Blackhawks goalie prospect Drew Commesso must be wondering how much more he needs to do to get a serious NHL opportunity, even though he isn’t willing to speak that feeling aloud.
Commesso went on a torrid run last spring in the AHL, posting a .930 save percentage over his final 22 regular and postseason games, only to see the two goalies ahead of him on the Hawks’ depth chart — Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom — both receive contract extensions over the summer.
The 23-year-old Boston University product — a second-round pick back in 2020 — at least got to make his NHL debut last December. But he has otherwise spent the entirety of his first two pro seasons in Rockford, where his cumulative save percentage over 87 appearances is a stellar .911.
“I feel like I’m NHL-ready,” Commesso said Thursday. “That’s where I feel like my game is right now. I’ve put in a lot of work, and I feel confident in practice. I’m excited to get into games. I feel ready right now.”
The Hawks, however, aren’t even pretending there’s a goaltending competition in training camp. For now, Knight and Soderblom — who improved substantially last season after a rough 2023-24 campaign — comprise their set-in-stone NHL duo.
“It’s a hard league, and those guys have both played well,” coach Jeff Blashill said Friday. “My biggest message [to Drew] is, ‘You have to make sure you’re ready to jump through that window of opportunity.’
“Go down and have another great run. [If] you keep knocking on the door, at some point and somewhere, you get your opportunity.”
Goalies infamously take a long time to develop, so it’s not like Commesso is running up against any deadlines (although his entry-level contract does expire after this season). Plenty of current NHL starters didn’t break through until age 23 or 24.
Commesso has even become friends with his competition, since he and Knight discovered they have a lot in common. Nevertheless, this situation must be testing his patience.
Before his amazing stretch run, he actually hit a psychological low point last winter after his roommate, forward Landon Slaggert, got called up to the Hawks. Feeling like a “lost puppy” in his dreary, empty Rockford apartment, Commesso realized he needed to develop some hobbies beyond hockey.
One hobby ended up being cooking — partly because he enjoyed it, and partly because it improved his health. He eliminated snacks and candy in favor of all-natural, simple-ingredient foods. He also started listening to a health podcast and researching how to consume fewer toxins.
“I’ve become a great chef in the last six months,” he said. “It has helped me put on more muscle and cut off body fat…and I’ve been sleeping a lot better.”
Some Hawks have teased Commesso for lugging a glass — rather than plastic — water bottle around Fifth Third Arena this month, but he has won back their approval by cooking delicious dinners.
His signature dish consists of steak, eggs, asparagus and sweet potatoes roasted with salt and pepper, all covered in a honey drizzle.
“I’ve had a few people tell me they’ve never had better sweet potatoes, so that’s a nice feather in my cap,” he added, grinning.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that the most intelligent, innovative prospect in the Hawks’ system has a new fascination.
In the past, Commesso has dived headfirst into things like virtual-reality headsets, Andrei Vasilevskiy’s yoga program and Braden Holtby’s meditation routine in the past. Meditation, it’s worth noting, remains a key part of his pregame prep to this day.
Talented as he is, it’s impressive how tirelessly he searches for ways to optimize and out-perform his talent. Nobody knows yet how he’ll eventually fare as an NHL goalie, but it would be unwise to doubt him.
“I’m in a really good spot mentally and physically,” he said.
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