Devin Cooley to make Flames' opening night roster

One of the few actual battles for a roster spot in the goaltending department in training camp this year was in Calgary, which didn’t have a clear No. 2 behind Dustin Wolf. The two contenders were longtime AHL farmhand Devin Cooley and international free agent signing Ivan Prosvetov. The latter hit waivers on Thursday, signaling the 28-year-old Cooley will appear on an opening night roster for the first time and begin the season as Wolf’s backup.

Neither player really jumped ahead of the other for the spot, though. In fact, both had tough showings in Wednesday night’s final test — an 8-1 loss to the Canucks that saw Cooley and Prosvetov post save percentages of .571 and .737, respectively. Cooley had slightly worse preseason numbers on the whole, logging a .846 SV% and 4.08 GAA in three appearances, while Prosvetov had a .857 SV% and 4.54 GAA in two. Both stat lines are attention-grabbing for the wrong reasons, but it’s a small sample size, and the Flames haven’t moved to give themselves a better option — yet. It stands to reason that the underwhelming training camp showing from both goalies might cause Calgary to explore a waiver claim, trade pickup, or free agent signing.

With both struggling, the final decision simply came down to familiarity, head coach Ryan Huska said (via Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960). Cooley had a decent showing as Calgary’s No. 3 last year, logging a .905 SV% and 2.94 GAA in 46 AHL appearances with three shutouts and a 21-17-7 record. The California native’s previous NHL experience is limited to six starts with the Sharks late in the 2023-24 season, during which he had a 2-3-1 record with a 4.98 GAA and a .870 SV%.

Prosvetov, who’s previously logged 24 NHL appearances with the Coyotes and Avalanche, spent last year in his native Russia after becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent. The 26-year-old excelled with a .920 SV% in 38 games for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, leading him to pursue an NHL return. The one-year, $950K deal he signed with Calgary is a one-way contract, so the demotion — assuming he’s not claimed on waivers — won’t affect his paycheck.