Flames’ Dustin Wolf goes from undersized prospect to big deal with first shutout

CALGARY — Perhaps now we can end the narrative that Dustin Wolf is too small to succeed in the NHL.

As legitimate as the concern was that his six-foot, 166-pound frame wouldn’t be able to stop pucks in the NHL as efficiently as it did in junior and the minors, he’s done enough to prove it’s no longer a factor.

Oh sure, there is still bound to be the odd roof job that beats him when he’s down, and plenty of traffic jams in front of him he just might not be able to see over.

But as he demonstrated in his first NHL shutout Friday night against the Nashville Predators, his intellect, his composure, his efficiency of movement, his positioning and his ability to read plays more than make up for his size.

Dating back to his final four starts last season, Wolf has now won 10 of his last 12 starts.

That’s not just treading water, that’s excelling in the world’s greatest league.

Given all his junior and AHL success, many figured he was capable of this.

But now he’s actually doing it.

His last start he fell half an inch — and 151 seconds — short of his first goose-egg.

On Friday he made 29 saves, including stellar stops on Steven Stamkos in tight, Jonathan Marchessault, Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist to keep the Flames in a 0-0 game they’d eventually win 2-0.

Proving just how comfortable he was throughout the night, the Nyquist stop was a rebound on a Cole Smith breakaway save that ended with him openly laughing as he discussed things with the Nashville winger as they both laid on the ice.

“He was just saying he didn’t think my legs were that long,” chuckled Wolf, 23, dealing with yet another playful wisecrack about his size. 

“The puck just got stuck on my skate and I don’t know if he was just being a nice guy and not jamming my leg in, but I might need to get a couple extra stretches in after that.”

It’s not only special, but symbolic his first perfect game in the NHL came against Juuse Saros, a goalie he’s long studied, admired and been compared to in terms of stature.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked if that meant a lot to be battling his mentor of sorts.

“He’s a heck of goaltender over there. He’s been a fun guy to watch over the last few years. Obviously I’m still going to keep a pretty close eye on him.

“He’s certainly one of the best in the league and I think there’s definitely things I can continue to take from him.”

On Friday he took the win, and quite the compliment, from Saros.

“I like his game,” said the Nashville netminder who stands one inch shorter than Wolf at 5-foot-11.

“He had big saves today. I remember when I saw him for the first time playing World Juniors. I’ve always liked how he plays the game. I’m happy for him that he’s been able to take that next step and he’s playing really well in this league.”

Being embraced by heroes like that is another sign he has arrived. 

It has to feel almost as satisfying as the shutout itself.

“Feels good, the monkey is off the back now,” he smiled, just four nights after a shutout was snatched away by a late, contentious video review.

“That’s the way hockey goes sometimes.

“You look at the last game of the season last year — we were, what, 15 seconds away (from a shutout). It’s not the first time and probably won’t be the last. Just felt nice to finally get it done.”

A seventh-round draft pick taken at the very end of the 2019 draft, Wolf has done nothing but prove doubters wrong ever since. He dominated the CHL for two straight years, and conquered the AHL for another three before starting to get a taste of NHL hockey.

So undeniable were his results, his talent and his work ethic, the Flames traded star netminder Jakob Markstrom this summer to make way for the Californian.

He hasn’t disappointed, going toe-to-toe with Dan Vladar as “1a and 1a starters,” as Ryan Huska called them.

 At 6-2-1 with a 2.53 GAA and .921 save percentage, the numbers don’t lie.

He’s no longer a small goaltender trying to make his way — he’s now a big, big deal.

“Wolfie might be small, but he plays really big,” said MacKenzie Weegar, who said he figured from the time he first saw Wolf play that he was destined to play in the bigs.   

“You knew he was going to be an NHL goaltender at some time. They did a good job keeping him in the minors, getting his confidence up, and obviously winning a ton does a lot for a goalie.

“He’s a hell of a goalie, he’s a great teammate, great player and we’re lucky to have him. Shout out to Wolfie — his first shutout. Many more to come for sure.”

Asked when he started to figure out Wolf was capable of being an everyday NHLer, Huska wasn’t able to pinpoint a time.

After seeing him dominate in junior and start racking up MVP awards in the AHL, there was just one last hurdle — the one he’s soaring over now.

Not once has he let in a stinker this year, or been victimized by a shot that’s beaten him solely because of his size.

He just continues to seize the opportunities he’s been given.

Scoreless after two periods Friday, it wasn’t until six minutes into the third Daniil Miromanov’s first of the year put the Flames ahead.