Recently Calgary Flames fans have created lots of fanfare for the goaltending prospects in their system. This season names like Wolf, Yegorov, and Sergeev have gotten Flames fans talking, and for good reason, as all three are stars in their respective leagues. So this begs the questions 1) what should fans look for in this crop of future Flames, and 2) why?
Who makes up the current crop of Flames goaltending prospects? Why are they so talked about?
Yegor Yegorov
- Drafted 2023, Sixth Round 176th Overall
- Height: 6’03 Weight 183
- League: MHL Team: MHK Dynamo Moskva
- Stat Line: GP: 20 (10-4-3) GAA: 1.94 SV%: .932
Yegor Yegorov is the youngest goaltender on this list and a possible steal of the late rounds in this past draft. Playing in the Russian junior hockey league, the MHL, Yegorov also gets the least coverage of the players on this list. There is lots to like about Yegorov’s game. The young Russian has a solid athletic base to his game with solid clean movement, T-slides in butterfly, and admirable agility.
The positioning of Yegorov is quite aggressive as he plays mostly outside of the blue paint, but he reads the game well and has good risk assessment while being able to identify all of the passing options on most plays. His positioning is notable too where he is able to swallow up shots with his upper body, but mostly keeping his lower body squared to the shot. This positioning allows him better control of his rebounds.
Yegorov also has areas that show his inexperience. One of these areas of challenge is post-play, often appearing to peek out of the net when play transitions to the corners or behind him. With faster players and higher soft skills at the pro levels, this is a tendency that might cost him. Partly because his mobility is so good, he also tends to scramble out of what appears to be inexperienced decision-making. This scrambling is problematic because as of right now he can recover in time at the MHL level, but how well that transitions to the next level up remains in question.
A couple of things to keep in mind would be the fact that the players he’s facing aren’t as high quality as they could be, and it’ll be interesting to see when he makes the jump to the VHL or KHL how his game adapts. He also plays on one of the top teams in the MHL, which can inflate a goalie’s stats. Whatever development drills Yegorov and his goalie coach Yuri Petrov are doing, they are making him one of the top young goalies in the MHL.
If he can keep this upward trajectory up he’ll make it up to the KHL in the next couple of years and then possibly North America. It’s way too early to tell exactly where Yegorov will end up but he’s definitely showing promise.
Arseni Sergeev
- Drafted: 2021, Seventh Round 205th Overall
- Height: 6’03 Weight: 192
- League: NCAA Team: University of Connecticut
- Stat Line: GP: 10 (5-5-0) GAA: 2.48 SV%: .920
Flames fans should look across the border and a few state lines away to the American state of Connecticut because the next shining prospect in net for the Calgary Flames is playing NCAA hockey there. The Yaroslavl-born goaltender is having a breakout year and has put the league on alert as a top-ten goalie. There is lots to like about his game. He has strong post-play with a good transition from one side to the other.
Speaking of sides, Arseni Sergeev is an absolute brick wall on the lower part of the net, as all three of low-glove, blocker, and five-hole coverage are all great. The 6’3″ Russian also has no issues pushing players out of the way and can see through layers and plenty of traffic with no problem.
He shows to be a capable puck player too, often jump-starting Uconn’s power play when it gets cleared. This is also starting to be a trend with Flames goaltending prospects, but Sergeev has great athleticism and agility. Lots to like about the NCAA sophomore.
There’s also some obvious room for growth, as every prospect has. At points, Sergeev lacks zone scanning and more development in risk assessment for the young goaltender could prove beneficial to achieve that next step up. In addition he appears to be quite scrambly in his crease, and if cleaned up could make him even more of a brick wall.
One benefit for Sergeev is the fact that most NCAA players are still working at developing their offensive instincts, soft skills, and refining their shot selection, so there is room for error with young goaltenders. These next two years are a crucial time for the NCAA product and his goalie coach Vincent Stalletti to really flesh out his development nicely. Expect Sergeev to be an exciting and enticing option for the organization in the future, with possible NHL upside.
Dustin Wolf
- Drafted: 2019, Seventh Round, 214th Overall
- Height: 6’00 Weight: 174
- League: AHL Team: Calgary Wranglers
- Stat Line: GP: 27 (18-7-2) GAA: 2.32 SV%: .926
The two-time AHL Goalie of the Year, two-time WHL Goalie of the Year and one-time CHL Goalie of the Year. Dustin Wolf certainly has the hardware to back up the hype he has in the Calgary Flames organization. The 6’0″ California product has good movement, and slides within the crease while being able to clearly see through multiple layers.
All in all, he has excellent crease management that leads to limited scrambling and safe goaltending tendencies. Wranglers goalie coach Mackenzie Skapski must be encouraging aerobics or something, because Wolf has top-tier athleticism and agility. A main component that any goaltender needs is senses, and Wolf definitely has them as his checking up/scanning is good. This scanning is particularly complemented by a quality glove side.
Two areas he tends to struggle with are elevating shots that go low to high, which is common for goalies below 6’3″ so not much of a worry. Secondly, he has limited effectiveness in reactionary saves, where there is an unexpected defensive turnover in front of him. This form of play anticipation is something that will develop as his checking up skills further develop at the pro level and is of little concern. Nothing too major playing wise that is standing in the way of Dustin Wolf.
As much as Flames fans tout his horn as the goalie of the future, many forget this is only his third season of pro hockey and all goalies go through some growing pains. All in all, he has shown at all levels he’s played to be a more than capable starter at the NHL level, which is something Flames fans have rarely heard about a drafted prospect. The only question remaining is when he will get that extended opportunity to prove himself.
Where does this leave the Flames goaltending pipeline?
One thing that stands out of all of this is the draft position that all of these goalies went at, mostly late rounds. This speaks volumes about the quality of both the Flames scouting staff and goalie coach Jason LaBarbera. Rarely in Flames history has the organization had even one “goalie of the future,” let alone three showing real NHL promise.
It’s not hard to believe that this is the real “Goal-den Age” of Calgary Flames goaltending prospects, as the other prospects from this decade: Tyler Parsons (2016), Mason McDonald (2014), Jon Gillies (2012), and Laurent Brossoit (2011). The one thing that all of these goaltenders have in common is that although some had hype statistically they couldn’t justify it.
Only one of the players mentioned above became an NHL regular (Brossoit), and it was not even with the Calgary Flames. As a matter of fact, the last time the Flames drafted and developed a starter for the club would be Trevor Kidd, who was drafted 11th overall in 1990. A developed goaltender turned starter for the Flames has only happened twice in the entire team’s history: 1990 with Kidd, and 1981 with Mike Vernon.
The Flames may finally have a goaltending crop to break that trend, and one of the three aforementioned goalies is the key. So is this the golden age of Flames goaltending prospects? Wolf, Sergeev, or Yegorov will hopefully prove this right.
Which goaltending prospect are you most excited about?
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
