The Chicago Blackhawks have some interesting prospects to watch this season. One of them is goaltender Drew Commesso, as the 23-year-old will be looking to take another step forward in his development.

Commesso just completed his second season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Rockford Ice Hogs, and it was a solid year for the Norwell, Massachusetts native. In 39 games for the AHL squad on the year, he posted an 18-15-4 record, a .911 save percentage, and a 2.54 goals-against average. He then followed that up with a 4-3 record, a 2.35 goals-against average, and a .926 save percentage in seven playoff games for Rockford this spring.

With numbers like these, there is no question that Commesso demonstrated good promise this past campaign. Now, he will be looking to build off that during the 2025-26 season.

Right now, the Blackhawks currently have Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom as their NHL goaltenders. While this is the case, it would still be significant if Commesso can take that next step and give the Blackhawks another solid option to consider for their NHL roster. This is especially so if the Blackhawks end up dealing with more injury trouble between the pipes at all this campaign.

Of all the players on the ice for the first on-ice session of the Senators' training camp, few players have more to prove than Fabian Zetterlund.

The Swedish winger arrived at the 2025 NHL trade deadline for Zack Ostapchuk and a 2025 second-round pick, carrying expectations to provide quality depth and secondary scoring for one of the lowest-scoring five-on-five teams in the league.

Unfortunately, that production failed to materialize.

Zetterlund's two goals and five points in 20 games are well-documented. His numbers were a constant source of messageboard and talk radio fodder over the offseason.

General manager Steve Staios and the organization were certainly unfazed by Zetterlund's surface stats, rewarding the 26-year-old with a three-year contract carrying an average annual value of $4.25 million.

If Zetterlund was concerned about the pressures placed on him, he refused to let it show. When he arrived for a one-on-one interview following his group's gruelling on-ice skating session on the second day of training camp, Zetterlund was all smiles.

It is the most engaging and comfortable that I have seen him be since arriving last March.

"The body is fresh. (My mind) is fresh," said Zetterlund enthusiastically. "I want to start the season well, and that's been one of my main focuses the whole summer. Now I'm here, and I feel ready."

During his exit interviews with the coach and general manager, Zetterlund listened to their feedback and constructive criticism before acknowledging that their respective sentiments aligned with his own.

"I know what I want to do better, and they pointed out the same things," Zetterlund remarked. "So, that's what I've been working on. I feel fresh, ready, and quick out there. Strong and hungry.

"Overall, (I need to) be a prick out there," the winger said while outlining what the organization asked him to work on. "I need to be hard to play against every day, and be strong on the puck. I need to hold on to it, use my shot, and hit the net more."

Zetterlund's preparations for the 2025-26 campaign began back home in Sweden, where he trained and spent most of his free time enjoying the company of friends and family.

The winger returned to Ottawa on September 1st to participate in Brady Tkachuk's organized 'Captain's Skates', providing himself with an extra three weeks to skate and build chemistry and camaraderie with his teammates ahead of the opening of camp.

The hope is that the experience will benefit Zetterlund this season, but what should really help him is his familiarity with the coaching staff and the team's systems and structure.

"I know exactly what to do out there," Zetterlund stated. " Structurally, our system is easy, and I've been playing for (26 games, including the postseason) now.

"I know exactly where to go and how to handle things out there. Now it's just up to me to do it."

What may also help Zetterlund is that he experienced a similar stretch of poor production after being dealt from New Jersey to San Jose at the 2023 trade deadline. Zetterlund was a younger player trying to establish himself as an NHL regular at the time. Nonetheless, in the 22 games after the deadline, he was held goalless while adding only three assists.

The winger followed that stretch up by having the most productive campaign of his NHL career in 2023-24. Zetterlund played in each of San Jose's 82 games and led the team with 24 goals and 204 shots. His 44 points trailed only Mikael Granlund (60) and William Eklund (45).

When asked whether he could draw any parallels between his two post-trade deadline stretches, or whether the experience and success of his first full season in San Jose could serve him well now, Zetterlund expressed a preference to focus on the future.

"That's the past," the winger affirmed. "I forgot about that, but I'm just looking forward to a new season and being with the Ottawa Senators from the start. It's gonna be fun."

When Zetterlund joined the Senators, it was obviously exciting to join a team that was on the verge of clinching its first postseason berth in eight years. Under the surface, however, the Swede arrived at a challenging time.

At the time of the trade, the collection of forwards playing in the Senators' top nine was playing really well, relegating Zetterlund to a fourth line role that afforded him time to acclimatize to his new surroundings.

He would eventually get opportunities on the power play and to play with the team's more skilled players, but the goals and points did not come.

The encouraging part is that Zetterlund's underlying numbers were incredibly strong.

Of the forwards on the team who logged more than 200 five-on-five minutes, only Brady Tkachuk, a noted volume-producing machine, generated a higher rate of shots (iCF/60), shots on goal (shots/60), and individual expected goals (ixG/60) than Zetterlund per NaturalStatTrick. The problem was that his five-on-five shooting percentage (3.13%) was the fifth-lowest on the team, ahead of defencemen like Nik Matinpalo, Nick Jensen, Artem Zub and Travis Hamonic.

When I told Zetterlund about how strong some of his analytics were and whether he felt like he was creating a high volume of chances, he deflected and expressed a desire for the team's success.

"I don't know what to say," he admitted. "I try to work hard every shift out there. It doesn't matter if the puck goes in or not.

"I still want to help the team win. That's the most important thing. We had a good stretch last year, and we want more (success) this year for sure. I want to produce. I want to be a goal scorer, of course. But when the puck doesn't go in, you're going to do other stuff out there to help the team, and that's what I'm trying to bring every day. It's just a bonus if the puck goes in."

As a career 9.6 percent shooter, it is reasonable to believe that Zetterlund's shooting percentage will normalize. When it does, it will provide some of the incremental gains this organization is looking for to help this team rise in the Atlantic Division.

By Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News Ottawa

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Group C kicked off Saturday's training camp session, and there wasn't as much systems work compared to Friday's session. Instead, we got to see a fair amount of line rushes and a lot of odd-man rush opportunities. 

Filip Hallander skated on a line with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust during drills and looked just as comfortable as he did on Friday. Speaking of Rakell, he had a great practice and was showcasing his one-timer throughout the 90-minute session. He was one of the only players to beat goaltender Sergei Murashov during those drills. 

Rakell's hoping to have another big season after finishing with 35 goals and 70 points last year, since the 2026 Olympics are on the horizon. He wants to make Team Sweden after playing for his country during the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“It’s huge for me," Rakell said after practice. "For the Penguins, for me to have a better season than last year, it was important for me to have a good summer and just try to improve all the things I wanted to improve from last year. Obviously, getting a chance to play in the Olympics… never really had a chance before, so that would be cool for me and a great motivator for this year.”

Outside of Rakell, Murashov stood out again, which shouldn't surprise anyone. He's been a total freak in the crease and the best goaltender at camp so far. Sometimes it feels like he's not even trying when making some saves because of how natural everything looks to him. 

The Penguins don't want to rush his development, which is why it's still highly likely that he starts the season in Wilkes-Barre. Getting him the bulk of the starts in WBS this year should be the goal before he's potentially NHL-ready next year. 

Group A

The Sidney Crosby group was next up on Saturday, and outside of Crosby being his usual self, Owen Pickering had himself a really good day. He looks to be faster and has more command of his skating compared to last season. Pickering was paired with Harrison Brunicke again for a lot of drills, especially with Crosby and Ville Koivunen, and never looked out of place. 

Speaking of Brunicke, he talked about his pairing with Pickering after practice and likes how the pair is developing. 

"I think good," Brunicke said. "We are taking it each day, just learning and growing together, so it's been a lot of fun. We're creating some chemistry here and looking to keep progressing."

This is a pair that fans could see down the line in the NHL once both players are NHL-ready. 

Forward Aidan McDonough has flown a little under the radar since camp started on Thursday. He has showcased some strong puck skills and has an underrated release when he has time and space to use it. He should give the WBS Penguins solid depth for the 2025-26 season after he was signed to an AHL deal. He had 10 goals and 16 points in 16 games for the Charlotte Checkers last season.

Finally, Erik Karlsson was having the time of his life on Saturday. He was into the practice like it was a regular-season game and was shouting so loud that people in the other rink could probably hear him. Karlsson was paired a lot with Parker Wotherspoon for the second straight day, which could be a sign that they will be on the top pair to start the season.

Group B

The Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang group rounded out Saturday's training camp practice, and once again, goaltender Arturs Silovs was the biggest standout. He was locked in during the 90-minute practice and made some outstanding saves during a swath of different drills. His positioning continues to really shine in this camp. 

Outside of Murashov, Silovs has been the best goaltender at camp thus far and is in the driver's seat to be Tristan Jarry's backup this year. Jarry and Blomqvist have both been totally fine at camp, but the former two have been locked in since Thursday. 

'There's No Place I'd Rather Be': Tomasino Eager To Prove Himself In Pittsburgh This SeasonAfter a third consecutive season of missing the playoffs, the long offseason was a grueling one for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Players were eager to get back in action, and some knew they were going to have to come into training camp this season with a purpose.  

Towards the end of the session, Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha took turns firing slap shots that turned into goals when the group was doing a 3v3 drill with one net set up along the left side of the boards and another on the right side. It was very fast-paced and only involved a few skaters at a time, but the shots drew some oohs and ahhs from the crowd. 

The Penguins will have an off day on Sunday before playing their first game of the preseason on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens. There will be a morning skate for the players who will play in that game before they fly to Montreal. 

The next training camp practice will start at 8:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

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Ryan O'Reilly, with one tooth missing, was grinning ear to ear when talking about what it's been like to have center Brady Martin at Nashville Predators training camp. 

The 18-year-old was drafted by the Predators fifth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, and after a busy summer, is locked in on earning a spot on the Predators roster. 

O'Reilly, entering his 18th NHL season, has been enticed by Martin's skill, energy and overall positive attitude. 

"It's fun getting to know him [Martin]," O'Reilly said. "It takes me back to when I was young and I was excited to be at NHL training camp. He's got a lot of energy and always has a smile on his face. It's fun to see." 

O'Reilly remembers that similar excitement, but said there's a wide skill gap between Martin and himself when he was 18, in that Martin is better. 

"He's a lot better than I was at that age," O'Reilly chuckled. "He skates a lot better and I kind of ran on the ice a bit." 

That's been an area of Martin's game that he's been improving on over the summer. He said that he worked a lot off the ice, mainly with a track coach, to transition that explosiveness to the ice. 

It was the skill that Martin believed he "sharpened" the most this offseason. 

"We just did a lot of explosive exercises off the ice and worked a little bit of skating too," Martin said. 

Martin's ability to battle for the puck stuck out to O'Reilly as well. His strength on the stick is what played into his draft stock. In juniors, he was a bigger player who was hard to take the puck off of. 

"He's [Martin] very strong on the stick just in those little battles and pushing on him," O'Reilly said. "When I was younger, that was something that could've given me a leg [up] in being strong on pucks...you can tell he's got that strength. That farm boy strength." 

Martin's abilities on the puck were put to the test in Friday's scrimmage as he went up against 6-foot-6-inch Michael McCarron. 

"He's tough. He's a big boy," Martin said on facing McCarron. "It's tough to beat him, but it's just about taking little tips and seeing what he does and trying to beat him. It's a good challenge." 

While Martin and McCarron faced off earlier this week, they both play a critical role in bringing up the Predators' center depth. Both likely could play significant roles down the middle in bringing up the center depth in the bottom six. 

The effort is led by O'Reilly, who will likely center the first line at the start of the regular season. 

However, in the first week of training camp, Martin is looking to showcase his skills and continue proving that he's deserving of a spot on this season's roster. 

"I'm just going out there and working my tail off in every opportunity I get," Martin said. "I'm just trying to work hard and show the coaches what I have to bring." 

At 24 years old, Nico Daws may not have experienced it all, but he has been around long enough to have a clear understanding of the business side of hockey. 

After Saturday afternoon's practice, the young goaltender spoke to The Hockey News, reflecting on this being his fifth training camp with the New Jersey Devils organization. Over the years, he played 98 American Hockey League (AHL) games and 52 NHL games. 

In his second professional season, Daws was named to the 2022-23 AHL All-Star Classic. In 2024, he shined under the lights of MetLife Stadium, making 45 saves in the Devils' 6–3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL Stadium Series. 

Looking back on his first few years, he spoke about maturity. 

"I feel like my first few years, I kind of had that feeling of Do I really belong?" he explained. "You are so young, and guys are older, but now I am coming into myself more and having a lot more confidence in my game and as a person, too. It's been nice." 

Daws has experienced the highs and lows that any developing player experiences throughout their career, but with age comes comfortability.

"Obviously, it takes a while to get your game comfortable at this level, and being able to do it on a consistent basis," he said. "There are so many hard lessons you have to learn. I feel like I have learned a lot of them, but obviously, there is still a lot of room to grow and areas to improve in. 

"I feel really good about where I am at right now." 

Daws is entering camp understanding that the Devils' goaltending tandem will be veterans Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen. The 6-foot-4 netminder wasn't surprised to see Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald sign Allen in free agency, saying the 35-year-old is a great goalie and a great person. 

This leads to an unknown for Daws and his future in New Jersey. He will require waivers to be assigned to the Utica Comets (AHL). If the Devils need Daws' services at any point during this season, there is a risk that another NHL team could claim him and take on his contract. 

"Whatever happens, happens," Daws said when asked if he thinks about getting claimed off waivers. "My job stays the same. That is all I am focused on: making sure I am ready to go when the season starts."

His response aligns with his easy-going and adaptable personality, which reporters have come to appreciate.   

While there were some struggles last season in Utica, Daws showed well in the four games he started for the Devils last season, earning a 3-1-0 record with a .939 save percentage and a 1.60 goals-against average. For the 2025-26 season, he is on a one-way deal at $850,000 at the NHL level.  

"At the end of the day, you gotta play as good as you can," he said. "You don't always have control of where you end up or what happens. That is just the realistic side of pro hockey. You have to be able to put your head down and work through the circumstances, no matter what."

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

The Mental Side of the Game: Devils Players & Mental Skills Coach Andy Swärd Take You Behind the Scenes

Hischier's Manager Patrick Fischer: 'He's Driven to Succeed, but Not Easily

ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild announced its starting goaltender for Sunday's game against the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg.

Cal Petersen will get the start between the pipes for Minnesota in Winnipeg for the Wild's first preseason game.

Petersen, 30, was signed on a one-year deal worth $775,000. He went 13-15-3 with a 3.14 goals-against average (GAA) and .885 save percentage (SV%) in 31 games last season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL.

The native of Iowa has played in 106 NHL games in his career across six seasons. He is 46-44-10 with a 2.96 GAA, .903 SV% and has four shutouts.

He was signed as some extra insurance if Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt get injured. Wallstedt will back him up on Sunday in Winnipeg.

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'You Guys Know I Like Minny' Kirill Kaprizov Gives His Stance On Contract SituationST. PAUL, Minn - On Thursday Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov was given the chance to talk about the recent reports that came out about him rejecting an 8-year, $128 million contract extension.

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After months of waiting for the right offer in the UFA market this off-season, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk signed a PTO with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

It was puzzling to see Grzelcyk go unsigned after he put up a career-high 39 assists and 40 points last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not to mention that he is 31 years old with multiple seasons left in the tank to be a serviceable D-man for any team that wants him.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that, despite coming off a one-year, $2.75-million contract and a great season, Grzelcyk received an offer from a Western Conference team to sign a one-year contract worth $1 million. Ultimately, the blueliner rejected the offer.

Even though he signed a PTO with Chicago, LeBrun added that four destinations could be interested in Grzelcyk’s services, depending on how training camp and pre-season go for each team, and for Grzelcyk.

Here’s a ranking of which team would make the best fit for Grzelcyk.

1. Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche currently have a hole on the left side of their defense. Although that hole won’t last for long because defenseman Samuel Girard is expected to return from his lower-body injury for opening night of the regular season.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a fit for Grzelcyk on Colorado’s back end. There’s an opportunity for him in the bottom four of that D-corps. With Girard, Josh Manson and Brent Burns likely safe in their spots, that leaves one more spot free.

Grzelcyk would have to compete with D-man Sam Malinski for that final spot. Malinski is a right-handed defenseman, giving the edge to Grzelcyk in terms of pairing positions. Furthermore, Grzelcyk has plenty more NHL experience and effectiveness compared to Malinski, who has played just 99 NHL games at the age of 27.

However, there would be no need to kick Malinski to the curb, as he’d still be an asset to Colorado’s defense. While Burns has been a great D-man for most of his career, he is now 40 years old and naturally on the decline. Malinski could find consistent ice time filling in for the aging Burns. 

2. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks seem like a team that could likely take Grzelcyk on a one-year deal following camp and pre-season. Chicago has one of the younger teams in the NHL, and bringing on someone with Grzelcyk’s experience certainly couldn’t hurt the team’s chances at being more competitive this season. However, there is a tradeoff that goes with being more competitive with him on the roster.

Grzelcyk will be taking a spot on the team that could go to a younger defenseman. That could hinder the development plans of the Blackhawks’ young D-core, including Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt Kaiser, Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allan, who all play on the left side.

3. Ottawa Senators

It seems unlikely that the Ottawa Senators would be the ones to sign Grzelcyk, but it's not impossible. One half of Ottawa’s defense seems to be set in stone. That would include Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub. Outside of them, Nick Jensen, Jordan Spence, Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo are a bit lower on the depth chart, but still solid NHL defensemen.

With this roster, it’s tough to find a regular spot for Grzelcyk, but there is an opportunity there. For instance, Jensen, 34, is coming off a serious hip surgery in the off-season. That leaves some question marks about the near future of his health and spot on the team.

4. New York Islanders

At this point, the New York Islanders are supposed to be a team that is looking to develop young players, especially after drafting defensemen Matthew Schaefer and Kashawn Aitcheson, as well as right winger Victor Eklund, in the first round of the 2025 draft. However, there isn’t an issue with bringing on a veteran or two to guide the youngsters.

The only issue with that ideology is that the Isles are overflowing with veteran defensemen. Even with the subtraction of Noah Dobson, New York still has Alexander Romanov, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield and Tony DeAngelo. Not to mention Ethan Bear and Adam Boqvist, who are still in the defensive mix, even if they’re given AHL roles this season.

The truth is, on the Islanders, there isn’t much room for Grzelcyk to be an effective, everyday NHL player.

5. Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are in a great place with the hire of Joel Quenneville and the wave of excellent players between the ages of 20 and 25. On left defense, Olen Zellweger, Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov carry the load, and they’re all showing great promise to be top-pairing D-men one day.

The Ducks have a loaded abundance of young defensemen that they likely won’t want to be tinkered with, at least when the direction they’re heading is considered. It’s not to say that Grzelcyk wouldn’t have an impact on the team, but Anaheim seems to be set. Grzelcyk would be more fitting as a trade deadline acquisition rather than a committed acquisition at this point in the year.

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