Dustin Wolf holds the keys to Flames success

CALGARY – Dustin Wolf says he’s ready to shoulder a heavy workload for the Calgary Flames.

The outlook heading into the 2025-26 season is that the 24-year-old goaltender will get that.

The last Flames’ goalie with more than 65 starts in a regular season was Miikka Kiprusoff (68) in 2011-12. Jacob Markstrom started 63 in 2021-22.

“My whole life, I’ve been the one to play a lot of hockey,” Wolf said. “I’ve played a ton in the Western League, a lot in the American League.

“Certainly the NHL is a different beast in regards to more physically demanding, the travel, the game schedule every other day and the limited amount of rest you get.

“Nothing changes in terms of how you prepare, how you treat yourself. If anything, it just gets better, and that’s the great thing about this league is they have everything readily available for you to prepare for the next game.”

Wolf was runner-up for the NHL’s Calder Trophy for top rookie last season when he went 29-16-8 with a save percentage of .910 and a 2.64 goals-against average in 53 games.

He tied for the league lead in assists by a goalie with three. Wolf’s .919 save percentage even strength, ranked in the top five among goalies with 50 or more starts.

The six-foot, 170-pound netminder from Gilroy, Calif., was a prime reason for Calgary contending for a playoff spot until the second-last game of the season.

Calgary went 15-6-6 after Feb. 23. Wolf was 10-5-5 in that span with a goals-against average of 2.65 and a save percentage of .905.

The Flames rewarded Wolf on Sept. 9 with a seven-year, US$52.5-million contract extension that kicks in next year.

Unlike a year ago, when Wolf’s goal was to lock down an NHL job in training camp and compete with Dan Vladar for starts, Wolf’s got the keys to Calgary’s net now.

“If you’re in a tandem, you’re working your nuts off every day to earn that next start. You can’t treat it differently if you’re the guy that’s going to play a lot,” he stated. “You have to come to the rink, be ready to work and grind and prepare yourself the best you possibly can for the next start to help your team win.”

Also pointing to a lot of potential Wolf labour is Dustin Cooley and Ivan Prosvetov, vying to be Wolf’s backup, have a combined 30 NHL games of experience between them.

But when you’re an undersized goalie and the last one taken in the 2019 NHL draft at 214th overall by Calgary,  proving yourself never stops, Wolf stated.

“The contract extension this summer is exactly that. I want to keep proving to them that they made a good decision in picking me and that I can help them win a championship,” Wolf said.

“Everyone talks about size, everyone talks about … they always try to find something to put you down.

“Whether it’s hockey, whether it’s playing a board game, there’s a will to win, and I don’t want to lose. But when people say you’re not good enough or you’re not big enough for something, depending on what you do for a career … you just want to shut them up.”

Flames head coach Ryan Huska believes Wolf just needs to maintain his performance from last season, and for his teammates to do more, to get to the playoffs.

“It’s going to have to do with the group that plays in front of him, that we do a really good job of limiting the quality of what he’s against and trying to limit the workload that he gets on a nightly basis,” Huska said.

“We’ll do our very best to make sure we keep his energy level where it needs to be.”

Wolf’s pre-game ritual involves jumping high in his crease and pulling his pads toward his chest just before the puck drop.

“It just kind of signifies that it’s go time and we’re ready to rock,” he said.

His contract makes him a Flame until 2033, when he’d be six years into a new arena scheduled to open in 2027.

Wolf feels nostalgic about the 42-year-old Saddledome’s impending demise, but watching construction on the new build in real time makes him feel bullish about his future with the Flames.

“I live right above it, so I get to see the hole being dug and built every day,” Wolf said. “It’s going to be state-of-the-art, for sure.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2025.

— With files from Joshua Clipperton

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