Wolf playing big in goal with strong start for Flames

CALGARY -- Undersized goaltender Dustin Wolf is quickly becoming a big deal for the Calgary Flames.

Wolf, who stands at 6-foot and is the lightest NHL goaltender at 166 pounds, has shown stature is no obstacle in his first full season.

“'Wolfie' might be small,” Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said, “but he plays really big.

"He's quick in the net. He sees the puck well, he moves the puck well. He's got a lot of confidence in his game. He's calm back there. You knew that he was going to be an NHL goaltender at some time. I thought, you know, they did a good job keeping him down in the minors, getting his confidence up, and obviously winning a ton down there does a lot for a goalie. So, you know right away. He's a hell of a goalie. He's a great teammate, great player and we're lucky to have him."

Wolf has started nine of 18 games this season, splitting opportunities with Dan Vladar.

The 23-year-old is 6-2-1 with a 2.53 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. His .871 high-danger save percentage ranks in the 95th percentile, according to NHL Edge, well above the league average of .809.

He leads NHL rookies in each category.

“When he is on, he beats the play a lot so he’s in position and he makes hard saves look relatively easy," Flames coach Ryan Huska said. "Then it’s the rebound control. He seems to know where he’s putting them when he’s on. But I think his biggest strength is how he reads the play. He arrives, a lot of times, on his feet, when most goaltenders would be sliding over to make a save.”

Wolf, who was selected in the seventh round (No. 214) of the 2019 NHL Draft, continued his successful start Friday, earning his first NHL shutout, making 29 saves in a 2-0 win against the Nashville Predators.

“It feels good," said Wolf, who also played 17 games with Calgary last season. "The monkey is off the back now. It just felt good to get it done. I have my first win puck at home, so I’ll definitely be hanging those side by side.”

Wolf's performance earned praise from the undersized goaltender at the other end of the ice.

"I like his game," said Predators goalie Juuse Saros, the shortest goaltender in the NHL at 5-foot-11. "I remember when I saw him for the first time playing World Juniors. I've always liked how he plays the game. I'm happy for him that he's been able to take that next step and he's playing really well in this league."

Success isn’t new to Wolf, who spent the majority of the past three seasons in the minors. He has thrived in whatever league he's in.

Wolf won the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as American Hockey League goaltender of the year as a rookie in 2021-22, and followed it up with another nod, in addition to receiving the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL's most valuable player, in 2022-23.

The California native also received consecutive Del Wilson Trophy recognitions as the top goalie in the Western Hockey League after outstanding seasons with the Everett Silvertips in 2020 and 2021, too.

He also won the Canadian Hockey Goaltender of the Year award and the Dave Peterson Award as USA Hockey junior goalie of the year during the 2019-20 season. He won gold with Team USA at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.

"We knew all along what he was coming up," Huska said. "He was the best goalie in the CHL a couple years running. And then when he came here, you know he's going to start in the American League, you wonder what he's going to be like and he continued to do the same thing. So I think when you saw him put in the performances in the American League like he was in junior, it starts you thinking for sure what this guy might be capable of.

"Now he's at the point where he's getting fairly regular starts with his partner and he's playing very well. I think he's taking full advantage of the opportunity that he's been given."