Dietz: Commesso’s vision coming to fruition with the Blackhawks

Second grade.

It's a simple time that involves fostering a love of learning and asking students to reach for the stars. Decades later, few can remember anything from those days.

But for Blackhawks prospect Drew Commesso, a prophetic moment at that age stuck.

During an art project in which his teacher told students to paste pictures of their hopes and dreams on a cardboard head, little Drew cut out action photos of Boston Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask, logos of Boston University and the Blackhawks, and a small picture of Patrick Kane.

Incredibly, Commesso's vision came true. Commesso, who began playing goalie at age 7 in Massachusetts, went on to play at Boston University and has made four appearances for the Hawks over the last two seasons.

“I never really thought of it,” Commesso told me during training camp in 2023. “Then I was cleaning out my closet to move to BU and I found it. That was the instance where I spoke something into reality. Maybe a bit of luck, but it's really cool how that luck worked out.”

It may seem odd that a young boy who was demoralized by Boston's stunning collapse in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final would toss a Hawks logo and Kane jersey on his vision board, but Commesso “just loved the Blackhawks' success.”

Right mindset

The Hawks selected Commesso in the second round of the 2020 draft and he has spent most of the last three seasons sharpening his skills with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. He was called up to start two games for the Hawks in early January when Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom both got sick.

After allowing 5 goals to Washington on Jan. 9, Commesso bounced back the following night by stopping all 36 Nashville shots in a 3-0 victory over the Predators.

“I'm so thankful to God for putting me in this situation,” Commesso said after the victory. “I wouldn't have been able to do it without Him. A big thing has been my faith and always staying even-keeled.”

From seventh to 10th grade, Commesso attended St. Sebastian's, an all-boys Catholic school in Needham, Mass. Those four years had a profound impact on Commesso's development as a hockey player, a student and a Christian.

“They changed my whole viewpoint on life in a positive way,” said Commesso, who wears a cross around his neck while playing. “Ever since then I've taken that stuff more serious. Went to church every Sunday in the summer. Outside of hockey that's something I focus on taking pride in.

“It helps me in hockey, but more in outside of life and having a good balance.”

Commesso credits headmaster Bill Burke for helping put him on the right path. Burke, who played goalie for Middlebury College in Vermont from 1969-73, stresses to students that they should let their talent do the talking.

“If the Lord has blessed with eyes that see and hands that catch and feet that can skate, what are you going to brag about?” Burke said. “Those are gifts and you're supposed to invest and develop your gifts and share them with the world.

“Drew is a poster boy for all of that.”

The next step

The Hawks' goalie situation drastically changed last March when GM Kyle Davidson acquired Knight from Florida. Still, playoff teams need competent backups who can play 20-30 games. Whether or not that will be Commesso remains to be seen, but the young prospect possesses plenty of attributes that have impressed goalie coach Jimmy Waite.

“What I like about him is his body's very upright and he plays big,” Waite said. “No wasted movement. He's just nice and calm.”

Two years ago Commesso decided to copy the off-ice routine of Andrei Vasilevskiy, who backstopped the Tampa Bay Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and '21. Breathing exercises — both rapid and slow — are an important part of the yoga classes he attends. Commesso doesn't sweat as much as other goalies and believes that's because of his “calmness in the net.”

“It's helped me so much with my conditioning, my breathwork on the ice,” Commesso said. “It allows me to play with a clear mind and go through life with a clear mind.”

Commesso's mind has had a clear vision since the day he created that soothsaying collage.

It's a great lesson for anyone — young or old — that it's OK to shoot for the stars. Burke, who didn't know about the project and was flabbergasted when told, made this point by referencing Jim Nantz — the longtime CBS announcer who played on the University of Houston golf team and spoke at St. Sebastian's in August 2023.

“Jim's three roommates wanted to get their PGA card and he wanted to be a sportscaster for CBS,” Burke said. “He practiced giving the green jacket to Fred Couples. And in 1992, that's exactly what happened.

“The lesson there is to dream big, but it's OK to dream specifically as Drew did. Jim Nantz and a lot of other people have encouraged us to think that way by the evidence of their lives.”