'PRO AT HEART'

All roads - eventually - lead back home.
Such is the case for Dustin Wolf, whose journey from seventh-round selection to NHL netminder has been an unconventional underdog story. There's been no plucky player scratching and clawing, slowly ascending up the ranks.
Instead, it's been dominant play all along the way.

For a player who had to wait so long to hear his name called back on his draft day - 213 selections in 2019 before his own - the ascent has been swift. With just 19 professional games to his credit - 16 wins - Wolf is getting his first chance at the game's highest level, his first spin in the NHL after being called up to the big club Thursday morning. It comes in front of friends and family in Seattle tonight, just down the road from Everett, where his parents reside and where he went from seventh-rounder to top-tier prospect.
"It was a very interesting and scary day at the draft," said Wolf. "It was a long, long day. You're sitting in the stands, seven or eight hours, your hopes are super high to get drafted and you get down to that seventh round, start doubting yourself, saying maybe it won't happen. I'm super fortunate that Calgary took a swing on me.
"Ever since that day I've been striving to be the best I can each and every day, trying to get better in every aspect. To be able to get my first recall close to home, it's definitely pretty exciting and one I don't take lightly."
It's been 922 days since the Flames took that swing. Safe to say they made solid contact.
The Stockton Heat netminder is undefeated in regulation in his last 18 starts (not a typo), a stretch that dates back to the 2020-21 season when he started the year with the Heat before the WHL season began. He's only allowed more than two goals in only three of 19 professional games. He's won nine in a row, and is third in the AHL with a sparkling 1.84 Goals Against Average, second in the league with a stingy .940 Save Percentage and leads AHL goalies with 14 wins.
"He's a pro at heart," said Flames Development Goalie Coach Thomas Speer, who oversees netminders in Stockton and throughout Calgary's pipeline. "He was just born to play hockey. He's comfortable being uncomfortable. Being a rookie, nothing phases him at all. He just plays his game. He's confident. He's playing good hockey right now."

The 214th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft has bore the weight of heavy expectations for years now, and those prognostications come with good reason. He's a World Junior champion, a two-time WHL Goalie of the Year, two-time WHL All-Star, a CHL Goalie of the Year, and the resume reads on.
Behind the mask, he's unflappable, a calm that allows him to move past tough plays and focus on the next save. He's earned the trust of his teammates and coaches and has repeatedly shown the potential that makes him such an intriguing prospect.
It's the competitiveness and self-belief that sets him apart, according to Speer, who has overseen Wolf's development from afar in past years and up close this season in Stockton.
"His whole life, people have told him you have to be 6-foot-3 to play, and we can all see that he hasn't listened to them," said the coach about the 6-foot backstop. "His mindset, his compete, it sets him apart. He works very hard off the ice, a lot of tracking work that helps him use his eyes well. When you watch him play, you see how he's velcro. The puck hits him and it stays. If it bounces off of him, he's on it right away."

Beyond the physical tools meshing with the fundamentals, Wolf has brought a veteran mindset to Stockton despite being a rookie. There have been no hiccups and no wasted days - every trip to the rink has a purpose, and every game is a chance to continue proving himself.
It's that single-minded focus and drive to fulfill his potential, Speer says, that has allowed Wolf to start his professional career in such a dominating fashion.
"The kid knows what it takes. The learning curve of showing up to the rink, being physically and mentally prepared every day, it's something he already knew. He didn't have to spend time learning how to be a pro. A lot of that has to do with his coaching before he got here and most importantly his mindset. He's not here for a good time. He's here to be a pro. What's made this year exceptional is we have a great team. When we need goals, our scorers step up. When we've needed saves, our goalies - Wolf and (Adam Werner) both - have stepped up."
As a 19-year-old, in his first showing in professional hockey, Wolf's helmet bore the images of Calgary goaltending greats Miikka Kiprusoff and Mike Vernon. It was a constant reminder of where he wants to go if he stays the course and continues his upward trajectory, a lofty goal to set for himself. Whether he can etch his name in with those two giants in Flames lore will be known eventually, but that's a question for another time.
For now, it's about celebrating this big step in his career, a nod to both the path he's traveled and the road that is yet to be tamed.
"It's one of those things where most young kids, their first call-up you don't know if you should be excited or nervous for him," said Speer. "When it comes to Dustin, he's going to be fine. Day-in and day-out, he's going to give his best hockey and that's all you can ask for.
"We know it's just a matter of time with him."