This signing is really good news for 23-year-old Dustin Wolf, too.
These California kids haven’t met … yet.
You can bet this unknown number was quickly saved in Cooley’s contacts.
“(Wolf) actually reached out as soon as I signed and we got to talk for a little bit, so that was cool,” Cooley said. “I think that just shows a lot about his character. He’s obviously an awesome guy. I think goalies especially, we really kind of stick together despite the fact that we’re all competing with each other. Because there’s not many people that understand the mental stuff that we go through as goalies and the amount of pressure that comes with the position.
“I’ve always been super close with the goalies that I’ve played with, and I’m hoping it’s going to continue that way in Calgary and we can work with each other to make each other better and be there for each other if things aren’t going as well and be there to support each other and pick each other up. That’s what I’m really hoping for.”
Cooley, 27, was bubbling with excitement after inking a two-year contract with the Flames.
But this signing is really good news for the 23-year-old Wolf, too.
If the brass at the Saddledome had targeted an experienced twine-minder on the free-agent market, a guy like Cam Talbot or Laurent Brossoit, then Calgary’s prized puck-stopping prospect might have been stuck for another season in the minors. That won’t be the case.
Cooley, who hails from Los Gatos, Calif., and appeared in six games last season with the San Jose Sharks, will arrive for training camp as the projected third-stringer. He’s here to push Dan Vladar — currently recovering from hip surgery — and Wolf, not to immediately supplant them.
Cooley’s deal starts as a two-way in 2024-25, a hint that he’ll most often be wearing a Wranglers jersey, before converting to a one-way for his second campaign in Cowtown.
Vladar, who turns 27 in August and has been biding his time as the Flames’ backup, is probably the most likely bet for opening-night duties, but that is far from a sure-thing. Wolf, the rising-star from Gilroy, Calif., will try to make his case for the starting gig.
“Another younger guy that wants the challenge,” said general manager Craig Conroy of Cooley, whose contract carries a big-league cap-hit of$775,000 U.S. “We want all three of these guys to come into camp and fight for those spots. I mean, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about just giving somebody the reins. No, come and earn it. Who is going to take that spot and who’s going to be the guy that kind of rises?
“Nobody is going to work harder in the summer than these three guys, because they all want to say, ‘That’s my job.’ And that’s what we want. We want to bring in that competition. We’re not giving it to anybody. We expect them to come in and someone to take it.”
Cooley, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 192 pounds, spent three seasons at the University of Denver and four more in the minors before being tapped in mid-March for his NHL debut.
You may recall his viral post-game soundbite — “Nothing’s really gonna matter, we’re all gonna die, you know?” he said after a 49-save show-off against the Seattle Kraken, an attempt to explain his strategy for staying in the moment and not putting too much emphasis on the big picture — or might have heard about his pet bunny, Tito.
The Flames, who were shopping for another ’stopper after Jacob Markstrom was traded to New Jersey, believe that the late-blooming Cooley has plenty of upside, even if his current NHL stat-line — a 2-3-1 record with a 4.98 goals-against average and .870 save percentage — needs some polish.
“Maybe I’m delusional, I don’t know, but I look at how I play and what I can bring to the table and then I look at guys around the NHL who are there full-time, and I don’t see a huge difference,” Cooley said. “Maybe some technical things here and there, but I just feel like I have the work ethic, I have the motivation, I have all the natural abilities. Once everything kind of clicks for me, I think there’s no saying how far I can go.
“With San Jose, I had a few games that I was really happy with and a few not-so-good games where I learned a ton about myself and learned what I need to improve on in the off-season. I’m really working on making those improvements, and I’m excited to show how much I’ve improved when things get started in Calgary.”