'He's A Superstar'

His play is doing all of the talking.

Saturday night’s 26-save shutout against the Canadiens was just the latest chapter in Dustin Wolf’s sensational rookie campaign.

It’s one of the best rookie goalie seasons in recent memory, in fact.

And as the Flames remain right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff chase, the calls for Wolf to earn some League attention are growing louder and louder.

The 23-year-old is one of four front-runners up for Calder Trophy consideration, and the race for the NHL’s top rookie honours is just as intriguing as Calgary’s chase for the postseason.

Wolf is the lone goalie at the top of the freshman pack, joining San Jose forward Macklin Celebrini, Montreal d-man Lane Hutson and Philadelphia winger Matvei Michkov.

Flames centre Morgan Frost has the unique experience of having played with two of the four.

And he’s a firm believer that Wolf is deserving of every single accolade that’s come his way, since joining the Flames via trade at the end of January.

“Honestly I wasn’t too, too aware of (him), just playing in the East, obviously we didn’t see these guys too much,” Frost said Monday. “Now that I’ve been here, I mean he’s really impressive. I think he should be honestly getting a lot more attention. He should be right up there.

“He can steal games for a team, he’s been so good, so to do that as a rookie is real impressive.”

Wolf’s three running mates are top of the crop in terms of rookie scoring leaders.

But Wolf’s numbers are up there with the NHL’s best puck-stoppers.

Of the 21 goalies in the NHL with 20 or more wins this season, he's the youngest.

His .935 save percentage at 5-on-5 (courtesy of Natural Stat Trick) ranks third among goalies with 20 or more starts, behind only Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.

At 5-on-5, his high-danger save percentage is .873 - which is tops in the league among any netminder with more than eight appearances this season.

And he’s third in the NHL at 5-on-5 goals saved above average - that figure stands at a lofty 19.86 per Natural Stat Trick.

Suffice it to say, when Wolf’s between the pipes, he gives the Flames a chance to win.

Night in, night out.

“You have that extra boost, right?” explained Frost. “There’s obviously a ton of breakdowns and mistakes in a game.

“I think when you do (make mistakes), you can trust him back there. He’s so calm, and I don’t think anything shakes him.”

Defenceman Brayden Pachal agrees, adding the tandem of Wolf and Dan Vladar gives the rest of the group a level of comfort.

“Wolfie kinda has that aura about him, where he’s in that zone, good luck getting one past him,” Pachal noted. “Vladdy battles on every puck, doesn’t give up and makes some incredible saves.

“Any goalie that we have back there, we’re confident in them.”

But even over days and months, wins and losses, you’d almost expect there to be ups and downs.

But Wolf has been unflappable. A ‘cool cucumber,’ according to his head coach.

And Ryan Huska suggests, it’s that consistency that has allowed him to steady in the crease, too.

“I look at it sometimes as my kids a lot of times, what they’re like. I see them kinda at times go up and down, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dustin have a day where he’s different,” Huska said Monday. “He’s the same way every morning he walks into the rink. Whether he has a great practice, not a great practice, he’s the same after practice. He chirps guys on the ice, good day, bad day, he’s the same. Every day.

“And I think that’s what makes him a good young pro, and I think it’s going to serve him really well as he moves forward.”

His head coach, his teammates, and Flames fans have taken notice.

Slowly, but surely, the rest of the league is, too.

A recent poll of NHL.com writers had Wolf third in Calder Trophy voting, three of the scribes taking part picked him as their winner.

In the past 41 years, only six goaltenders have won the award. That list includes Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour and Tom Barrasso.

Five Flames have won the Calder Trophy, but none since Sergei Makarov earned the honour in 1990.

If Calgary ends up being successful in its quest for the postseason, there’s no doubt Wolf will play a starring role.

And for defenders like Pachal, having a front-row seat to goaltending greatness is pretty sweet, too.

“I’m not a goalie coach, but just watching him, he’s so smart. He thinks the game so well - a back door pass, he’s there before the pass even gets there,” he said. “I think he’s just really smart, really athletic and super positionally-sound. It allows him to make saves and not give up rebounds, and that’s key to being an NHL goalie.

"He’s a superstar at it already.”