It's been a cool season so far for Devin Cooley, who has earned a two-year extension by the Calgary Flames today worth $2.7 million. There was a certain amount of doubt heading into the season with the backup role behind Dustin Wolf, with the offseason addition of Ivan Prosvetov to compete for the job.
But then Devin Cooley took that job and ran with it. An impressive tandem for the Flames has grown so far, and the internal competition is good for both goaltenders. Dustin Wolf has come back to form after struggling in the first quarter of the season and I believe that Devin Cooley is part of the reason for that.
Although the 4-4-2 record may indicate average to many, consider his goals against average (GAA) of 2.40, and save percentage of 0.914%. The save percentage alone is among the top ten of goaltenders to play at least 13 games. Looking at underlying stats, which is a key indicator especially for goaltenders, he is also in the top ten of high danger save percentage.
From undrafted to reliable
The story of his journey to this moment is nothing short of special, the native of Los Gatos, California had issues finding ice-time in the state. His parents turned to artificial ice from Hawai'i. He intially signed as an undrafted free agent to the Nashville Predators after his time at the University of Denver. He then bounced around between the ECHL and AHL, with a pitstop in Buffalo before being traded to San Jose.
In his short time with the Sharks he must've made an impression on Flames management, especially in the last game of the season against the Flames in 2024. He signed with the Flames just a few months later and had been in the AHL until this season. "Nothing matters, nobody cares, we're all going to die". Morbid. But, if it's not broke, don't try to fix it.