Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Grades: Drew Commesso

The Chicago Blackhawks finished their 2025-26 campaign 31st in the league, with a record of 29-39-14 and 72 points. It was an improvement from last season’s totals of 25-46-11 (61 points), but the organization had more progress in mind when they embarked on this campaign. The good news is the Blackhawks finished with more wins and more points than the previous season. They also feel they’ve taken positive strides in the growth and development of a plethora of young players, who could be a big part of a more successful future.

In this summer series, we’ll hand out individual grades to every player on the team. Today we highlight goaltender Drew Commesso.

Commesso’s Season Stats

Win/Loss Totals: 2-1-0 in 3 games played, .918 Save Percentage (SV%), 2.31 goals against average (GAA), 1 shutout

Contract Status: Signed 2-year extension in July, runs through 2027-28 season, $875,000 cap hit

Season Overview

I probably could’ve gotten away with not including Commesso as part of the Blackhawk’s player grades. After all, he only suited up for three games with the big club this season. But the Massachusetts native, who just turned 24 on July 19, looks like he could be a bigger part of the future than his counterpart, Arvid Soderblom.

While Soderblom has just one more year left on his contract, the Blackhawks inked Commesso to a two-year extension on Jul. 6. Also, his new contract is two-way for this coming season, but a one-way in the 2027-28 campaign. This means he’ll get paid the same $900,000 whether he’s playing in the NHL or the AHL. He would also have to clear waivers in that second year. All this points towards the Blackhawks lining up Commesso to be the backup to Spencer Knight, the Blackhawks bonafide starter, in 2027-28. If not sooner.

Commesso put up solid numbers with the Rockford IceHogs over the last three seasons. As their No. 1 netminder, he posted a combined .906 SV% and a 2.76 GAA average in that span. Even so, one never knows how things will translate from the AHL to the NHL. But Commesso did himself some favors with the three games he played with the Blackhawks.

The young netminder was called into emergency duty on Jan. 1 versus the Washington Capitals, as Knight and Soderblom were both sick with a nasty bug that was going through the locker room. Alas, Commesso gave up five goals in the 5-1 loss. But instead of admitting defeat, he regrouped and got back to work the very next night against the Nashville Predators. He ended up stopping 36-of-36 shots for his first-ever NHL win, and his first NHL shutout to boot! After the game, he told the media,

Something I’ve learned about pro hockey is there’s a lot out of your control. I went from not even playing in the Rockford game on Friday to starting for the Hawks back-to-back games. You never know. It’s just good to lean back on my preparation when I need it.

Commesso got one more chance to show his stuff, and that was versus the Utah Mammoth on Mar. 9. This time, he stopped 23-of-25 shots in a 3-2 overtime win. Not too shabby! When he’s on his game, Commesso can be very quick and athletic, as well as calm under pressure. Head coach Jeff Blashill credited him for his confidence and excellent demeanor in all three of his starts, despite not knowing he would be in net ahead of time.

That “always be ready” attitude is obviously a great asset to have, especially for a goaltender. Commesso looks like he’s just getting started, but he now has to continue to prove his worth at the NHL level.  

Quotable Quote

After his last win on Mar. 9, Commesso was asked about his preparation:

I think that’s just part of the job of always staying prepared. I don’t think my approach really changes, where I’m playing. Just prepare the best I can with the circumstances I’m given, and go and give my team a shot. So that’s really all that I can do at the end of the day.

Commesso’s Final Grade: B

Commesso will have to really impress at training camp to earn a spot in the lineup this coming season. After all, he’s still waivers exempt. Soderblom is not. The former is more likely slated for the IceHogs. However, I’m sure he’ll be looking to take advantage of every chance he gets with the Blackhawks, just like he did last year. It’s been a small sample size so far, but he’s showed a lot of promise. Can Commesso’s game translate to the NHL level on a consistent basis? We could get a better idea of that this upcoming season.