Preview/Lines #58: What Makes Wolf So Hard To Beat? Duehr Shares Reality of Leaving Calgary

For Macklin Celebrini, his closest competition for the Calder Trophy right now appears to be defenseman Lane Hutson and goaltender Dustin Wolf.

Celebrini faces the Calgary Flames’ Wolf on Sunday, in the San Jose Sharks’ first game since the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Gilroy native has 19 of the Flames’ 26 wins on the season and a .912 Save %.

So what makes Wolf so tough to beat? Celebrini and former Flames teammates Tyler Toffoli and Walker Duehr shared their thoughts.

Celebrini had compliments for Wolf’s game, as well as a comparison.

“He’s so quick and it feels like he’s always in position, and same thing as (Yaroslav) Askarov,” Celebrini said. “It feels like you can never catch him out of position.”

Celebrini has already faced off against Wolf once this season.

Wolf allowed just one goal against the Sharks in a win at SAP Center on Dec. 28.

However, that one goal came courtesy of Celebrini, himself.

Walker Duehr – who the San Jose Sharks claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames on Jan. 22 – has a wealth of experience playing with Wolf.

The pair have each been in the Flames organization since 2021, featuring together for both the Flames and the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers and Stockton Heat.

Wolf is considered a small goalie, at just a listed 6-foot-0 and 166 pounds, but Duehr said Wolf makes up for it.

“What has allowed him to be successful…is his athleticism, being quick, but also having a good hockey mind and being able to read plays, maybe when he’s fighting through a screen or something,” Duehr said. “That’s probably his best attribute.”

Duehr added that Wolf stays calm and is difficult to rattle.

Tyler Toffoli also crossed paths with Wolf in the Calgary organization, although more fleetingly. They’ve played one regular season game together.

Wolf reminded him of another goaltender that San Jose Sharks fans are surely familiar with, this one from the Los Angeles Kings – Jonathan Quick.

Toffoli said Wolf’s athleticism in the net reminded him of his past teammate, who’s also not the biggest goalie, a listed 6-foot-1.

“I don’t think he’s as aggressive in a sense of how Quicky played, or plays, but he definitely plays that similar way of making unorthodox saves, and at the same time he’s really technical,” Toffoli said. “He’s obviously proved everybody wrong.”

San Jose Sharks (15-35-7)

Alexandar Georgiev gets the start.

Per @AAVickers, the extras on the ice for #SJSharks today are Grundstrom, Kostin, Vlasic & Vanecek. These appear to be your scratches

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 23, 2025

Based on the extras on the ice today — there was no morning skate — these are projected lines:

Eklund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Zetterlund-Wennberg-Smith
Graf-Sturm-Kunin
Goodrow-Dellandrea-Duehr

Walman-Thrun
Ferraro-Liljegren
Mukhamadullin-Thompson

The Sharks claimed Duehr off waivers from the Flames in January.

He shared one thing about the reality of moving teams in the middle of the season: His wife Brooklyn is pregnant with their first. She’s with Walker in San Jose now, and they’re expecting next month.

Calgary Flames (26-21-8)

#Flames lines and pairings in final practice before return from #4Nations break:

Huberdeau-Kadri-Coronato
Zary-Backlund-Coleman
Farabee-Frost-Sharangovich
Lomberg-Rooney-Pospisil
Klapka

Bahl-Andersson
Hanley-Weegar
Bean-Pachal
Solovyov-Miromanov pic.twitter.com/d0ubQwAmhy

— Derek Wills (@Fan960Wills) February 22, 2025

Where To Watch

Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames is 5 PM PT at Scotiabank Saddledome. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.