Blackhawks sign Drew Commesso to two-year contract
The Chicago Blackhawks have worked out a deal with one of their restricted free agents.
On Monday, the Blackhawks signed goaltender Drew Commesso to a two-year, two-way contract.
The #Blackhawks signed 23 y/o G Drew Commesso to a two year two-way contract $875K cap hit Yr 1: $850K NHL, $200K Minors, $250K Guaranteed Yr 2: $900K 1-way Will be RFA w arb upon expiry Rep'd by Peter Fish @globalhockeyco puckpedia.com/player/drew-co…
The deal will carry a cap hit of $875,000 at the NHL level. Commesso is scheduled to again become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights upon the expiry of the deal.
Commesso, 23, started three games for Chicago last season, putting up a 2-1-0 record with a .918 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average. He also made 37 appearances for the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Rockford IceHogs, in which he went 13-20-2 with a .901 SV% and a 3.08 GAA.
The Norwell, Massachusetts native was initially selected by Chicago in the second round (46th overall) out of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Following his draft year, Commesso went on to a three-year collegiate career with Boston University. He particularly impressed in his final college season of 2022-23, when he sported a 24-8-0 record in 34 appearances to go along with a .913 SV% and a 2.46 GAA.
Commesso became a full-time professional in the 2023-24 season. That year, which he spent entirely with Rockford, he went 18-16-4 with a .906 SV% and a 2.65 GAA. He got his first cup of coffee in the NHL during the 2024-25 season, when he made one start and two appearances with the Blackhawks and gave up four goals on 26 shots combined. In 39 appearances with the IceHogs that year, he posted a 18-15-4 record with a .911 SV% and a 2.54 GAA.
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Commesso as the 25th-best NHL-affiliated goalie prospect last offseason. Ellis noted that Commesso “doesn’t overeact on shots too often and has a good glove hand. His consistency can be an issue, though.”