Though no Calgary Flames fan wanted game No. 82 to be meaningless for their team, it did mean getting to see the NHL debuts of two of the organization’s top prospects in goaltender Dustin Wolf and forward Matt Coronato. Both impressed on the night and had big roles in their team’s 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.
While Coronato was able to create some solid chances for himself, it was Wolf who really shined bright. The Flames fan base has been eagerly awaiting his debut for some time, and he didn’t let them down as he kicked aside 23 of the 24 shots he faced. Sure, it came against a lesser opponent, but he played with the calmness and poise of an NHL veteran, and made a clear statement that he is ready to be a full-time member of this Flames team.
Several Impressed With Wolf
Given that it was their 43rd regulation loss of the season, the Sharks had every reason to be upset and not interested in giving kudos to their opponent. That wasn’t the case, however, as several, including head coach David Quinn, were highly complimentary of Wolf’s game. Though the Sharks bench boss did think his guys didn’t throw enough pucks on net, he made it evident that he has a ton of respect for the young netminder’s game.
“He made some big saves, you can see why he’s the goalie everyone talks about, why he has the numbers he has,” Quinn remarked. “Obviously Tom Spears (Sharks goalie coach) feels really good about him, speaks very highly of him. He’s an elite goalie, and he’s got a great future here in the NHL. But, we could’ve made his life a lot more difficult, and we just didn’t do that tonight.”
As mentioned, Quinn wasn’t the only one who praised Wolf after this game had come to a close. Kaapo Kahkonen, who was fantastic himself with a career-high 46 saves on the evening, brought up how impressed he was with Wolf given his rather small stature.
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“Yeah, he played well. He seems like a good skater, moves around well. Smaller, so obviously you kind of have to, but just shows that it’s not a matter of how big or tall you are, guys who can skate and move can still play the game.”
Even Darryl Sutter made it clear postgame that he thought Wolf played very solid in this one. For those who have followed the Flames closely this season, you’ll know that the reigning Jack Adams Award winner hasn’t often been complimentary of his players when speaking with the media. That wasn’t the case regarding Wolf, however.
“I think he really settles your team down,” Sutter said. “He just plays the game.”
While he may have liked to have back the rebound given up on a Noah Gregor shot that led to a Radim Simek goal in the first period, Wolf quickly regrouped and shut the door for the remainder of the night. If it hadn’t been for all the hype, you’d have thought he was a seasoned vet with how composed he appeared to be. That said, he admitted that his nerves were acting up in the early going.
“Felt good. I thought maybe a bit shaky in the first period, but then kind of settled down,” Wolf said. “Not a lot of shots, so just tried to stay into it. Had a good third period, so I was happy with that.
“It’s rewarding. You put the work in each and every day, and you dream about that as a kid. To get that first game and first win, it feels really awesome and obviously leaves you wanting more.”
Wolf Has His Eyes on Calder Cup
As rewarding as this game was for Wolf, he himself admitted that he won’t have a ton of time to dwell on it, as he will now get ready to rejoin his Calgary Wranglers teammates for their back-to-back set this Friday and Saturday against the Abbotsford Canucks. With an American Hockey League-best 50-16-3 record on the season, the Wranglers have a great shot at winning the Calder Cup later this year, and Wolf is undoubtedly their biggest reason why. After an already extremely impressive rookie season in 2021-22, he has been even better in 2022-23 with a ridiculous 2.08 goals-against average (GAA) paired with a .932 save percentage (SV%). It is important to remember that he is still very young, but the future looks extremely bright for the 2019 seventh-round selection.