Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek is 31 years old and entering his 10th NHL season, yet he’s just now experiencing the dynamic of being the older goalie in a duo for the first time.
In each of his first nine seasons around the league, his primary goalie partner has always been older. But his season, alongside a younger partner in 24-year-old Arvid Soderblom, is different.
It’s strange it has taken this long for Mrazek to find himself in this situation, but it’s also strange for him to think of himself as the sage veteran his partner looks up to.
“[It’s a] different role, but I’m enjoying it,” Mrazek said. “[My advice for him is to] just play the game, have fun and enjoy the moment, because you never know how long it’s going to last. A lot of injuries and all those things happen in your career that you cannot control.”
At the start of his career in Detroit, Mrazek shared the net with Jimmy Howard, who was eight years older than him. During his brief stint in Philadelphia, he was the replacement for injured veterans Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth.
In Carolina, his first partner was Curtis McElhinney (who was nine years older) and his second was James Reimer (four years older). In Toronto, he operated alongside Jack Campbell, who had him by a year. And last season in Chicago, he shared duties with then-35-year-old Alex Stalock, who has since landed on the Ducks.
A handful of prospect goalies have received short fill-in stints with (or in place of) him over the years, but none have emerged as his full-time partner — until now.
Soderblom said he was unaware Mrazek had never filled this role before, though, because he has found the Czech veteran’s advice to be helpful and enlightening.
“He’s been a great guy to have as an older colleague,” Soderblom said. “[He tells me to] just enjoy the moment, enjoy being here and take advantage of all the opportunities that come along with this job.
“We’re both laid-back, chill dudes. Nothing crazy going on; just trying to have fun out there.”
The Hawks unquestionably view Soderblom as their No. 1 goalie of the future, but they plan to be cautious and patient while easing him into the league. Mrazek, meanwhile, is in the last year of his contract, but he will carry a significant workload in the short term.
Soderblom started the Hawks’ preseason game Thursday against the Wild, whereas Mrazek is scheduled to start the final preseason game Saturday at the Blues. They’ll almost certainly split the back-to-back first two regular-season games against the Penguins and Bruins next week, too. And that schedule of alternating starts will likely continue for a while.
“We will probably try to spread [the starts] out so Petr doesn’t get overworked and Arvid gets lots of work as a young guy showing that he’s ready for it,” coach Luke Richardson said.
In Mrazek’s case, his objective is to begin this season not like how he began last season but like how he finished it.
He dealt with more of his recurring groin issues during last season’s first half and, come Jan. 16, owned an ugly .875 save percentage and minus-9.7 GSAA (meaning he had allowed 9.7 more goals than expected) in 16 appearances. Two great games against the Sabres and Flyers, however, launching a second half in which he posted a .907 save percentage and plus-3.5 GSAA in 23 appearances.
He attributed that improvement to work with Hawks goalie coach Jimmy Waite, who adjusted his goaltending style particularly around the goalposts. After spending more time with Waite this offseason and training camp, he feels confident.
“There were a few things I wanted to adjust, wanted to get better at, and [now] I’m feeling really comfortable in those positions,” Mrazek said.
