Blackhawks Goalie Arvid Soderblom Calls out the team in demotion to the AHL

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Joshua Deeds
September 29, 2024 (9:23)

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The Chicago Blackhawks had to switch gears, after Arvid Soderblom's dismal season in 2023-2024.

His performance would lead GM Kyle Davidson to look for help outside of Rockford, for a back-up for Petr Mrazek.

That meant Soderblom's demotion would be imminent, after a 7-34-4, record in 50 appearances with a .883 save percentage, he let in 33.3% more goals than an average NHL goalie should've.

They would sign Laurent Brossoit, the ex-Winnipeg Jet, and thus the Soderblom redemption tour in Rockford begins this season.

They would begin contact with IceHogs goalie coach Jimmy Waite and figure out the context, as to why Soderblom was headed back to the AHL. In the AHL he's had a successful 36-27-9 record, with a .913 save percentage.

However, with Brossoit's injury keeping him sidelined with meniscus surgery until October, Soderblom will have to step in behind Mrazek once more to provide backup in the net.

He already started the 2nd preseason game for the Hawks in Detroit.

«It's not fun, obviously, but there's nothing I can do about it,» Soderblom said. «That's how the business works. For me, my job is still the same. It's to come here, do my best every day and try to save every puck. I see it as more motivation to do my stuff even better.

«If I'm good enough, I'll be at the NHL level. If not, then I won't be. It doesn't even matter if there's 10 goalies here or just two. You're playing where you're supposed to play. All that kind of stuff will handle itself. It's up to me to show what I can do. There's nothing that scares me, really.»

Last season's struggles informed Soderblom of gaps in his game, where he worked with Jimmy Waite to overcome his weaknesses.

«You can look at it one way and just see failure, or you can see stuff you can learn and use that [to] your advantage to get better,» he said.

Goalie Coach Jimmy Waite and Soderblom worked on his puck-tracking skills and vision on the ice, to identify when he overplayed his position, and when he missed tracking a puck that moved from right to left, where he failed to rotate his body.

If Soderblom is to live up to his potential, he'll have to deconstruct his game, exercise a lot of humility, and find the work that delivers results.

He had a poor showing in the NHL last season, and with hope he can at last solve his issues, and prove to the Blackhawks he's not ready to be leap-frogged by Drew Commesso.