Wolf has chance to be a Flames outlier: a homegrown starting goaltender
Trevor Kidd and Mike Vernon: that is the sum total list of NHL starting goalies the Calgary Flames have ever drafted and developed as an organization.
Vernon won the Cup in 1989 and Kidd will be forever immortalized as the guy who was picked ahead of Martin Brodeur.
It has been a long cold streak of picking puckstoppers. Whether due to bad fortune or a lack of competence, whatever the cause, the Flames will be looking to finally snap the drought with Dustin Wolf.
Chosen fourth last in the 2019 draft due to his relatively small stature (standing six feet), Wolf went on to be named the WHL goalie of the year twice and the best goaltender in the CHL during his junior career.
His time in the AHL was no different, where Wolf has already collected an entire shelf of individual awards, including: one all-rookie team appearance, two first-team all-star appearances, two Aldege “Baz” Bastien trophies (best goalie in the league), the Les Cunningham award (most valuable player in the league), the Harry “Hap” Holmes award (lowest GAA), and President’s award (outstanding accomplishment).
Over three seasons in the AHL, Wolf has placed fourth, first and third in league save percentage, respectively. Not to mention three straight wins in the NHL currently with the 6-5 decision over Arizona on Sunday night.
It’s safe to say no Flames goaltending prospect ever had a better pedigree. Wolf is, by far, the most decorated hopeful in Calgary’s organization currently. Nevertheless, the organization’s long history of failed goalie picks and the player’s lessthan-ideal stature looms over the entire endeavour.
No doubt Wolf’s efforts in the NHL will anxiously be monitored during his pending internship, but the rush to judgment should be tempered and replaced by a long and patient development period.
Goaltender is the hardest position in hockey to both assess and predict. Puckstoppers are highly dependent on the team in front of them. The amount and quality of shots can impact save percentage and win rates.
More challenging, however, is the very small range between great and terrible for puckstopping in the NHL.