Soderblom in the net?

Jaxson Stauber is a goaltender who gets swept under the rug frequently due to the IceHogs also having Drew Commesso alongside Stauber. However, Stauber had better stats in the NCAA, and this season both goalies are just a mere .1 SV% away from each other, as close as it gets. Stauber started the year off poorly, with a .888 SV% going into the new year. However, after working closely with the goaltending staff, Stauber has since risen from a .888 to a .904 SV%. He has passed Corey Crawford for most wins in a row when he won eight straight games. However, he is currently riding a 13-game win streak. His last loss came two and a half months ago. Stauber has an incredible .927 SV% in the span. Another upside of Stauber is his puck play. He has one goal and four assists for five points on the season. Four more points than any other goalie. Most people will point out the offense. However, that is not the case once you study his game. Stauber is frequently setting up plays behind the net out for IceHogs breakouts, one of the most consistent "third defenseman" prospects there currently is. On the season, Stauber's 18-7-3 with a .904 SV% and 2.77 GAA. We expect him to back up Mrazek to start the season in Chicago.

The 2022 second-round 46th overall Drew Commesso is currently in his first pro season with the Rockford IceHogs. While we said that both Commesso and Stauber have almost identical stats, it has truly helped Rockford to have two reliable goaltenders, both benefit from playing every other game. Commesso has been talked about as the Blackhawk's future goaltender. While he was consistent in Rockford this season much like Stauber, he will have to get his numbers up next season to justify putting him on the final Hawks roster the following season after that. He is a very controlled goalie who many say reminds them of Tuukka Rask. He does not over-simplify his game and seems most times to be in the right place at the right time for the shot. Commesso is 17-16-4 on the season with a .905 SV% and 2.67 GAA. We expect him to be back in Rockford next season as he has two years remaining on his three-year entry-level deal.

The Blackhawks selected the Minnesota Duluth Commit, Adam Gajan in the 2023 2nd round draft. While there has been plenty of talk around Gajan, his numbers thus far have been underwhelming. He presented himself on the World Juniors stage as one of the best goalies throughout the tournament. With a .916 SV%, 2.50 GAA, and a 3-1 record, Gajan's name became tied to the line "goalie of the future". However, after his World Juniors, his numbers have been rather underwhelming. While he does have a great record of 23-12-4 through the regular season, he has a meager .893 SV% and 3.35 GAA in 43 games with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. So far in playoffs, a .791 SV% and 4.90 GAA in two games going 1-1. Although the USHL is certainly known for having a low save percentage average, if Gajan wants to have a seamless transition from the NCAA to the AHL, he will need to improve his starts next season at Minnesota Duluth. At just 19 years old, he has plenty of time to develop and there is no hurry to rush any goalie right now.

Dominic Basse was drafted in 2019 by the Blackhawks. The 6'6 goaltender is in his second season at St Cloud State and will be back with them next season. Before St Cloud, Base played two College seasons with Colorado College. He was drafted in the sixth round of the draft, so it's fair to say he is far down the line on the depth chart for the Blackhawks Basse went 12-10-2 with a .896 SV% and 2.75 GAA. After college, I believe we could end up seeing Base with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL. He is the closest we have gotten to Scott Darling at 6'6.

Mitchell Weeks is in his second year of pro hockey in Indy. Weeks has appeared in 17 AHLs through the past two seasons. Weeks was a solid reliever when Stauber struggled, and was ill. He is 15-10-6 with a .898 SV& and 2.75 GAA. If the chain reaction happens and Stauber does indeed get sent to Chicago for next season, Weeks would be the frontrunner for Stauber's AHL spot. We will have to see what happens in the offseason.