Blackhawks Goaltenders Finding Success Early in World Championship
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.
SÅJA! Vi vinner med 6-0, i en match där vi kontrollerar hela spelet genom 60 minuter. 🚨 Jacob de la Rose x2, Lucas Raymond x2, Robert Hägg och Mattias Ekholm.
🥅 Arvid Söderblom, 16 räddningar Nästa match spelas på fredag, då möter vi Italien. pic. twitter.
com/EYBKmcNX8q — Tre Kronor (@Trekronorse) May 20, 2026 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.