The 19-year-old was one of three goalies chosen for the final 25-player roster revealed by USA Hockey on Tuesday. Commesso was in the running for the 2021 World Junior Championship but released after contracting COVID-19 prior to leaving for USA Hockey selection camp.
"I remember last year I was getting my bags packed and got the call that I was in close contact and had to head into quarantine instead," Commesso said. "It was one of the most devastating times of my life. But I knew that everything happens for a reason and there was a bigger plan for me.
"I've been looking forward to this chance since last season."
Commesso, selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (No. 46) of the 2020 NHL Draft, is 6-7-3 with a 2.82 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 17 games as a sophomore at Boston University this season.
"I wouldn't say [being with the United States] is a great escape away from BU because I love BU," Commesso said. "Over the last month we've been playing a lot of real good hockey, but things didn't go our way at the beginning of the season. Our coaches kept preaching that it'd get better but now I'm playing for Team USA and I'm not thinking about BU at all.
"I'm thinking about winning games for Team USA and making this team better."
Kaidan Mbereko (2022 NHL Draft eligible) of Lincoln in the United States Hockey League and Dylan Silverstein (2022 eligible) of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 Team (USHL) were the other goalies named to the team.
"We all kind of root for each other but at the same time we're all competing against each other, so every day is an opportunity to show what you have," Mbereko said. "All of us do that each day."
Mbereko, committed to Colorado College in 2022-23, is 6-6-1 with a 2.91 GAA and .903 save percentage in 14 games for Lincoln this season. Silverstein is 7-3-0 with a 2.85 GAA, .911 save percentage and two shutouts in 12 games for the NTDP.
"The competition between the goalies has been great and it's really just a positive atmosphere," Commesso said.
That goalie earning the starting role has a tough act to follow.
Spencer Knight (Florida Panthers) came through for the United States in the 2021 WJC, making 34 saves in 2-0 win against Canada in the championship game.
He was pulled at 12:15 of the second period after allowing four goals on 12 shots in a 5-3 loss to Russia to open the preliminary round Dec. 25, but finished with five straight wins, beginning with a 7-0 victory against the Czech Republic on Dec. 29. He was 5-0-0-1 with a 1.63 GAA, .939 save percentage and three shutouts to set WJC career and single-tournament shutout records for the United States.
"I took away a lot away from watching Spencer not only last year, but I still watch him this year," Commesso said. "He's a great kid and someone I definitely look up to. Just his mental side of the game. He's very strong and that's something I pride myself on, too, especially as a goalie. It's such a mental position and having a good mental edge will take you a long way.
"You saw that last year when Spencer had an amazing tournament, and he's going to have a long career."
Brock Faber (Los Angeles Kings), a returning defenseman, remembers how dominant Knight was by the end of the 2021 tournament.
"The first couple games were tough, but he's an unbelievable goaltender and by the end of the tournament, he was the best goalie," said Faber, who plays at the University of Minnesota. "We have that same confidence in the goalies on the team this year. They fit in awesome, and they've been great so far. I'm definitely thankful that we have good goalies behind us because it makes things a lot easier.
"This is a quick tournament, a tournament that's a lot about confidence and we have that this year in our goalies."
The 2022 WJC is scheduled for Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alberta.
