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Arvid Soderblom

Blackhawks Recall Drew Commesso, Reassign Isaak Phillips

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The Chicago Blackhawks have made a surprising roster move calling up goaltender Drew Commesso while sending Isaak Phillips to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Multiple outlets indicated that backup netminder Arvid Soderblom will be out of tonight’s action with an illness giving context to the transaction.

It’ll likely be a short-term stay for Commesso in Chicago given that Soderblom is only out with an illness. There’s no expectation he’ll get the first start of his career this evening but could feature in the game should Petr Mrazek’s night not go according to plan.

It wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Blackhawks to give Commesso a tryout, especially against a struggling Nashville Predators offense. He’s arguably the top goaltending prospect for the Blackhawks after managing an 18-16-4 record with the IceHogs last year with a .906 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average including two shutouts. Unfortunately for Commesso, there’s a narrow pathway to getting the full-time callup in Chicago with Mrazek and Soderblom providing solid play in the crease to start the season and Laurent Brossoit recovering from an injury.

Phillips finds himself on the other side of this transaction for the third time this season. He hasn’t suited up for the Blackhawks yet this season as the team’s seventh defenseman and has only featured in one game for Rockford. He may no longer have a long-term spot on the Blackhawks blue line but it would be best for his development if he could spend a decent chunk of time in a consistent role.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Arvid Soderblom To Two-Year Contract Extension

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed netminder Arvid Soderblom to a two-year contract extension, per a team announcement. The deal carries a $962.5k cap hit.

Soderblom, who turns 24 in August, was the Blackhawks’ number-three netminder this past season. As Chicago number-one goalie Petr Mrazek struggled with injuries, Soderblom ended up playing in 15 NHL games. His numbers were not strong (2-10-2 record, .894 save percentage) but it must be noted that the Blackhawks team Soderblom was playing behind gave up 299 goals in 2022-23, the fifth-most in the NHL.

In the AHL, Soderblom’s form was a bit better. In 33 games he went 15-12-5 with a .905 save percentage, helping the Rockford IceHogs reach the Calder Cup playoffs. Last season, Soderblom was an impressive AHL force, posting a .919 save percentage in 38 games played. Before signing in Chicago, he had excelled as a tandem netminder for Skelleftea AIK in his native Sweden, posting a .921 save percentage in 22 starts.

With this contract extension in hand, Soderblom has the inside track to either maintaining his status as the number-three netminder in Chicago or even winning a job as a backup goalie.

With phenom Connor Bedard widely expected to be a part of the Blackhawks’ team in the fall, their timeline to contention could be shifted forward in time a bit, meaning at 23 years old Soderblom may not have as long of a developmental runway to establish himself as an NHLer as he may have had in a more extended Blackhawks rebuild.

In any case, this contract extension gives Soderblom a two-year platform to continue his development and hopefully become an NHL option in the crease for Chicago.

Arvid Soderblom Out Week-To-Week

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The Chicago Blackhawks got bad news today regarding one of their organization’s goalies, Arvid Soderblom. Per the Blackhawks’ AHL Affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, Soderblom will be out for the next two to three weeks with a groin injury.

This news comes as a setback for Soderblom, 23, during what has been a poor start to his AHL season. In five games there, Soderblom has a 1-3 record, a 4.17 goals-against-average, and a grisly .862 save percentage.

He’s spent most of the year in the NHL as the Blackhawks dealt with injuries to Alex Stalock and Petr Mrazek. He hasn’t fared much better there, although he was admittedly playing behind one of the league’s worst teams. In 15 NHL games this year Soderblom has a 2-10-2 record, a 3.45 goals-against-average, and a .894 save percentage.

Having suffered this injury, Soderblom will now be out of action for the next few weeks. In his absence, the IceHogs will lean on goalies Dylan Wells and Jaxson Stauber with Wells possibly first in line for an NHL call-up.

Chicago Blackhawks Make Several Roster Moves

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The Chicago Blackhawks were forced to make several moves today, starting with the placement of Jarred Tinordi on injured reserve with a facial fracture. Tinordi was hit in the mouth with the puck last night and forced to leave the game, just a week after being hit in the chin with a skate. With the roster spot, the team has recalled Isaak Phillips from the minor leagues. The team has also activated Alex Stalock from injured reserve while sending Arvid Soderblom back to the AHL.

Tinordi, 30, has received the best opportunity of his career this season in Chicago, playing 25 games already. That has nearly matched his single-season high of 28, while his five points are already tied for a career-high. The massive, physical defenseman has averaged nearly 17 minutes a night and racked up 92 hits in those 25 games since being claimed off waivers at the start of the year. It is not clear how long he will be out.

Phillips, 21, is one of the young defensemen that the Blackhawks seem to not want to use much at the NHL level this season, giving him a chance to continue his development with the Rockford IceHogs. Selected in the fifth round in 2020, he has appeared four times for Chicago and is still looking for his first NHL point. In 25 games with Rockford, the 6’3″ defenseman has 17 points.

Stalock is returning from a concussion that he suffered on November 1 against the New York Islanders, and has played in just seven games so far. The veteran goaltender was good in those, posting a .914 save percentage and 2.93 goals-against average, but will have to be slowly worked back in after so much time off. Now 35, Stalock can perhaps give some consistency to the position for the Blackhawks, as the young Soderblom struggled after being forced into the crease, and Petr Mrazek has been nearly unplayable, posting an .872 in 11 appearances.

Chicago Blackhawks Place Petr Mrazek On Injured Reserve

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10/23/22: The Blackhawks have announced that Mrazek has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to October 21st. Per the announcement, Mrazek’s injury is a groin strain. Mrazek is unfortunately no stranger to groin injuries, and he has missed time due to similar ailments in the past. Given the relative lack of goaltending depth in Chicago, the team is no doubt hoping that Mrazek’s current groin injury is a minor one.

10/22/22: Staying healthy has been a challenge for Petr Mrazek throughout his 11-year NHL career.  The injury bug crept up again last night as head coach Luke Richardson told reporters including NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis that the veteran went to him after the second period and indicated he felt he had a small injury that warranted his removal from the game.  Alex Stalock came on in relief and the Blackhawks picked up the overtime victory.

However, with Chicago set to play their next game on Sunday, they needed to get a second healthy goalie on the roster so the team has announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Arvid Soderblom from AHL Rockford.  Mrazek hasn’t been placed on IR yet so the team needed to clear a roster spot for the youngster so defenseman Alec Regula was sent to the IceHogs.  NHL.com’s Tracey Myers relays (Twitter link) that Mrazek has a groin injury; he missed 20 games with that issue last season.

Soderblom is in his second season in North America and made three NHL appearances last year while having a strong season in Rockford, posting a .919 SV% in 38 games.  The 23-year-old has suited up twice in the minors this year.  As for Regula, he suited up in one of Chicago’s first four games this season and had 26 points in 41 games with Rockford last season.

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