That summer he was almost skipped over in the draft but ended up getting selected by the Flames in the seventh round, 214th overall. One quick look at his performance up until that point, really illuminated the fact the organization had found someone special.

Wolf went back to the Silvertips the next season and played in 46 games. He also played for Team USA in the World Juniors and got a one-game appearance. He once again picked up quite a few awards for his season such as CHL Goaltender of the Year, USA Hockey Junior Goalie of the Year, WHL’s Best GAA with a 1.88 and WHL’s Best Save Percentage with a .935. He was also named to the First All-Star Team that year.

In 2020-21, Dustin Wolf made his debut in Calgary with a three game stint in the modified bubble season for the Stockton Heat. Before the WHL got going, he and Connor Zary played a handful of games with the AHL affiliate. 

His first start was a little shaky but then he was lights out in his next two games. He finished that year with a 3.24 GAA and a .895 save percentage in three games in the AHL and a 1.80 GAA and a .940 save percentage in the WHL in a modified season. He also represented Team USA at the World Juniors again this season and was a contributing piece to their Gold Medal win.

The last season of the Stockton Heat was Wolf’s first year being an AHL starter. He played in 47 games and finished up the regular season with a 2.35 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He once again picked up a list of awards in his rookie season including AHL All-Rookie Team, AHL’s Best Goaltender, AHL First All-Star Team and the AHL’s most wins.

The next year, he came up to Calgary for the inaugural season of the Calgary Wranglers and held the same starting position. He played in 55 games and finished the regular season with a 2.09 GAA and a .932 save percentage. He earned one NHL appearance at the end of the Flames season and picked up the win in his first start. 

Dustin Wolf went from a one-game appearance in 2022-23 to 17 games in 2023-24 for the Flames. He finished with a 7-7-1 record in the NHL last season, an .893 save percentage and a 3.16 GAA. Most of his callup time in the first half of the season was to cover injuries to Markstrom then in the end of the season to cover a season-ending surgery to Dan Vladar. He wasn’t perfect, but he still did the job the team needed him to do.

The back and forth did slightly affect his AHL numbers so they were the lowest they’ve been in his career with the Wranglers. However, his lower than usual stat line is still insanely good even for Wolf. He played in 36 regular season games with the AHL affiliate and finished the year with a 20-12-3 record, a .922 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA. 

Wolf’s performance in playoffs last season was outstanding. He kept the team in games they had no business being in and a few bounces here and there could have completely changed the outcome of the Coachella Valley series especially. 

He has always given his team a chance to win in three years of post-season play between the Heat and the Wranglers. His overall playoff numbers in the AHL sit at 28 games played with an average GAA of 2.50 and a save percentage of .922. His post-season record is 16-12-0 with five shutouts. Three of which were in his first playoff year with the Stockton Heat. 

FlamesNation Contributor, Mike Gould has been covering Dustin Wolf since his early days with the Stockton Heat and made some comments on his game. He said,

“Not much more needs to be said about what Dustin Wolf can do at the AHL level. He’s an avid perfectionist who puts everything he has into stopping the puck whenever it comes his way. I’ve never come across a more athletic goaltender who is as composed and consistent as Wolf has shown to be over the last three seasons. His lateral movement is superb, his competitiveness is top-notch, and his numbers speak for themselves. He needs to sort out some minor flaws in his game as he makes the transition into the NHL but I feel confident Wolf will become an elite goaltender in the same vein as Juuse Saros, Jonathan Quick, and Evgeni Nabokov before him. He has that star quality and is just so much fun to watch.”

Expectations for 2024-25

There is a very good chance Dustin Wolf will not be considered a prospect anymore after this season. Jacob Markstrom is gone to New Jersey and the net is his to take. Dan Vladar is still available to start or back up but in this transitional time for the team, it’s time to see if Wolf is an NHL goaltender. 

That is something that will likely not be discovered overnight. There will be some growing pains and adjustments as we saw a few last year. However, the core skills, hockey IQ, lateral movements and positioning are all ready for the NHL. Wolf will likely never hear the end of the size criticisms but his adjustments to that will come with NHL time.

The teams that have had the most success against Wolf in the AHL have narrowed down a couple of weaknesses they tend to expose. Teams like the Henderson Silver Knights and the Coachella Valley Firebirds tend to give him the most grief. What he has in his favour this year is NHL defensive pairings that will restrict some of those chances from making it all the way to him. 

Let this year be the first full year of the Wolf era. Start practising your howls and prepare to fill the ‘Dome with jerseys with his name on the back. Dustin Wolf has worked his whole life to get to this point in his career and he’s not going to take that opportunity for granted.