Wolf Gets The Nod In Net

OTTAWA - The Flames will have another young face in their lineup this evening as Dustin Wolf has been confirmed as the starter against the Senators.

Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. MT with Sportsnet One carrying the broadcast.

Tonight will be Wolf's second-ever NHL start, with his debut coming at the end of the 2022-23 season when he posted 24 saves, a 1.00 GAA, and .958 save percentage in a win over the San Jose Sharks.

With the NHL debut anxiousness out of the way, and with his tremendous start to the 2023-24 campaign with the Wranglers, Head Coach Ryan Huska expects him to be set for this evening's clash.

"He played one game last year and that's where I think you get a lot of that emotion for that first game," he said. "Family's in town, all that stuff comes into play. Now it's about him going and doing what he does best and that's stopping the puck and making saves.

"We've got to do a good job in front of him, that's a big thing and that's a responsibility we have as a team that's going to play in front of him tonight."

Wolf was drafted by the Flames in the seventh round in 2019 after going 41-15-4 with a 1.69 GAA and a .936 save percentage with the Everett Silvertips, with the only 'knock' on him being his stature. A smaller goaltender, he stands six feet and weighs in 166 lbs.

"From Day 1, he's got a little bit of what I'd say Andrew (Mangiapane) had when he was trying to work his way up," Huska said. "He's one of those guys that all the way along, people would say, 'Maybe not - he might be good at this level but the next level is going to be a challenge.' I think he takes that personal. He makes sure he's at his very best.

"He's had the same mentality basically every day that I've seen him so it's a pretty good thing for a young guy to be able to have."

After making the jump to the pro ranks, Wolf has continued to turn heads and his career stats in the AHL are nothing short of spectacular. He's gone 82-21-6 with a .927 save percentage and eight shutouts to his name. This season, he's 5-1-0 with a .924 save percentage and one shutout.

With the work he's put in at the American League level and the success he's had with the Wranglers, he's definitely earned this opporunity and is soaking it all in.

"It's obviously pretty special," Wolf said of the recall. "Brad (Pascall) called me on Wednesday morning and just said there's a chance I was going to go on the road. I got myself ready and I'm happy to be here.

"I feel good. Obviously, the start of the year has been pretty successful for myself and obviously the Wranglers as a whole. I want to come in and try to give the team a chance to win. We've had a couple good things going the last couple games so let's try to keep those going."