The Calgary Flames have honored two goalies with banners at the Saddledome, Hall of Famer Mike Vernon and Miikka Kiprusoff. As great as their respective careers were, neither one of them ever recorded two shutouts during their rookie season.
Instead, the team record for shutouts in a first season was shared by four goalies until Dustin Wolf made his NHL debut.
Thanks to a 26-save shutout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, Wolf became the first Flames goalie to record three shutouts in a rookie season, overtaking the team record.
Here's a look at Calgary netminders with shutouts during their rookie campaigns:
- Dustin Wolf (2024-25) 3
- Dan Bouchard (1972-73) 2
- Rejean Lemelin (1980-81) 2
- Andrei Trefilov (1993-93) 2
- Dan Vladar (2021-22) 2
- Mike Vernon (1985-86) 1
- Mike Vernon (1986-87) 1
- Joni Ortio (2014-15) 1
Almost every time Wolf plays, he ties or establishes a new team record.
As arguably the best rookie goalie in the NHL today, Wolf has secured a 22-12-4 record and is just eight wins away from matching Vernon's rookie record (30), set in 1986-87.
Wolf has already played the second-most games as a rookie netminder and has produced the best or second-best GAA and SV% statistics in team history.
Meanwhile, Wolf needs just one more assist to tie Trevor Kidd's record of four helpers in 1993-94. So not only is he stopping pucks and blanking opponents, but he's also helping offensively, something unexpected for a Calder Trophy candidate.
If Wolf is named Rookie of the Year, he'd be the first goalie in Flames history to win the award, following in the footsteps of Gary Suter (D), Joe Nieuwendyk (C), and Sergei Makarov (RW). Moreover, he'd be the first backstopper to win the award since Steve Mason (Columbus Blue Jackets) in 2008-09.