Chicago has given Soderblom the net as the starter for now and he didn't disappoint.
Arvid Soderblom was thrust into the starting role for the Chicago Blackhawks when Petr Mrazek joined Laurent Brossoit on the injured reserve.
There are definitely no complaints from Soderblom as his opportunity has grown from initially being expected to start and play out the season in the AHL in 2024-25. Instead, he not only got to begin the season as the backup to Mrazek up until this point, he is now the goalie the Blackhawks have turned to while he's played great and turned his professional career around.
Soderblom allowed three goals in a relief effort to the Winnipeg Jets when Mrazek came out with an injury, but the real beginning to Soderblom's time as the starter for the Blackhawks began with his start against the New York Rangers.
The Blackhawks, who are now 9-17-2, knocked off the 14-12-1 Rangers by a score of 2-1. "It was the most fun I've had in a while," Soderblom said. Like he has done in the majority of his games this season, he posted a stellar save percentage and helped his team to victory.
Soderblom has finished over half of his starts with a SV% of .935 or better, and in his win over the Rangers, the 25-year-old stopped 29 of 30 shots for a .967 SV%.
Due to the struggles with goal-scoring from the Blackhawks, Soderblom's record doesn't properly represent how good he's played this season. This was just his second win of the season and he has a record of 2-6-1. The more accurate depiction of his season is his 2.41 GAA and .921 SV%.
Soderblom is ranked eighth in GAA and tied in fourth in SV% league-wide. The Blackhawks are in good hands in net and the better the young netminder plays, the brighter the future looks in Chicago. There will be some tough decisions ahead because Soderblom isn't giving up his spot in the NHL easily with his great play.
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