On June 21 and 22, 2019, the hockey world gathered at Rogers Arena in Vancouver for the 2019 NHL Draft.

During those two days, 22 goaltenders were selected by NHL clubs. The first, Spencer Knight, was selected at 13th overall by the Florida Panthers. The last, Dustin Wolf, was selected at 214th overall by the Calgary Flames.

On Saturday night, for the first time since being selected – and perhaps the first time at any level in nearly a decade – Knight and Wolf faced off on opposite ends of the ice in a competitive game. Wolf made 32 saves for his second career shutout, while Knight allowed three goals on 26 shots. The Flames beat the Panthers by a 3-0 score.

Of the six American-born netminders selected in 2019, Knight and Wolf were probably the two that generated the most excitement among draft-watchers due to their performances at prior levels. Their first post-draft clash taking so long was a reflection of the very distinct paths they each took to reach the NHL.

Prior to Saturday, their paths did cross over the years:

But in terms of going head-to-head, it took awhile.

Wolf was born in California on Apr. 16, 2021 and worked his way up through club hockey on the west coast, eventually landing with the Everett Silvertips in 2017-18 as a 16-year-old. He was a superb Western League goaltender and he only was prevented from putting more of a dent in the record books – and experiencing playoff success – by the COVID-19 pandemic shortening his final two seasons in the league. He joined the pro ranks full-time in 2021-22 and got his first NHL game in at the end of 2022-23, just four days before his 22nd birthday.

Knight was born in Connecticut, four days after Wolf, and spent his time in east coast prep league hockey. He spent two seasons with the U.S. National Development Program before spending two seasons at Boston College, Johnny Gaudreau’s old team. After establishing himself as college hockey’s top netminder, he signed a deal with the Panthers and made his NHL debut at the end of the 2020-21 season, a day after his 20th birthday.

Wolf played extensively in the AHL in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 before establishing himself as a full-time NHLer this season. Knight yo-yoed a bit between the two leagues – Florida’s goaltending situation was a bit more topsy-turvy when he arrived as a pro – and he played some of 2021-22 and all of 2023-24 in the AHL. Even when they were both in the American League, the Wranglers and Florida’s affiliate in Charlotte never play each other during the regular season.

“I knew this whole time, I knew that he was an unbelievable goalie, like, one of the best,” said Knight about Wolf prior to Saturday’s game. “And, I mean, I never really had a doubt that he would get to this level and flourish. I think it’s just a testament to his hard work and, you know, his personality, his character, and his commitment to the game. So, I think Calgary’s very lucky to have him. And, I mean, I think he’s been underrated for a long time.”

Wolf’s sparkling performance across from Knight after a couple outings where Wolf, by his own admission, wasn’t at his best drew praise from his head coach, Ryan Huska.

“Hey, everybody’s going to go through stretches like that,” said Huska. “I do feel like, whether or not it was the guy who was playing against tonight, I know they’re good friends and they were teammates at World Juniors way back when. I think for him, probably more so, that he’ll leave here tonight feeling really good where his game is at again. But for us, everybody goes through a stretch or two like that. It’s just sticking with them and making sure he knows we continue to believe in him. But even in the games where we got beaten, he gave up some goals, I didn’t think he was poor. I just don’t think the team was as good in front of him or him.”

The Flames play the Panthers once more this season on Mar. 1 in Florida. We’ll see if Wolf and Knight will face off again in a rematch of Saturday’s contest.