Seven NHL goaltending prospects dominating the AHL

I said it earlier this season, and for good reason: it’s a good time to be a fan of the American Hockey League.

There are a ton of high-quality prospects, and we’ve even seen the likes of Shane Wright and Brandt Clarke head down for conditioning stints. But the best reason to watch this year has been for the excellent goaltending, with many of the game’s top netminding prospects put on masterful clinics every single night.

The AHL just released the rosters for the 2023 all-star game in Laval, and there is no shortage of quality goaltenders taking part. Here’s a look at some of the best the league has to offer this season:

Dustin Wolf, 21, Calgary Flames

A lack of ideal size hasn’t stopped Wolf from becoming the AHL’s top goaltender for the second straight year. The 21-year-old has a 21-4-0 record with four shutouts, and a fantastic .931 save percentage, firmly planting him as the favorite to win the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the top goaltender for the second straight season. If that happens, it will be his fourth straight season winning the top goalie award between the WHL and AHL. Sure, there’s concern about his 6-foot-0 frame, but the numbers don’t lie: Wolf is the best goalie prospect in the world right now.

Joseph Woll, 24, Toronto Maple Leafs

Woll has only played nine games this season, but he has won them all en route to a spot in the all-star game. The 24-year-old has everything you’d look for out of a notable goalie prospect: size, results and the ability to steal games. The issue? He has only played 43 games over the past three seasons largely due to a significant injury last season that bled into the first two months of 2022-23. Had it not been for a shoulder injury midway through last year, he would have been called up to serve as backup for the second half instead of Erik Kallgren. Woll is healthy, playing the best hockey of his career and making it hard for the Leafs to ignore him now.

Brandon Bussi, 24, Boston Bruins

Bussi started the season in the ECHL, but he’s never heading back there. The 24-year-old college graduate jumped over Keith Kinkaid, Kyle Keyser and, to a point, Michael DiPietro to become Providence’s starter. With an 11-2-4 record with a shutout and a .934 save percentage, he’s having one heck of a debut pro season. The Bruins look stacked in net with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, but Bussi’s play can’t be ignored.

Joel Hofer, 22, St. Louis Blues

Hofer’s 11-8-7 record might not be special, but he could use more support. Hofer has faced 30 or more shots in 13 of his 23 games and has a 5-0-3 record in games when he faces at least 34 shots. The 2020 world junior star for Canada stands tall at 6-foot-5, competes on every opportunity sent his way and gives Springfield a chance to win every single night. He’ll be full-time in the NHL next season.

Yaroslav Askarov, 20, Nashville Predators

Recently called up by the Predators, Askarov has had a large hype machine behind him since about 2018 when he put on a dominating performance at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge. Askarov’s AHL debut season has been solid, with the 20-year-old posting a 13-6-4 record in 22 games with two shutouts. His inclusion made Connor Ingram expendable at the start of the year, and it won’t be long until he’s fighting for starts with Juuse Saros with the big club. The 6-foot-4 goaltender was excellent during his Russian tenure and has already played significantly more games this year than in the rest of his pro career. The more reps, the better.

Lukas Dostal, 22, Anaheim Ducks

Of the group, Dostal has played the most in the NHL this season with seven games played. Viewed as the future of Anaheim’s crease, the Gulls are an average team, but Dostal is no average goaltender. In his first two games this month, Dostal stopped all 70 shots his way – and this is after facing at least 41 shots in his final four NHL games in December. Dostal has been a busy guy this season, and he’ll likely overtake Anthony Stolarz as backup in 2023-24.

Jesper Wallstedt, 20, Minnesota Wild

It’s been a bit of an adjustment year for Wallstedt, who came over from Sweden to adjust to life in North America this year. He’s sharing the crease with veteran Zane McIntyre and has generally outplayed him on the midpack team. The 6-foot-3 crease saver is as competitive as they come, and Wallstedt has a nice CV full of game-saving efforts in the SHL and with the Swedish national team. Wallstedt’s record when facing 34 shots or more is 5-2-1, so he tends to play better the more shots he faces. He’s still young, but Wallstedt still projects to be one of the best goaltenders in the NHL one day.