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Through the first six days of the 2026 IIHF World Championship, the two Chicago Blackhawks goaltenders participating in the tournament, Arvid Soderblom (Sweden) and Adam Gajan (Slovakia), have yet to be defeated.
Soderblom made his second start in net for Sweden against Slovenia on Friday, while his Blackhawks’ teammate, Anton Frondell, drew into the lineup for the first time as the 13th forward. Soderblom put together a flawless performance by stopping all 16 shots faced, including two breakaway opportunities, to post his first shutout of the tournament and record his second win.
Through two appearances, Soderblom has now saved 30 of 32 shots (.937 save percentage) and is responsible for both of Sweden’s wins. They’ve lost both games in which he served as the backup goaltender to Magnus Hellberg. To be fair, those two matchups were against Canada and Czechia, while Soderblom started against Denmark and Slovenia.
With a 6-0 win on Friday, Soderblom, Frondell, and Sweden have six points (2-2) through four preliminary round games and are back on track to push for a top-four spot in Group B. The Swedes currently sit in fifth place, just behind Norway and three points ahead of Slovenia. The Norwegians also have six points but have only played three games, giving them the edge in the standings.
Up next for Sweden is a matchup on Friday (5/22) against Italy, who’ve yet to record a single point in four appearances. Then, the following day (5/23) is a battle with Norway, which could determine which country advances into the quarterfinals. With two games in as many days, it will be interesting to see which one Gajan receives the nod for.
While Sweden has been dealing with some early-tournament adversity, the same cannot be said for Gajan and the Slovaks. With victories over Norway (2-1), Italy (4-1), and Slovenia (5-4 SO), Slovakia is undefeated with eight points through three games. The only blemish on their record so far is that one of their wins came in a shootout, which accrues two points instead of three.
After backing up Samuel Hlavaj in the opener against Denmark on Friday, Gajan started each of Slovakia’s next two games against Italy and Slovenia. He nearly blanked the Italians by stopping 23 of 24 shots (.958 save percentage) and followed that up with a 19-save showing against the Slovenes. While he got bested four times in regulation, he saved three of four shootout attempts to help his country remain undefeated.
Slovakia is currently in third place in Group B, one point behind the second-place Canadians and two points ahead of the four-place Norwegians. Speaking of Norway, that’s who the Slovaks face next on Friday, and it’s a game they likely must win to advance to the quarterfinals. Their final two games in the preliminary round are against Czechia and Canada.
Considering that Hlavaj is a far more experienced netminder than Gajan at the international level, he’ll likely receive the more meaningful starts down the stretch at the World Championship. Regardless, it’s terrific to see Gajan capitalize on his chances and play well as Slovakia’s No. 2 goalie.
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The post Blackhawks Goaltenders Finding Success Early in World Championship appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now.
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