The Chicago Blackhawks have an important season ahead of them. The organization has committed to building through the draft, and a plethora of draft picks are NHL-ready, or on the cusp of being NHL-ready. Many young players will have a chance to make their mark this season; some becoming everyday players while many others will make their NHL debuts. Meanwhile, a small group of veterans will be tasked with helping the youngsters find their way.
In this series headed into the 2025-26 campaign, we’ll preview each player projected to make the roster, and what their role will be with the team. Today we highlight goaltender Arvid Soderblom.
Soderblom by the Numbers
UnDrafted: Signed with the Blackhawks in May 2021
Position: Goaltender (catches left)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 180 pounds
Age/Birthdate: 26 years old (8/19/1999)
Country: Sweden
2024-25 Stats: .898 SV%, 3.18 GAA, 10 Wins, 18 Losses, 7 Ties in 36 games
Career Stats: .889 SV%, 3.55 GAA, 17 Wins, 52 Losses, 11 Ties in 86 games
*SV% = Save Percentage, GAA = Goals Against Average
Related – Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Previews
How He Got Here
Soderblom grew up playing hockey in his native Sweden, working his way up through their junior leagues. For the 2020-21 season, he signed on with Skelleftea AIK, an Elite hockey club in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). According to Skelleftea’s goalie coach, Krister Holm, the 21-year-old would need time to adapt to a higher level of play. (from ‘What the Blackhawks are getting in new goalie Arvid Soderblom’, The AthleticCHI – 5/22/21)
But it turns out Soderblom was better than the coaches thought. Skelleftea’s 30-year-old Gustaf Lindvall had been the SHL’s premier goaltender the season before. But when Soderblom got his chances, he did so well they wanted to see him play more. He ended up starting in 22 games and posting a .922 save percentage (SV%). Lindvall suited up for 31 games, with a .920 SV%. This impressive campaign prompted the Blackhawks to offer the undrafted Soderblom a two-year entry-level contract in May of 2021.
Soderblom spent the next two seasons playing mostly for the Rockford IceHogs. In that time, he earned a .912 SV% and a 2.84 goals against average (GAA) in 71 games. This secured him another two-year contract, and the organization committed to him being the backup netminder behind veteran Petr Mrazek for the Blackhawks’ 2023-24 season.
Related – Blackhawks Getting Stable Goaltending Is Getting to Next Step in Rebuild
Unfortunately, this is when Soderblom’s Swedish coach thinking he needed time to adapt probably caught up to him, albeit four seasons later. The 24-year-old struggled mightily, posting an .879 SV% and a 3.92 GAA in 32 games played. He only won five of those 32 contests. It certainly didn’t help that the team in front of him was pretty horrific. Yet, the vet Mrazek managed a .907 SV% and a 3.05 GAA average in 56 games playing behind that same team. Soderblom just looked hesitant between the pipes. He wasn’t tracking pucks well and was giving up way too many rebounds. It was obvious that he was struggling with his confidence and his overall game.
So much so, the Blackhawks went out in the offseason and signed veteran netminder Laurent Brossoit to be the 1B behind Mrazek. While this seemed good in theory, Brossoit never took the ice in the 2024-25 season. Instead, he needed meniscus surgery to his right knee and missed the entire campaign due to complications.
This ended up being the chance Soderblom needed. He took advantage of his opportunity as backup netminder, using his previous adversity to put together quite the redemption campaign. Overall, Soderblom posted a .898 SV% and a 3.18 GAA in 36 games played. While these still aren’t the best stats, they were better than Mrazek’s (.890 SV% and 3.46 GAA) and Spencer Knight’s (.893 SV% and 3.18 GAA) after Knight joined the Blackhawks in Mar. 2025.
At this juncture I feel compelled to share a post-game celebration from last season. This was a tilt against the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 3 (a 4-2 win), and was Soderblom’s third start with the team. It ended being his first win of the season, and also his first win since Mar. 30 of 2024. It was a redemption game, for sure; with Soderblom making 38 saves on 40 shots and posting a .950 SV%.
GOOD MORNING ARVID SODERBLOM⛓️ pic.twitter.com/yo4lFMDFrD
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 4, 2024
That smile says it all! Something about Soderblom’s game had obviously clicked; he looked so much more poised and confident in the crease all season long.
Soderblom’s Role in 2025-26
So what will happen next in this Blackhawks’ goaltending saga? Well, that’s a good question. We do know that Soderblom applied for arbitration in the offseason, and the Blackhawks valued him enough to offer him yet another two-year extension; this time with an impressive raise from a $963,000 cap hit to a $2.75 million cap hit.
We also know that Knight, who recently signed a lucrative three-year extension of his own, is expected to be the 1A starter and franchise goaltender of the future. But the organization claims Brossoit (who has one more year on his contract) is healthy and ready to compete for a spot in training camp.
Related – Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Previews: Spencer Knight
Will the 32-year-old truly be healthy? He’ll presumably be rusty after an entire season out of commission. It’s unusual for a team to carry three goaltenders on their roster; so something has to give. My best guess would be Brossoit, if healthy, would show his worth and be traded to another team that needs a backup goaltender.
In the meantime, Soderblom will need to come with this A-game and show the organization that last season’s strong performance wasn’t a fluke. The 26-year-old is familiar with this young team from his time in both Chicago and Rockford. He seems to have already developed a strong relationship with Knight. This all certainly gives him a leg up.
But on paper, the goaltending situation is still an unknown that will be a big story in training camp.
