Blackhawks Add Another Goaltender to the Mix

As I’ve said and written many times, you can never have too much goaltending. As of now, the Chicago Blackhawks will enter training camp with Spencer Knight, Arvid Soderblom, and Laurent Brossoit on NHL contracts. Drew Commesso will look to continue his late-season push with the Rockford Icehogs, while prospect Adam Gajan enters his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

General manager Kyle Davidson mentioned earlier this month that he wanted to add another goaltender to share the net in Rockford with Commesso. With that in mind, the Blackhawks signed Russian netminder Stanislav Berezhnoy on Wednesday to a two-year, entry-level contract that runs through the 2026-27 season ($975,000 salary cap hit).

Dylan Griffing of Elite Prospects was the first to report the Blackhawks’ interest in Berezhnoy. The 22-year-old goaltender is coming off a great season in the VHL, Russia’s equivalent to the AHL. In 27 games between Omskie Krylia and SKA-Neva St. Petersburg, he went 12-10-2 record, with a .928 save percentage (SV%), a 2.50 goals-against average (GAA), and one shutout.

Berezhnoy has consistently put up big numbers in both the VHL and MHL (Russian juniors). He has a .918 SV%, a 2.77 GAA, and three shutouts in 54 VHL games. 48-24-4 record with a .920 SV%, a 2.46 GAA, and 10 shutouts in 92 appearances. He has a 15-8-1 MHL postseason record, with a .926 SV%, a 2.42 GAA, and two shutouts.

So why sign another netminder? Berezhnoy will spend this upcoming season backing up Commesso with the IceHogs. He will have two years to show if he can handle the North American professional game. That is the same timeline Soderblom is on, so he’s more insurance at the position. When the Blackhawks start contending again, they don’t want to be the Edmonton Oilers, who are still looking for a goaltender to get them over the top. The Carolina Hurricanes have had multiple playoff runs derailed because of injuries and a lack of depth in the crease. Having quality goaltending in both the NHL and AHL protects you from a rash of injuries and underachieving.