Getting to Know: Commesso and Blomqvist

The tentative dates for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft have been set for Oct. 9-10.
The draft, originally set for June 26-27 in Montreal, will be done in a virtual environment.

The Detroit Red Wings have three second-round picks -- their own, the Edmonton Oilers' pick (acquired in the trade that sent Andreas Athanasiou to Edmonton) and the Washington Capitals' pick (acquired in the trade that sent Nick Jensen to Washington).
For the next several weeks, DetroitRedWings.com will take a look at some of the players, one North American and one international each week, who are likely to be available.
While the Wings have several goaltenders in the pipeline, they might seek to add another.
So this week we will profile two goaltenders who are expected to be around after the first round, starting with the U.S. National Team Development Program's Drew Commesso.

In 30 games, Commesso had a 2.05 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and three shutouts.
NHL Central Scouting had Commesso second among North American goaltenders in their final rankings, released April 8.
TSN's experts, Craig Button and Bob McKenzie, were of a similar mind on Commesso, with Button ranking him 75th overall and McKenzie 87th.

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler was in the same mindset, placing Commesso 83rd in his final 2020 draft rankings.
Wheeler's colleague at The Athletic, Corey Pronman, had Commesso 66th.
"Commesso had an excellent season, being one of the better NTDP goalies in recent seasons and one of the best players on that team," Pronman said. "Commesso impressed me the more I watched him. I had skepticism coming into the season on whether he had NHL quality quickness or sense, but he showed that over the course of the campaign. He's a quick goalie, I debated putting a 60 on his athleticism, but in control with how he moves around the crease. He reacts quickly and tracks pucks well, so despite not having elite quickness, he can get to a lot of pucks. While he's often square, he can make the high difficulty save when he needs to.
"He's a player uniquely affected by the shortened season and no U18 worlds because he only had 27 starts on the campaign. I'm not overly confident in his production due to the sample size, but he's also one of the youngest players in the draft so there's a lot of room for projection."

Dobber Hockey said: "Quietly making a name for himself with the U.S. NTDP team this year, Commesso actually performed better than his goaltending predecessor, Spencer Knight, in a statistical sense. Commesso is composed in his net and utilizes his excellent puck-tracking skills to stay square to the shooter. He has refined footwork in his net, which allows his movements to be crisp and purposeful. He is strong in his positioning but has the athleticism to break free from it and make a desperation save when needed."
Commesso spoke to Dobber Prospects' Tony Ferrari in early May and Commesso said he believes the mental aspect of being a goaltender is key.
"I feel like when you look at all the NHL goalies, they're all big, they're all skinny and they're all pretty mobile," Commesso said. "I think what separates the best, all the starters from everyone else is their mentality because goaltending is 90 percent mental, that's what I believe. It's such a mental game and I think the goalies that are the best have an edge with their mentality. That was one thing I tried to work on a lot this summer and I think it helped me out a lot this year."
Tweet from @claremcmanuss: Drew Commesso with an amazing save on a 2 on 0. #2020NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/7WJrftPFVm
Red Line Report was not quite as high on Commesso, ranking him 94th: "In a year where goalies are in short supply, has quietly established himself as a solid prospect. Underrated netminder is not getting a lot of buzz, but there's lots to like. Has good size and very good technique. Does an outstanding job of absorbing shots and controlling rebounds, limiting second chances. Makes first saves and stops everything he should -- rarely allows a soft goal. Works hard to see over and around traffic. Competitive and mentally tough. Fine focus and concentration, even when he's not getting much work.
"Keeps himself square to shooters. Doesn't overcommit. Angles shots off to corners well. Has a good catching hand, strong blocker, and fine lateral movement. Will move out to top of the paint to attack shooters aggressively. Well balanced in his stance. He is a bit stiff and mechanical, and perhaps not as naturally athletic and flexible as the top goalie prospects."

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Boston native is set to begin his college career at Boston University this fall, where the Wings already have two prospects, forwards Robert Mastrosimone and Ethan Phillips.
Over in Finland, Joel Blomqvist played in 34 games for Kärpät U20 in SM-sarja.
The 6-foot-1, 182-pound netminder had a 1.66 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and five shutouts.
At the end of April, Blomqvist spoke to finnishjuniorhockey.com about his season.
"I think the past season went really well," Blomqvist said. "I played most of the games with Kärpät U20 where I got to play a lot, we managed really well as a team and my own play was also good. I also got to play with the national team which is every time great as you get the opportunity to represent your home country. I also had my Liiga debut, it has been one of my dreams since I was a little kid and it was really great to accomplish it. Unfortunately the season ended a bit earlier than expected, the U20 playoffs were underway when we heard that the season would be canceled. It was disappointing, because we had all the chances to win the league. But health always comes first."

NHL Central Scouting had Blomqvist third among international goaltenders.
TSN's Button did not have Blomqvist on his final Craig's List but McKenzie had Blomqvist as an honorable mention in his final draft rankings.
Tweet from @JokkeNevalainen: Joel Blomqvist stops Zion Nybeck's penalty shot attempt. #U18 #5Nations pic.twitter.com/sLcEYOeqo4
The Athletic's Wheeler placed Blomqvist 94th overall while Pronman had him ranked 61st.
"Blomqvist had a very good season, leading the Finnish junior circuit in save percentage and being the No. 1 goalie for Finland's U18 team," Pronman said. "He has a powerful lower body, allowing him to move across the crease very well and make tough saves. While he is very quick, his movements are often in control as he is rarely way out of position. His puck tracking is fantastic. Blomqvist is rarely fooled by opponents passing plays and stays square even when the puck is bouncing through traffic.
"The main issue with him is his 6-foot-1 frame. He plays the way you want a smaller goalie to play. He's aggressive and challenges when he needs to, and he doesn't automatically go into a butterfly for mid to long-distance shots. But every time a puck goes over his shoulder you wonder how it will translate to the pro level."

Dobber Hockey said: "Blomqvist was the best goalie in the Finnish junior league and even made his Liiga debut this past season. His hockey sense and technical skills are very good. He's a quick and agile goalie that can make desperation saves but sometimes allows easy goals since his positioning still needs some work. He's poised in net and able to bounce back after allowing a bad goal, or after a bad game. He's not a big goalie (6-1, 183) but he's not small, either. Blomqvist is expected to spend the 2020-21 season in Mestis, the second-highest level in Finland."

Red Line Report ranked Blomqvist 83rd overall, higher than they had Commesso, saying, "Has a long, lean, flexible netminder's build. One of the most athletically gifted netminders in this class. Very good movement both in the butterfly and when standing up. Moves quickly, effortlessly, and in a controlled manner in all four directions, and is fast from down-to-up. Shows excellent reflexes reacting to deflections. "Our concerns are that he drops pucks out of his glove (which can be shaky) and kicks rebounds out into the slot needlessly -- does not have soft pads. But he's got good size, shows fine movement and is flexible. Well balanced in his stance and gets good lateral push off either skate. Doesn't give up on plays -- competes well. Flashes quick pads and good footwork. Directs pucks to the corners with his stick and blocker. Wastes a lot of movement, and we'd like to see him become quieter in net."