Calgary Flames rising-star netminder Dustin Wolf is up for one of the NHL’s major awards.
And likely not for the last time.
“One of his next motivations will be to win a Vezina one day,” said Flames director of goaltending Jordan Sigalet. “And I strongly believe that he will.”
Wolf was saluted Monday as a finalist for the Calder Trophy, the annual stick-tap to the NHL’s best rookie.
Also on the ballot are Montreal Canadiens blue-line ace Lane Hutson and San Jose Sharks standout centre Macklin Celebrini.
Does the Flames’ stalwart deserve to have his name engraved on this hardware?
“I think so,” Sigalet said. “It’s the toughest position in the game.”
“Dustin was just so good at so many points in the season, and he gave us a chance to win so many games,” added Flames general manager Craig Conroy. “I tip my hat to all those other guys — Hutson, Celebrini, (Matvei) Michkov. But Dustin is my guy and we’re not where we were without him playing so well.”
The competitor that he is, Wolf is undoubtedly still stewing that the Flames missed the playoffs by a razor-thin margin, equalling an unlucky record for most points (96) by a squad that did not score a ticket to the spring dance.
Monday’s shoutout won’t offer much consolation.
Los Angeles Kings’ Alex Laferriere, left, digs for the puck as Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf covers it during first-period NHL action in Calgary on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.
Wolf, who turned 24 last month, constantly deflected questions throughout the season about the rookie-of-the-year race, always keen to steer the conversation back to team pursuits. He’ll tell you that his only individual driver is to continue to silence anyone who ever suggested he was too small to succeed on the biggest stage. It’s the same mindset that allowed him to rack up a long list of accolades during his ascent, including four consecutive nods as best-in-crease at a lower level — two in the WHL and two more in the AHL.
“I never talk about trophies with him,” said Sigalet, who pushed to draft Wolf with a seventh-round swing in 2019 and was oh-so-proud of the consistency he showed in his first full season in the NHL. “If he wins or he gets recognized for something, I’ll always text him. But you can just tell by the way he responds that he’d rather be playing. And it’s genuine. It’s nothing fabricated with him. He just wants to win.
“As much as you’d like this to be icing on the cake for him, he would give up any personal award to still be playing. Honestly, that’s just the way he is. But to be on a team that had no expectations and be basically 20 seconds away from making the playoffs on the back of what he did? It’s impressive.”
Sure is.
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While the oddsmakers have the 21-year-old Hutson pegged as the favourite for the Calder Trophy, you can make a strong case for Wolf. This really should be a tight vote between the two of them.
There are, after all, plenty of similarities.
Both were, by far, the best rookie at their respective positions in 2024-25.
Wolf notched 29 victories, almost twice as many as any other newbie netminder. Hutson, meanwhile, matched Larry Murphy’s longstanding record for most assists by a freshman blue-liner, with 60.
Both were difference-makers for teams that were surprise factors in the playoff race. Hutson’s Habs snuck in as the second wild-card in the Eastern Conference, although the Flames had a higher finish in the overall standings.
As Conroy summarized: “We probably aren’t where we are, with 96 points, without Dustin.”
Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf deflects a shot by Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
“For me, I am biased … ” echoed Flames head coach Ryan Huska when asked recently about Wolf’s candidacy for the Calder Trophy. “But I think a goalie deserves even a little bit more credit because oftentimes, he’s the difference between winning and losing games for a team. Dustin did a wonderful job for us.”
The Flames haven’t had a Calder finalist since 2014-15, when the late Johnny Gaudreau was among the hat-trick of nominees.
Calgary’s last rookie-of-the-year winner was Sergei Makarov in 1990. (Makarov was already in his early 30s when he arrived from Russia, which prompted an eventual age cap on this award.)
Whether Wolf nabs this honour or winds up as a runner-up, there’s certainly no debating that he was the biggest bright spot at the Saddledome this season.
He was seventh among all NHL puck-stoppers in minutes played after the 4 Nations Face-Off, proof of how heavily he was leaned on as the Flames’ playoff push intensified. He will enter the 2025-26 campaign as the undisputed No. 1 in Calgary.
On his retool checklist, Conroy should be able to now put a big swoosh beside star goalie. Many fans are hoping this seventh-round steal will soon be signed to an eight-year contract extension, and Sigalet’s Vezina Trophy prediction hardly seems like hyperbole.
“It’s what he’s done at every level,” Sigalet said. “He’s been a winner and he’s been a top goalie no matter where he’s been.”