There were ups and downs throughout the 2025-26 season, but goaltending was not really an issue for the Chicago Blackhawks. There is still development to go across the board, but the depth within the organization is there.
On most nights, the net-minders gave the team a chance to win. If there were any major issues, they were largely due to the way the team played in front of them.
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Throughout the season, the Blackhawks had one goalie as the clear starter, a full-time backup, and a prospect who was forced into action a few times due to an illness that swept through the locker room.
Based on their performances against their expectations, these are the grades for each goalie who made at least one start:
Spencer Knight: A
Spencer Knight had the year he’s been looking for since coming to the NHL. He has had better overall numbers as a backup in the past, but he was finally allowed to be the number one starter on an NHL team.
Knight had a bumpy road to where he is right now, both on and off the ice, and that led to him being Chicago’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy, which goes to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
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As the season went along, and the team got significantly younger, the numbers for Knight started to dip. After it all ended, he finished with a 2.82 goals against average and a .902 save percentage in 55 games played. However, he made high-danger saves with frequency, kept his team in most games, and proved that he can be a winning goaltender in the NHL.
At the mid-way point of the season, Knight was a legitimate candidate to be on Team USA at the Olympics. However, USA Hockey decided to go with the same three that they brought to the 4-Nations Face-Off. It’s hard to argue with the organization that eventually won the Gold Medal.
Next up for Knight is a winning season for himself and the team. He gets an A-grade for this year as he took steps as a starter, but the expectations only go up from here. As the team defense gets better, he has to find a way to elevate his game even more, too.
Arvid Soderblom: C
Arvid Soderblom had a mediocre season. He only played in 26 games and was clearly the designated backup goalie. He had a 3.80 goals against average and an .880 save percentage.
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There is some context to those lackluster numbers, but he would also admit that he must be better if he wants to be the backup on the team in the long-term.
He doesn’t get a lower grade than a C because of the team in front of him. Soderblom isn’t as good as Knight, which is why he’s the backup, so he won’t keep them in games that they play poorly in front of him as much.
Throughout the season, Soderblom proved that he can win games when the team does its job, but he must go into the off-season knowing that his role is on the line. There are a handful of other goalies in the organization who are working their way up the depth chart quickly.
Drew Commesso: A
One of the goalies working his way up is Drew Commesso, who made three starts for Chicago this season. When called upon, it was due to illness suffered by both Knight and Soderblom during a strange time of year.
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Before playing at Boston University and the Rockford IceHogs, Commesso was a second-round (46th overall) pick in 2020. Since then, he’s been working to develop his raw talents into skills that allow him to be in the NHL full-time.
It was just three starts, an extremely small sample size, but he was excellent. He had an NHL save percentage of .918 and a goals against average of 2.31. All signs, both traditional and advanced, showed him to be ready for an opportunity in the NHL.
He never got it in the way that he’d like, but he was outstanding in 39 starts with the IceHogs, his second in the AHL. In those 39 starts, he had a .911 save percentage and a 2.54 goals against average.
With the work he put in, he Commesso has a chance to grab onto the backup job. Training camp will allow him to reach the NHL full-time. Internal competition at all positions is good for a young team trying to take steps.
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Forward Grades:
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Defense Grades:
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