Anaheim Ducks Bolster Their Defense with Lukas Dostal, Sealing a Promising Two-Year Partnership
Goaltender prospect Lukas Dostal has signed a two-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks. For the first year of the agreement, each party will get a salary of $325,000 in the AHL and $775,000 in the NHL. According to Eric Stephens of The Athletic, the second year of the contract is one-way and bears an NHL salary of $850,000.
A professional goalkeeper with the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League, Luká Dostál hails from the Czech Republic. He was chosen by the Ducks 85th overall in the third round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
On December 17, 2022, at Rogers Place, the Anaheim Ducks’ third-round pick (No. 85) from the 2018 NHL Draft made 46 saves in a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, taking the spotlight in his sixth NHL start and falling three saves short of Frederik Andersen’s team record for the most by a rookie in team history. Only one other rookie goalkeeper (Andersen, 24, on March 2, 2014, for the Ducks) made more saves (22 in the third period from Dostal).
On January 9, 2022, the Ducks defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in a shootout, with Dostal setting a record for the most saves by a goalkeeper in an NHL debut with 33. He finished his fourth professional season and second with San Diego of the American Hockey League with team rookie goalie records for games (40), GAA (2.60), minutes (2,189), and shutouts (two). Lukas played four NHL games that season, going 1-2-0 with a 2.98 goals-against average and.907 save percentage. On March 2, 2022, against Colorado, he made an AHL career-high 51 saves and recorded the first goal by a goalkeeper in Ducks history.
Dostal spent the 2020–21 season between the AHL and Liiga’s Ilves, Finland’s highest professional league, with a combined record of 25–9–1 with a 2.48 GAA and a.923 save percentage. After leading the league in victories (27) and finishing second in GAA (1.78) and third in save percentage (.928), he was named the winner of the Urpo Ylonen Award, presented to the best goaltender in Liiga in 2019–20. On May 13, 2019, he agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks.
Dostal played 19 games with the Ducks and 34 games for the San Diego Gulls during the 2022–23 NHL and AHL seasons. He had a 4-10-3 record in the NHL while playing for a struggling team, with a 3.78 GAA and a.901 SV%. Dostal started for a subpar Gulls squad in the AHL that only managed 20 victories last year. He finished with a record of 11-21-0, 2.97 GAA, and.912 SV%.
Lukas Dostal Emerges as a Monumental Force, Cementing His Place Among the NHL’s Finest Potential Goaltenders
Before moving on to a second loan stint with Slavia Teb, Dostál made his full debut for Kometa Brno’s senior club during the 2017–18 Champions Hockey League and his Czech Extraliga debut during the 2018–19 season. Dostál, who has a deal with Kometa through 2021, was loaned to the Liiga on February 5, 2019, by the Finnish team Ilves. He made ten appearances, recorded four victories, and had a 1.80 goals-against average.
Dostál signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks on May 14, 2019. Dostál made his NHL debut on January 9, 2022, and helped the Ducks defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in a shootout by making 33 saves.
Dostál scored an empty-net goal for the San Diego Gulls on March 2, 2022, becoming the 17th goalie in AHL history and the first Gulls goalie ever. He also made 51 saves to secure the victory.
One of the top goaltender prospects in the NHL is Dostal. He is viewed as a potential starter for the Ducks in the future. The 23-year-old goaltender from Brno, Czech Republic, is still relatively young for a goalie and already has much work experience. He spent three seasons playing for the Ilves Tampere in Finland after the Ducks chose him in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He excelled in the SM-liiga, notching a.928 SV% in his last season with the Tampere.
Dostal transitioned to North American hockey in the middle of the 2020–21 campaign and has since played the majority of his games with the Gulls. He has played 98 AHL games and 23 games with the big team in Anaheim over the past three seasons. He may serve as Anaheim’s backup this season, but he’ll probably spend more time polishing his craft there. By the 2024–2025 season, the Ducks anticipate Dostal as a full-time NHL player.
