Wolf excited to commit his future to Calgary

Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy teed off the 2025-26 campaign on Tuesday by making Dustin Wolf the highest-paid goalie in franchise history.

An hour before Wolf, Conroy, and other Flames players and alumni hit the links at the club’s annual season-opening golf tournament, the 24-year-old netminder put pen to paper on a seven-year extension with an average annual value of $7.5 million per season.

The deal keeps Wolf – a 2019 seventh-round pick who’s steadily risen through the ranks and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy last season as the league’s rookie of the year – in Calgary through the 2032-33 campaign.

“I’m excited,” Wolf said. “There’s a lot of exciting things coming from our team, from our staff, from our organization. The new building coming in two summers. There’s a lot to look forward to here in Calgary and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

"It's been going on for quite a while," Conroy said of the negotiation. "People want to be in Calgary, and they believe we have a chance to win here."

Wolf has been steadfast in his appreciation for the organization taking a flier on him with one of the last picks of the 2019 draft, and he’s taken to the tutelage of former NHL goalies Jordan Sigalet, the head of the Flames' goaltending department, and Jason LaBarbera, the team's goalie coach.

Wolf has proven that he can win at the junior and AHL level, despite questions about his size. Listed at 6-foot and 166 lbs last season, he was the smallest starting goalie in the league.

The Flames’ faith, and his continuing to prove the naysayers wrong, led the Gilroy, Calif., native to ink the historic pact.

“I was the fourth-last pick in the draft, and I’ve always used size and the draft pick selection and all that stuff – it was motivating factors,” he said.

Wolf had a record of 29-16-8 and .910 save percentage for one of the league’s stingier defensive teams last season.

“They took another swing by giving me a chance to play a lot of hockey last year,” he said. “Every time I step on the ice, I want to prove them right.”

The Flames are making a near-unprecedented bet on the sport’s most volatile position. Wolf, who was the AHL’s goalie of the year and MVP in 2023, has just 71 games of NHL experience. Next season, he will be one of the league’s highest-paid goalies. While Igor Shesterkin, Elvis Merzlikins, Ilya Sorokin, and Jordan Binnington also signed high AAV contracts immediately out of their entry-level deals, none got the term or annual salary of Wolf.

Conroy has a strong relationship with the franchise goalie and said his preparation and demeanour are reasons the organization was comfortable with the long-term commitment. They feel very comfortable with his professionalism and growing leadership for a club that’s transitioning to a new core.

“Every day, you see his preparation,” the general manager said. “Gameday, I usually go down to see the coaches before the game. He’s just focused – hyper-focused – on what he needs to do. Nothing changes.”

Conroy also repeated a familiar line several others around the Flames have used: Wolf doesn’t get fazed, regardless of the result or how big the stage is.

“He doesn’t get high or low,” Conroy said.

Flames head coach Ryan Huska alluded to Wolf’s preparation and how much he’s grown as a leader.

In his first stint with the club in the 2023-24 season, Wolf was stretching before a game in an area where veterans Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar wanted to play pre-game soccer.

“The way about him is, ‘This is where I’m going to stretch, so you guys are going to have to move your soccer game somewhere else,’” the coach said, chuckling at the memory.

“He leads in his own way…There was a game in San Jose even where we weren’t very good in the first period. He skated by the bench, and he made a few comments to the bench. That was new for him.

“I’m not expecting that to happen all the time because that’s just typically not the way he is. But he wants to win, and I think that’s going to rub off on our players, just by watching how he approaches games and how he approaches situations.”

Wolf joins a budding cast of young Flames who have made long-term commitments to the organization, including blueliner Kevin Bahl and winger Matt Coronato.

The narrative has shifted since Conroy took over back in 2023. Players want to play in southern Alberta, and those three signings are proof. It’s the start of what the organization hopes is a sustainable trend.

“Me and Matty are both super excited to be here for the long term,” Wolf said. “I think Calgary’s an incredible city. It’s a big town but has a small-town feel. Everyone knows everyone. So it’s pretty cool to be around the city and see people recognize you and see how much they appreciate what you’re doing.”