Rinkside Roundup: Dustin Wolf making a compelling case for the Calder

February has come and gone, and more and more prospects at every level are finding new gears.

In the NHL, Dustin Wolf just had another phenomenal performance against the Montréal Canadiens — the likes of which, if repeated, can easily push a netminder past a group of offensive prodigies in the Calder race. Meanwhile, Cole Hutson has been lights-out for Boston University in their run of strong performances this week.

On the CHL side, Minnesota Wild second-rounder Ryder Ritchie had a world-class game against the Red Deer Rebels, and two draft-eligibles — Jake O’Brien and Justin Carbonneau — have had highly productive weeks of their own. 

We’ll start in the Show with Wolf, and work our way down to Junior hockey.

Dustin Wolf, G, Calgary Flames

Season stats: 22W, .915 SV%, 2,52 GAA

Last Week Stats: 2W, .945 SV%, 1.50 GAA

Saturday night’s face-off between the Montréal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome saw Dustin Wolf put on a goaltending masterclass in every facet of the position.

In a game with two rookies in net, the final score was 1-0. Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobeš, on one side, put up a fight, scrambling erratically to stop pucks through crowds. Meanwhile, Wolf could not have been calmer in his crease.

A 5’11” netminder with incredible poise, upper-body technique and rebound control, Wolf swallowed point shots with ease, preventing the Habs from gaining any level of offensive-zone momentum. When the Flames opted for a hard neutral zone trap, he knocked hard-rim dump-ins down out of mid-air behind his own net, and calmly distributed to his defencemen for easy breakouts.

Wolf currently holds the sixth-highest save percentage in the entire NHL. The Flames’ success flows through their 214th-overall pick in 2019, and they would frankly be out of the playoff picture if it weren’t for their rookie netminder. Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson have been putting up phenomenal numbers with their respective teams, but neither has been as imperative to his team’s success as Wolf is to his. He deserves to be in the conversation with the two former Boston University Terriers.

Cole Hutson, LD, Boston University (Washington Capitals)

Season stats: 12G, 27A, 39PTS

Last Week Stats: 2G, 4A, 6PTS

Speaking of Boston University Terriers, Cole Hutson had a phenomenal outing this week — back-to-back three-point games on Thursday and Saturday against Providence and Vermont comfortably propelled Hutson into this week’s top performers.

Only a couple of minute details now separate Hutson’s offensive approach from his brother’s, whereas the two looked quite different this time last year. The two share the same ability to manipulate opposing structures with a unique blend of stop-ups and full-body fakes, regularly make passes inside of those motions, and proactively identify space along the top of the zone. 

Cole’s skating and defensive game are still a step behind Lane’s at the same age, but the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses at this level, allowing him to dominate at the NCAA level. We’ve seen this story before, and Hutson is trending to follow in his brother’s footsteps. The Washington Capitals have a phenomenal talent on their hands — especially if they can get his explosiveness and backward mobility to improve.

Ryder Ritchie, RW, Medicine Hat Tigers (Minnesota Wild) 

Season stats: 28G, 31A, 59PTS

Last Week Stats: 4G, 2A, 6PTS

With three goals and two assists in Friday’s bout against the Red Deer Rebels, Ryder Ritchie easily makes this week’s Roundup. The Minnesota Wild’s 45th-overall pick in 2024 has made the most of his move to Medicine Hat, developing solid chemistry with the likes of Gavin McKenna and Oasiz Wiesblatt on the power play — despite playing away from them at even strength. When teammates aren’t available, he can create on his own, too — he clearly showed as much on his gorgeous solo effort from that same game.

Ritchie took some time to get up to speed with his new team — he had to wait until his sixth game of the season to score his first goal as a Tiger, and didn’t inspire much confidence before and after that. As of late, however, Ritchie has seemed closer to the version we saw early last season, which saw our team rank him ninth overall in October 2023 — a dynamic, shifty, and intelligent high-skill winger with game-breaking tools. If he keeps this up, Ritchie’s risky top-six projection will get much safer.

Jake O’Brien, C, Brantford Bulldogs (2025 NHL Draft)

Season stats: 32G, 61A, 93PTS

Last Week Stats: 3G, 2A, 5PTS

Ritchie wasn’t the only CHLer to put up five points in one night — enter Jake O’Brien. The 6’2”, 170-pound centre amassed three goals and two assists in a convincing 11-3 win over Michael Misa’s Saginaw Spirit. Primarily a playmaker, O’Brien stepped out of that role at times in this game to show the full extent of his skillset, as our Lead Scout David St-Louis outlined in his report on the game in question:

“He was a passer, first and foremost, as usual, but also showed more elements. When he couldn't pass defenders in the neutral zone, he dumped the puck and forechecked for it, gaining the inside to protect it. He supported teammates well on breakouts and found space in between checks to get his shot off. He looked a bit more physical, a bit more of a projectable shooter, and like a more talented stickhandler than before.”

Currently 14th-overall on our board, O’Brien is due for a big jump. The combination of borderline elite playmaking and physical runway offers an alluring package for NHL teams — especially the ones that trust their ability to help prospects put on muscle. If he manages to add 30 healthy pounds over the next four years, he’ll be a phenomenal NHLer.

Justin Carbonneau, RW, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (2025 NHL Draft) 

Season stats: 46G, 41A, 87PTS

Last Week Stats: 7G, 2A, 9PTS

With seven goals and two assists in his three games this week — including a four-goal, five-point outing on Sunday — Justin Carbonneau forced his way onto this week’s Roundup. Even more impressively, the QMJHL’s Player of the Week leapfrogged Caleb Desnoyers for points per game with his recent performances, now sitting second in the league with a 1.50 point-per-game rate to Desnoyers’ 1.48.

The 6’1”, 192-pound winger is the main driver of Blainville’s recent success, as the team hasn’t lost in regulation in 14 games. He continues to blend a powerful stride with high-end puck skills across the board — from his heavy release, to his deft handling, to his high-end playmaking vision, Carbonneau’s offensive toolkit is dominant. 

Carbonneau hasn’t hit a cold streak of more than two games so far this year, and regularly follows those up with elite performances. His ability to bounce back from poor outings like the one he had on Saturday against Moncton (in which he still managed to score) is becoming a constant. There is clear top-six, even top-line talent with Carbonneau, even if it comes with its fair share of risk due to the forechecking and play selection concerns.