G Dustin Wolf (2019, 214th, CGY)

[hotcabbagesoup]

It's really frustrating that every team wants the same goalie build. Clearly, smaller goalies can be just as dominant if not more than taller goalies, and it would be way more interesting to watch teams with diversity and different identities. There isn't one recipe for success.

the Stanley Cup winning goalie Adin Hill is 6'4''

Darcy Kuemper is 6'5''

Vasilegskiy is very wide

 

[Victorias]

the Stanley Cup winning goalie Adin Hill is 6'4''

Darcy Kuemper is 6'5''

Vasilegskiy is very wide

Shesterkin is 6’1, Saros is 5’11 - two of the top 3 goalies in the league. And the Avs won in spite of Kuemper while Hill may never be a #1.

Sure, the game is easier for taller goalies, but the scouting is getting a bit ridiculous; even in the NFL, a 5’10 QB just went number 1 overall.

I know the days of 5’8 goalies are gone, but size is not everything at that position. Otherwise the 6’8 guy who went 5 rounds earlier (Sogaard) would be the one dominating.

 

[*OvechKiN*]

He is 6’0”. If he was 6’2”, I think he’d be rated no1 on that list.

 

[Fantomas]

The fact that I still see some people rank Askarov over Wolf is hilarious to me. Has Askarov even learned to catch pucks yet.

 

[Eegs]

He is 6’0”. If he was 6’2”, I think he’d be rated no1 on that list.

Doesn't matter. He's No.1.

 

[57special]

Shesterkin is 6’1, Saros is 5’11 - two of the top 3 goalies in the league. And the Avs won in spite of Kuemper while Hill may never be a #1.

Sure, the game is easier for taller goalies, but the scouting is getting a bit ridiculous; even in the NFL, a 5’10 QB just went number 1 overall.

I know the days of 5’8 goalies are gone, but size is not everything at that position. Otherwise the 6’8 guy who went 5 rounds earlier (Sogaard) would be the one dominating.

Adding to that, bigger goalies usually put more pressure on their lower bodies than smaller, nimble goalies. IMO, 6’ is plenty big enough, especially with the rule changes on pad sizes. Like any position, the key is to get someone talented…. Seems to me that there would be opportunities to pick up smaller (not tiny)goalies in the later rounds.

 

[Rob Brown]

It's really just his height at this point.

He is 6’0”. If he was 6’2”, I think he’d be rated no1 on that list.

Which seems weird to me for someone like Wheeler to base a ranking like this on size vs. actual performance and results. Wolf has shown much more than Wallstedt, Askarov, and Levi in the AHL, but he's ranked lower because he's shorter. Doesn't make a ton of sense to me haha.

 

[57special]

The fact that I still see some people rank Askarov over Wolf is hilarious to me. Has Askarov even learned to catch pucks yet.

I thought he was overrated early on, but he looked pretty good to me when I saw him in the AHL. I think if he calms down he’ll be a good goalie…it’s like he gets too revved up sometimes, and it works against him. Kotchekov is another guy who really impressed me down in the AHL.

 

[Fig]

I thought he was overrated early on, but he looked pretty good to me when I saw him in the AHL. I think if he calms down he’ll be a good goalie…it’s like he gets too revved up sometimes, and it works against him. Kotchekov is another guy who really impressed me down in the AHL.

Sorry, what does it mean "revved up"? Like he gets more aggressive positionally in his crease? Or like he goes out to play the puck more.

I know what I see. I'm just curious what you're honing on for his style of game.

One completely random thing I noticed is that he primes his catcher by tapping it a lot when the play is away from his end of the ice. I forget whether it was around every 13 or 23 seconds when I observed it. But he'd regularly tap his catcher with his stick like it was loose and he was putting it back in position.

It stuck out to me because it felt familiar and weirdly calming. I feel like more goalies used to tap their catchers than goalies these days, but I honestly don't know for certain if I'm misremembering.

 

[57special]

Sorry, what does it mean "revved up"? Like he gets more aggressive positionally in his crease? Or like he goes out to play the puck more.

I know what I see. I'm just curious what you're honing on for his style of game.

One completely random thing I noticed is that he primes his catcher by tapping it a lot when the play is away from his end of the ice. I forget whether it was around every 13 or 23 seconds when I observed it. But he'd regularly tap his catcher with his stick like it was loose and he was putting it back in position.

It stuck out to me because it felt familiar and weirdly calming. I feel like more goalies used to tap their catchers than goalies these days, but I honestly don't know for certain if I'm misremembering.

I also could’ve said overreacts, but it’s more like he flinches a bit, sometimes. His reactions are lightning fast, but sometimes you just have to square up and let the puck hit you. Fixable, IMO. It’s just a fleeting impression that I had when I saw him briefly last year, when my team’s goalie prospect(Wallstedt) played against him in the AHL. Askarov is talented.

 

[Fantomas]

I thought he was overrated early on, but he looked pretty good to me when I saw him in the AHL. I think if he calms down he’ll be a good goalie…it’s like he gets too revved up sometimes, and it works against him. Kotchekov is another guy who really impressed me down in the AHL.

I'm being a bit mean, but I still can't forgive Askarov for sucking at the World Juniors. Meanwhile Wolf was stuck backing up Knight and probably would have destroyed otherwise.

 

[Fig]

I also could’ve said overreacts, but it’s more like he flinches a bit, sometimes. His reactions are lightning fast, but sometimes you just have to square up and let the puck hit you. Fixable, IMO. It’s just a fleeting impression that I had when I saw him briefly last year, when my team’s goalie prospect(Wallstedt) played against him in the AHL. Askarov is talented.

So... like he wants to interact with the shot with his arms and legs instead of his core and kinda flinches/momentary paralysis for some of the squared up shots? Or some body language he's not completely confident he's read the play perfectly and has saved the shot almost 2-3 seconds in advance? Or am I misunderstanding?

Hmm... I'll have to keep an eye out for stuff like that. I never thought of that angle, but I think it makes sense. I could see it. I think it relates a little bit to the "calmness" some goalies have vs "athleticism" basic descriptions some scouting reports use. IIRC, Hasek was like that. (I AM NOT COMPARING WOLF TO HASEK CALIBRE OR STYLE WISE). I am just saying that I seem to recall Hasek liked using his head, pads and arms a hell of a lot more than his core/torso. I think Kipper was like that too but he was more on his stomach than Hasek on his back. I'll have to dust off a few clips in Youtube to confirm later. Also not saying that Wolf likes playing lying down like those two. Just the way their instincts seem to be in terms of how they philosophically try to stop the puck and I want to go and see if I notice that in Wolf's game.

Thanks! I'll try watching his game from that angle later on.

 

[Teaspoon salami]

So... like he wants to interact with the shot with his arms and legs instead of his core and kinda flinches/momentary paralysis for some of the squared up shots? Or some body language he's not completely confident he's read the play perfectly and has saved the shot almost 2-3 seconds in advance? Or am I misunderstanding?

Hmm... I'll have to keep an eye out for stuff like that. I never thought of that angle, but I think it makes sense. I could see it. I think it relates a little bit to the "calmness" some goalies have vs "athleticism" basic descriptions some scouting reports use. IIRC, Hasek was like that. (I AM NOT COMPARING WOLF TO HASEK CALIBRE OR STYLE WISE). I am just saying that I seem to recall Hasek liked using his head, pads and arms a hell of a lot more than his core/torso. I think Kipper was like that too but he was more on his stomach than Hasek on his back. I'll have to dust off a few clips in Youtube to confirm later. Also not saying that Wolf likes playing lying down like those two. Just the way their instincts seem to be in terms of how they philosophically try to stop the puck and I want to go and see if I notice that in Wolf's game.

Thanks! I'll try watching his game from that angle later on.

Honestly, it really shouldn't matter how they do it. What matters is results.

 

[Fig]

Honestly, it really shouldn't matter how they do it. What matters is results.

Agreed. But I'm a nerd. Knowing more about the nuances of how he does it are things that I like investigating.

 

[Bounces R Way]

So... like he wants to interact with the shot with his arms and legs instead of his core and kinda flinches/momentary paralysis for some of the squared up shots? Or some body language he's not completely confident he's read the play perfectly and has saved the shot almost 2-3 seconds in advance? Or am I misunderstanding?

Hmm... I'll have to keep an eye out for stuff like that. I never thought of that angle, but I think it makes sense. I could see it. I think it relates a little bit to the "calmness" some goalies have vs "athleticism" basic descriptions some scouting reports use. IIRC, Hasek was like that. (I AM NOT COMPARING WOLF TO HASEK CALIBRE OR STYLE WISE). I am just saying that I seem to recall Hasek liked using his head, pads and arms a hell of a lot more than his core/torso. I think Kipper was like that too but he was more on his stomach than Hasek on his back. I'll have to dust off a few clips in Youtube to confirm later. Also not saying that Wolf likes playing lying down like those two. Just the way their instincts seem to be in terms of how they philosophically try to stop the puck and I want to go and see if I notice that in Wolf's game.

Thanks! I'll try watching his game from that angle later on.

That poster is talking about Yaroslav Askarov and not Wolf. There's no panic in Dustin's game. Cool as a cucumber.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Sorry, what does it mean "revved up"? Like he gets more aggressive positionally in his crease? Or like he goes out to play the puck more.

I know what I see. I'm just curious what you're honing on for his style of game.

One completely random thing I noticed is that he primes his catcher by tapping it a lot when the play is away from his end of the ice. I forget whether it was around every 13 or 23 seconds when I observed it. But he'd regularly tap his catcher with his stick like it was loose and he was putting it back in position.

It stuck out to me because it felt familiar and weirdly calming. I feel like more goalies used to tap their catchers than goalies these days, but I honestly don't know for certain if I'm misremembering.

Askarov is like this. He doesn't truly know how to use his arms yet, tbh. He doesn't hold his glove properly, he doesn't have it "up and out" and a lot of times he flails and misses pucks or has them pop out. I don't feel like whatever "antics" they do before settling into the stance matter that much, whether he "taps" it or whatever. But end of the day, his arms are not in the right position.

You'd think it is a fairly "fixable" thing, but once you get to an older age, goalies seem a little less "flexible" in these kinds of tendencies than I would have thought? Askarov has insane legs and confidence. But if he can't fix his arms, he's not going to play in the NHL. I have no idea if being a RH-catch has factored into that in his training along the way. But it's curious.

2 inches of height is NOTHNG on these kinds of issues, at this level. Goalies like Wolf and Levi who have the fundamentals down cold but are just 2 inches shorter are FAR SUPERIOR prospects to me. They already know how to play. And how to make up for those 2 inches.

 

[JurassicTunga]

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Shesterkin is 6’1, Saros is 5’11 - two of the top 3 goalies in the league. And the Avs won in spite of Kuemper while Hill may never be a #1.

Sure, the game is easier for taller goalies, but the scouting is getting a bit ridiculous; even in the NFL, a 5’10 QB just went number 1 overall.

I know the days of 5’8 goalies are gone, but size is not everything at that position. Otherwise the 6’8 guy who went 5 rounds earlier (Sogaard) would be the one dominating.

I feel like most people in this thread agree but it's extra maddening because we're not talking about the taller guys getting drafted a few picks earlier or something, in this case, Wolf dropped all the way to the very end of the draft on it. It's wild how overvalued size is.

 

[Rob Brown]

Looking like he starts in the AHL again, or have there been talks of the Flames starting with all 3 goalies on the opening night roster?

 

[Teaspoon salami]

Looking like he starts in the AHL again, or have there been talks of the Flames starting with all 3 goalies on the opening night roster?

If they don't value him enough to make room for him on their roster then they should trade him

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

If they don't value him enough to make room for him on their roster then they should trade him

Conroy alluded to the fact he will play NHL games. It might only be 20 in the NHL and 40 in the AHL. Vladar likely gets dealt when some other team gets an injury.

He’s a top ten prospect in the league. Who’s going to trade another prospect of that caliber??

 

[crazyfisherman]

Looking like he starts in the AHL again, or have there been talks of the Flames starting with all 3 goalies on the opening night roster?

I think because ahl mainly pkay weekends their plan is to call him up once in a while and start him during the week. Still think its a dumb play but it could be worse i guess

 

[Backlund]

I think because ahl mainly pkay weekends their plan is to call him up once in a while and start him during the week. Still think its a dumb play but it could be worse i guess

It works with the Wranglers in Calgary. If they were still in Stockton it would be stupid.

 

[lakai17]

If they don't value him enough to make room for him on their roster then they should trade him

I don't see how he wouldn't want our of Calgary if he's not on the opening day lineup.

 

[Bounces R Way]

I don't see how he wouldn't want our of Calgary if he's not on the opening day lineup.

Then you have a very narrow view. He's entering his 3rd pro season and is 22 years old. He's not 25+ years old dying on the vine.