The Calgary Wranglers added goaltending depth with recent signings, while the Flames continue to develop prospects like Kirill Zarubin and Yegor Yegorov.
The Calgary Flames may have Dustin Wolf locked up as the cornerstone of their crease until the next decade, but there is plenty of competition to be his backup. Right now, Devin Cooley is occupying that spot, but his contract expires in the summer of 2028, meaning the organization will continue to groom its next goalie prospect in the minors.
Last year, the Calgary Wranglers employed four goalies, including 2021 Flames draft pick Arsenil Sergeev, Connor Murphy, Ivan Prosvetov, and Owen Say. Recently, the club announced that Say is coming back for another season, joining Semyon Konopsky, another netminder they just signed to an AHL deal.
Despite getting into some preseason action, Say, who is 25, stayed in the AHL, compiling a 6-7-5 record in 19 appearances with an .889 SV% and a 3.36 GAA. Those numbers were slightly down from his last season in 2024-25 in the NCAA with the University of Notre Dame, where he went 10-15-0 with a .920 SV% and 2.82 GAA.
Meanwhile, in the MHL last year, the 20-year-old Konopsky went 8-5-1 in 17 games, with an impressive .930 SV% and 2.28 GAA. Although the MHL is still professional hockey, it is not Russia's premier league, and Konopsky has yet to play in the KHL. Interestingly, he's in the same boat as the Flames' 2024 third-round pick, Kirill Zarubin.
Besides being paid over $1 million annually, the 20-year-old Zarubin has yet to come to North America and has yet to play in the KHL. However, he's getting a lot of action in the MHL, skating in 48 games last season and posting a 26-13-3 record with a .930 SV% and 2.17 GAA.
Considering that most goalies take longer to develop, the Flames and Wranglers continue to find pieces to keep the goalie pipeline stocked with young and eager puckstoppers who want a chance to prove themselves in professional hockey.
Since becoming General Manager in May 2023, Craig Conroy and his management team have drafted only three goalies, including Yegor Yegorov (2023), Zarubin (2024), and, most recently, Tobias Trejbal in 2026. As mentioned, Zarubin will continue to play in Russia next season. At the same time, Yegorov will take a turn in the NCAA with Miami University, joining Trejbal, who will play at the University of Massachusetts.
