After missing the last three games due to an illness, goaltender Spencer Knight was back on the ice at the Blackhawks Ice Center for practice on Wednesday morning. Knight fully participated in the session and is in line to return when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Utah Mammoth on Thursday for the fourth and final meeting this season.
With Knight now fully recovered, the Blackhawks assigned 23-year-old Drew Commesso to the Rockford IceHogs following Thursday’s practice. In the lone appearances of his latest brief NHL stint, Commesso stopped 23 of 25 shots faced to record his second big-league win of the season over the Mammoth on Monday. While he wasn’t tested too often, he came up with a few notable stops when the game was in the balance late in the third period and in overtime.
Altogether, Commesso has now posted a 2-1-0 record with a 2.31 goals-against average, .918 save percentage, and one shutout in his three starts with the Blackhawks in 2025-26. The former second-round selection hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity, but he’s put together three respectable efforts when called upon in emergency situations. The first time Commesso was recalled from Rockford this year came in early January, when both Knight and Arvid Soderblom were on the shelf for two games while dealing with illnesses.
Considering how well Commesso has performed on an emergency basis, especially in his last two starts, one has to wonder when his next opportunity will come, since he’s played well enough to deserve it. The issue is that Soderblom still has one more year left on his current deal after he and the Blackhawks agreed to a two-year extension last summer. That deal puts him in line to serve as Knight’s backup once again in 2026-27.
However, Soderblom still hasn’t proven consistent enough to be trusted as a No. 2 netminder on a team that’s serious about winning more, which the Blackhawks should be next year. He’s now made 96 NHL starts since his debut on New Year’s Day in 2022 and has a subpar 3.58 goals-against average and .887 save percentage for his career. In 19 starts so far this season, he’s 6-10-3 with a 3.70 goals-against average and .876 save percentage.
It’s not like Soderblom is still a spring chicken — he will turn 27 in August, and he’s received enough NHL action for the Blackhawks to surely recognize that an upgrade will be needed behind Knight eventually. While Commesso remains unproven himself, with just five career appearances with the Blackhawks, he’s developed well in the minors for three years and has the higher upside between the two.
Current GM Kyle Davidson wasn’t the one who drafted Commesso in 2020, but there’s no reason he should be reluctant to give him a chance to earn the backup job in training camp next fall. Even though Soderblom will still be around, barring an offseason transaction, it’s time for Commesso to be seriously considered for the NHL roster.
Given Soderblom’s constant ups and downs, there’s no reason for Davidson to be married to him moving forward. At his age, he is what he is, while Commesso could blossom into a piece of the Blackhawks’ rebuild. But the only way for the Blackhawks to find out more about Commoesso is by giving him a greater opportunity. If he looks ready for that in the fall, Soderblom should not be blocking his path.
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