Dustin Wolf is the Flames’ goaltender of the future

A total of 21 goaltenders were taken before Dustin Wolf fell to the Calgary Flames at No. 214 back at the 2019 NHL Draft.

There’s a good chance Wolf could be the best of any of them. And that means being better than Spencer Knight, Pyotr Kochetkov, Mads Sogaard and Arturs Silovs – not exactly a lackluster group.

No goaltender in any high-level league has been as successful as Dustin Wolf over the past half-decade. He won the AHL’s top goaltender honors in both of his pro seasons to date. And that’s after winning the same award in the WHL in consecutive seasons, too. No goaltender has bested Wolf in the four years since he’s been drafted.

Think about that for a second.

With a CV like Wolf’s, he should be in the NHL full-time. But existing deals for Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar – plus Wolf’s waiver-exempt status – have kept him in the AHL for most of the season once more. There isn’t much more for Wolf to gain from playing against second-tier players nightly. But until either Markstrom or Vladar is moved – most likely the latter – the Flames are being patient with their young stud.

With Markstrom out day-to-day, Wolf will back up Vladar on Friday before likely getting his first NHL start of the season against Ottawa on Saturday. Wolf got one start last year, stopping 23 shots against San Jose in a 3-1 win before getting sent back down for the Calgary Wranglers’ Calder Cup playoff run. He didn’t look out of place, tracked the puck well, moved as quickly as we’ve seen him before and wasn’t intimidated by the pressure of performing in the world’s top hockey league.

Every time Wolf faces a new challenge, he seems to thrive. He has spent his whole career trying to prove people wrong, especially those who doubted his ability as a smaller six-foot goalkeeper. At 22, he has achieved so much more than most other goalie prospects coming up the ranks.

It doesn’t really matter what happens on Saturday, or any upcoming starts of his. Wolf’s headed back to the AHL once Markstrom’s good to go unless there’s sudden trade interest in Vladar. At this point, nothing really seems close if you believe the rumor mill. But if any team can trust their third keeper, it’s Calgary – and depending on who you talk to, Wolf might be the team’s best option, anyway.

Markstrom has another two years after this on his deal, while Vladar will be a UFA in 2025. At $2.2M, Vladar’s a much easier trade target than Markstrom, and the 33-year-old Swedish keeper would be an excellent mentor with Wolf down the line.

It’s not whether Wolf will be part of Calgary’s future; it’s when. So spot starts like this present the Flames an excellent opportunity to get a read on his ability to handle NHL shooters. There’s been nothing to suggest his smaller frame will be an issue at this level.

It’s always exciting to see a young goalie get a chance. The Flames are on a two-game win streak, their best of the season – which isn’t hard to believe with just four wins. They’ll face a struggling Leafs team, and then there will be the excitement of seeing No. 32 get a chance on Saturday. Goaltending has been an on-and-off problem for the club since Mikka Kiprusoff retired a decade ago.

It's possible Wolf can harness a bit of that same magic No. 34 brought for so many years.