David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Back in the day, when future stars like Bernie Parent, Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek were breaking into the NHL, most goalies took years to shine, years to perfect the game’s most important position.
More recently, rookie goalies hit the ground running.
Dustin Wolf, a California native, is no exception.
The 23-year-old Calgary Flames rookie is off to a terrific start and playing like a seasoned veteran. He entered Wednesday among the NHL leaders in save percentage (.921) and had a solid record (8-3-1) and goals-against average (2.47). His efforts have helped the Flames remain second in the Pacific Division.
Not bad for someone who was drafted in the seventh round in 2019, eh?
Granted, it’s a small sample size, but Wolf has so far carried his AHL success to the next level – and emerged as an early rookie of the year candidate.
In 2022-23, Wolf was named the AHL’s MVP – the first goalie to win the award since 2004 – after finishing with a 42-10-2 record, a 2.09 GAA and .932 save percentage.
He divided time between the Flames and the AHL Calgary Wranglers last year. This season, he and Dan Vladar are sharing the Flames’ goaltending duties.
Wolf’s strong start coincides with the progression of NHL goaltenders.
In the last 15 years, almost all the goaltenders who won the Vezina (not as rookies) were impressive in their first NHL seasons. Thirteen of those 15 winners had save percentages between .910 and .931 as rookies and goals-against averages between 1.97 (Tuukka Rask) and 2.76.
During than span, the only Vezina winner in the last 15 years who struggled as a rookie was Marc-Andre Fleury, who had a 13-27-6 record, along with an .898 save percentage and 3.25 GAA for a woeful Pittsburgh Penguins team that went 22-46-14 in 2005-06. Fleury won the Vezina with Vegas in 2020-21.
Last year’s Vezina winner, Connor Hellebuyck, gave an indication of things to come as a Winnipeg rookie in 2015-16 (2.34, .918).
Though he’s a long way from being mentioned as a Vezina candidate, Wolf has shown similar promise.
u26 goals saved above expected leaders:
13.2 — Lukas Dostal (1st in NHL)
6.3 — Dustin Wolf (11th in NHL)
4.5 — Jake Oettinger (17th in NHL)
3.9 — Pyotr Kochetkov (19th in NHL)
3.7 — Arvid Soderblom (20th in NHL)
1.1 — Yaroslav Askarov (32nd in NHL)These guys are the future. pic.twitter.com/JC3getv5nn
— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) November 27, 2024
The six-foot, 166-pounder has drawn comparisons to Nashville standout Juuse Saros (5-11, 180). Both are smallish among NHL goaltenders.
“With Juuse and Dustin, it’s clearly the size” that is comparable, Flames goalie coach Jordan Sigalet told the Calgary Herald. “But they’re both also super athletes, and it’s the way they track the puck and their battle and compete level. At that size, you have to be smart, you have to be an elite skater, which they both are, and they’re fun to watch.”
No one is saying Wolf – who built his base in the WHL with Everett after succeeding Carter Hart – will one day be as good as Saros, 29, an all-rookie team netminder in 2018 who has played in two All-Star Games and has become one of the NHL’s most consistent goaltenders.
That said, Wolf has displayed great potential and is off to an eye-opening start.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
Related: Carchidi: Flyers Pay Tribute To One Of The NHL’s Best Writers. Ever.
Related: NHL Calder Trophy Tracker: Stankoven, Michkov And Hutson In Dead Heat, But Celebrini Lurks
