Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy isn’t worried about how Dustin Wolf will handle the Calder Trophy hype.
And why would he be?
As Conroy pointed out, the awards buzz never seemed to bother Wolf during his run of four straight goalie-of-the-year nods — two in the Western Hockey League and then two in the American Hockey League. He didn’t seem to be feeling any extra pressure when he was feted as the AHL’s MVP in 2022-23.
“He’s just lived this,” Conroy said. “This is just what he does.”
Could the 23-year-old Wolf be adding to his hardware collection at the end of this current campaign?
With the Flames now at the midway mark of their regular-season schedule, with 41 games down and 41 to go, the rising-star netminder has to be among the frontrunners for the NHL’s rookie-of-the-year honours.
“I just try to do my job and help our team win every night,” Wolf stressed after Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. “And if that stuff comes along with it, it’s an added bonus.
“But right now, our objective is to focus on one night at a time and sneak into the playoffs.”
Halfway home, let’s take a closer look at Wolf’s case for the Calder Trophy …
Wolf’s credentials
As the Flames put the finishing touches on that tooth-and-nail-type triumph against the Kings, there was chatter in the press box at the Saddledome about whether Wolf should be included on the list of post-game media requests.
When you deliver 31 stops, including nine on an early penalty kill, and it has that ho-hum feel, you are really doing something right. And doing it on a consistent basis.
Heading into the second half, Wolf owns a 14-6-2 record in 22 starts so far.
He is right now the only rookie netminder in double digits in wins or with upwards of 1,000 minutes of crease-time. With his 2.53 goals-against average and .916 save percentage and with his squad right in the thick of the wildcard race, he’s making a case for a heavier workload. Flames head coach Ryan Huska recently indicated that he’s ready to abandon the platoon for a hot-hand approach, so it’s noteworthy that he’s tapped No. 32 for four of the past five.
From this vantage point, there are two numbers that really reinforce Wolf’s impact.
When the kid is between the pipes, the Flames have posted a .682 point percentage, a playoff-calibre clip. By comparison, it’s .447 when Dan Vladar gets the call. (It is worth noting the 27-year-old Vladar has been handed some very tough assignments, including the second half of every back-to-back set.)
Calgary’s penalty kill has been problematic, but Natural Stat Trick credits Wolf with a five-on-five save percentage of .944, tops in the league among dudes with 20-plus appearances. That is one percentage point better than Winnipeg Jets stalwart Connor Hellebuyck, who seems to be rolling toward a repeat as the Vezina Trophy recipient.
Wolf’s competition
It’s certainly not too late for somebody else to surge into the mix, but this is currently shaping up to be a four-horse race. (Here in the Stampede City, we suppose that four-wagon race would be a more appropriate description.)
Also being mentioned as Calder Trophy candidates are Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson and forwards Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks and Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Hutson leads all rookies with 32 points, including 29 assists. As a 20-year-old blue-liner, he is already logging nearly 23 minutes per night in one of the NHL’s most pressure-packed markets.
Celebrini and Michkov are sharing top spot in the rookie goal-scoring race, with 13 snipes apiece.
Celebrini’s total is more impressive because the 18-year-old missed three-plus weeks due to injury in the early stages. Since his hip healed, the first-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has come as advertised, averaging just shy of a point per game.
Michkov, who turned 20 in December, has faded after a scorching start. The Russian dynamo has been particularly quiet over the past month, with three points to show for his past 14 outings and an ugly minus-17 rating over that span. With John Tortorella as his boss, every bury and every benching seems to be a big story.
Voters from the Professional Hockey Writers Association, including several reporters on the Flames’ beat, will be asked to submit their top five choices for the Calder Trophy, although only the leading three will be announced as nominees. Ballots are due after Game 82 and before the playoffs begin.
History lesson
The last time that a netminder was named the NHL’s rookie of the year, Wolf was still in elementary school.
Steve Mason had his name engraved in 2008-09, when he was tapped for 61 starts — and won 33 of those — on behalf of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He posted a 2.29 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
In the 15 seasons since Mason’s salute, only four masked men have been finalists for the Calder.
Jimmy Howard was the runner-up to Tyler Myers in 2009-10, Jordan Binnington placed second to Elias Pettersson in 2018-19, Alex Nedeljkovic finished third when Kirill Kaprizov topped the ballots in 2020-21 and Stuart Skinner was the closest competition to Matty Beniers in 2022-23.
What gives?
Because organizations are oh-so-cautious about development at this crucial position, prized puck-stopping prospects are typically in sidekick roles as they enter the league.
During an interview on Flames Talk on Sportsnet 960 The Fan, Conroy also wondered aloud about the challenge for voters in assessing newbie netminders. What he’s getting at is that you wouldn’t check Celebrini’s scoring stats and say, ‘Whoop-dee-doo, Nathan MacKinnon has twice that many points!’
“Who are you comparing (Wolf) to?” Conroy asked. “There are not that many rookie goalies out there, so you’re kind of comparing him to the top goalies in the league.”
Second-half considerations
Matt Murray, Jeremy Swayman and Pyotr Kochetkov all posted strong stat lines in their respective rookie seasons but ultimately didn’t get enough love to earn a spot among the hat-trick of finalists for the Calder Trophy.
In all three cases, it is possible the voters believed their success was a byproduct of playing behind top-notch teams — Murray in Pittsburgh, Swayman in Boston and Kochetkov in Carolina.
With everybody predicting that the Flames would stink in 2024-25, Wolf won’t have that problem. In fact, if he can backstop his squad to a surprise playoff berth, it would do wonders for his hardware hopes.
Wolf could also bolster his case with better results in road rinks.
He’s been sensational at the Saddledome, with an 11-2-1 record. His sparkling home stats include a 1.98 goals-against and .936 save percentage.
His numbers in enemy territory are not nearly as nice — 3-4-1, 3.48 and .879.
Will that matter?
There is a chance it could become an unintended tiebreaker. The voters — an equal number in each city to prevent a bias toward those in the big markets — will dig into the stats, but if Wolf had a rough outing in their only live viewing, they may have him a little lower on their list.
However, if he shines Monday against the Blackhawks in Chicago, can outduel Hellebuyck this weekend in a Hockey Night in Canada clash in Winnipeg or has strong showings in upcoming visits to Toronto or New York, it would have the opposite effect.
This will be a fun storyline for Flames fans to track over the next three months.
As Wolf goes about his business, the Calder Trophy buzz should continue to build. That is just fine by Calgary’s general manager.
“I don’t hear his name enough, in my mind,” Conroy said.