When Dan Vladar left the Calgary Flames via free agency in the summer, the team required a new backup goaltender. Although Devin Cooley was in the organization, the Flames ideally wanted someone else to take on the job. They ultimately settled on Ivan Prosvetov, a 26-year-old Russian goaltender who spent the entire 2024-25 season in the KHL.

Prosvetov signed a one-year, $950K deal and was considered the consensus option for backing up Dustin Wolf this season. However, things wouldn’t go according to plan as Prosvetov currently finds himself in the AHL playing for the Wranglers, with Cooley earning the backup job instead.

Prosvetov struggled right out of the gate

Even during the preseason, Prosvetov looked a bit shaky in his appearances. Despite that, fans wrote it off as just being the preseason, but the team didn’t see it the same way, as they would place him on waivers in favour of Cooley.

Prosvetov has since only started one game with the Wranglers, and it didn’t go well. He let in six goals and finished with a 0.857 save percentage in a loss against the Colorado Eagles. It certainly isn’t the best start to have in a new organization, as if he struggles in the AHL, his chances of seeing NHL action this season won’t be high.

Why did Provestov interest the Flames?

Despite the goalie market not being the strongest during free agency, it was notable that the Flames initially targeted Prosvetov. As for why they decided to go with him, we don’t have an exact answer. There were rumblings that Flames goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet expressed heavy interest in Prosvetov as he liked what he saw from him, so maybe that was the big factor.

Obviously, for Prosvetov, getting a chance with an NHL team was a no-brainer. To get a shot at playing in the NHL again was an offer that was too good to refuse. Prosvetov has only appeared in 24 NHL games, split between the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out in his favour so far.

Where does Prosvetov go from here?

Prosvetov likely spends most of the season in the AHL unless Cooley struggles mightily. Otherwise, he’ll be trying to build himself back up in hopes that the Flames notice his efforts. There’s no doubt that the team is disappointed in how this has gone so far, as Prosvetov was really their only notable addition this offseason. Things could also change if we see the Flames acquire another goaltender, as one of Cooley or Prosvetov may get shipped out.

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