Flames’ Dustin Wolf looking to ‘prove people wrong’ after Team USA snub

Dustin Wolf knows a thing or two about having to prove himself.

The Calgary Flames netminder had to battle to earn the starting job with his team — now, he’s hoping to earn the attention of his country’s decision makers ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

That’s because when Team USA revealed its Olympics orientation camp roster, the name ‘Wolf’ did not appear.

Despite a stellar rookie season with the Flames that saw him finish as a finalist for the Calder Trophy with a sparkling 2.64 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage, Wolf was not invited to the camp in Plymouth, Mich.

But the 24-year-old isn’t going to dwell on the situation. Instead, it’ll just give him more motivation to start his season, he said.

“It just creates fire. I’ve been the guy who’s been looked over so much in my career,” Wolf told reporters at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas on Monday. “I don’t think going or not going to the orientation means that they don’t like you. But the start of the season is critical for giving you an opportunity to go to the Olympics. And that’s the goal.

“You want to prove people wrong. Myself, our group, are continuing to prove people wrong on a daily basis in Calgary. That’s just another side of it.”

The U.S. is not shy on options between the pipes with a group that’s headlined by reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman and Joey Daccord.

Just because he wasn’t invited to camp doesn’t mean Wolf is not in the picture to make the team, but it will be an uphill battle to earn a spot over established veterans.

It all starts with taking a step forward with Calgary after being edged out by the St. Louis Blues for the final wild-card spot last season.

“We want to create our own destiny and not have to rely on outside sources to help (Calgary secure a playoff spot),” Wolf said. “There are certainly games you look back on last year — you lose one point, lose two points — where we could have gotten in significantly easier. That’s the learning curve. You have to figure out how to manage that.”