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Lukas Dostal

Western Notes: Dostal, Jets, Garland

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The Anaheim Ducks face several key questions heading into the 2025–26 season, one of which is whether goalie Lukas Dostal can deliver a breakout campaign following the trade of veteran John Gibson, per NHL.com’s David Satriano.

Dostal appeared in a career-high 54 games with Anaheim last season, securing a 23-23-7 record and a .903 save percentage that aligns with his career average of .902. That performance allowed the Ducks to trade Gibson to the Red Wings at the draft for goaltender Petr Mrazek and two draft picks, as well as land Dostal a five-year, $32.5MM contract on July 17.

A 25-year-old native of the Czech Republic, Dostal is expected to lead one of the league’s only true three-man rotations in net, along with Mrazek and Ville Husso. But according to new head coach Joel Quenneville, Dostal possesses special traits that could help him take the next step in his career.

“Dostal had a tremendous year. I don’t know too many people that get a rave review at this age of their career about what a professional, what a competitor (they are), but everybody always says the greatest things about him. … I don’t know if this guy’s a stereotypical goalie, but at the same time, he’s got some different ways about him that makes him special,” he said.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • While the Winnipeg Jets added veteran leadership to their forward group this offseason by signing the likes of Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist, NHL.com’s Darrin Bauming wonders if a few rising forward prospects could crack the lineup to start the season. Bauming lists both 22-year-old Nikita Chibrikov and 21-year-old Brad Lambert as being “on the cusp” of regular NHL time. Chibrikov appeared in four games for the Jets last season, recording three points. The 5’10”, 175-pound winger added 18 points in 30 games for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Lambert posted 35 points in 61 games last season for Manitoba, and 55 points in 55 points in 64 games for the squad the year before. The native of Finland has yet to appear in an NHL game but should break through at some point this upcoming season.
  • The road for Vancouver Canucks’ forward Conor Garland wasn’t always easy, which makes his six-year, $36 million extension he signed on July 1 all the sweeter, outlines Ben Kuzma of The Province. As Kuzma notes, Garland has faced adversity throughout his hockey journey (largely due to his small stature), which included not making the famed Shattuck-Saint Mary’s junior team in Minnesota that produced several NHL stars, including the aforementioned Toews. That adversity, however, has been a driving force behind the player Garland is today — one who has missed just two games over the past three seasons while tallying 143 points. Garland feels his extension was not just for prior results, but also for the continued growth he and the team expect. “I try to come back each year better, and I know I have to produce more. I’ve learned most about consistency. When the puck wasn’t going in, or I wasn’t making plays, I became a pretty responsible defensive forward on a shutdown line,” he said.

Arbitration Schedule For Remaining Cases Finalized

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The arbitration hearing dates for the few remaining unsettled cases have been finalized, PuckPedia reports:

F Kaapo Kakko, Kraken: July 25

G Arvid Soderblom, Blackhawks: July 28

F Maxim Tsyplakov, Islanders: July 29

D Dylan Samberg, Jets: July 30

D Conor Timmins, Sabres: Aug. 2

F Nicholas Robertson, Maple Leafs: Aug. 3

D Jayden Struble, Canadiens: Aug. 3

There are only seven out of this year’s initial 11 player-elected arbitration cases still without a resolution as the hearings approach. Winnipeg had three of the players on that list and has settled with two of them, reaching a two-year, $3.7MM settlement with Morgan Barron and a substantial six-year, $45MM deal for Gabriel Vilardi.

The Ducks also had two arbitration cases on that list, but settled with both of them in the past few days. Depth defenseman Drew Helleson got a two-year, $2.2MM contract, while emerging star goaltender Lukas Dostal signed a five-year, $32.5MM deal.

There were two team-elected arbitration cases this year, the Sabres’ Bowen Byram and the Mammoth’s Jack McBain, but both have been settled.

As for the seven players above, they can continue talks with their clubs on a new deal until the hearing begins. After that, they’re bound to the arbitrator’s decision.

Players who reach an arbitration hearing are only eligible to sign a one or two-year contract. Since the player filed for arbitration in all seven cases above, the team gets to choose the contract length after receiving the arbitrator’s decision on the AAV. However, only Robertson, Soderblom, and Struble would be eligible for two-year contracts. Everyone else is one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency status, so they can’t receive a multi-year arbitration award.

If the arbitration award exceeds $4.85MM in any case, the team can decline it and allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.

Ducks Sign Lukas Dostal To Five-Year Deal

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Ducks starting goaltender Lukas Dostal has agreed to a five-year, $32.5MM contract, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports. Dostal himself confirmed on Anaheim’s X account that he’s signed a new deal.

It’s a significant commitment to the Ducks’ new undisputed No. 1, one that will see him count $6.5MM against the cap through the 2029-30 campaign. The 25-year-old was an arbitration-eligible RFA and chose to file for it earlier this month. Instead of going to a hearing, though, he lands a well-compensated deal that eats up the remainder of his RFA years – and then some.

Anaheim now has one of the more expensive goalie rooms in the league this season. They’re one of the few teams expected to carry three netminders, rostering veteran backups Petr Mrazek ($4.25MM) and Ville Husso ($2.2MM) at relatively steep cap hits for their projected workload. Mrazek was acquired when the Ducks sent longtime starter John Gibson to Detroit at the draft, paving the way for Dostal to assume the crease, while Husso finished last year in Anaheim as their third-stringer but landed an unexpectedly large new contract from them a few weeks ago.

The contract comes after Dostal, long touted as one of the league’s brightest young goalies, converted his linear development path into a breakout season in 2024-25. The 2018 third-round pick shouldered the majority of the workload for the first time, making 49 starts and five relief appearances for 54 total showings. He posted a 23-23-7 record, a .903 SV%, and a 3.10 GAA.

Those numbers may look close to average at first, but should be viewed in the context of Anaheim’s porous defense. The young Czech managed to save 14.3 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, 16th in the league. He finished 12th in year-end All-Star voting among goaltenders as a result.

Dostal now becomes the 11th highest-paid goalie in the league for 2025-26, roughly in line with those ranks. He lands more annually than recent long-term extensions handed out to starters like Joey Daccord, Adin Hill, and Logan Thompson, but Dostal’s age advantage over them and corresponding room for growth likely drove up his market value – particularly on an Anaheim team that will need strong goaltending to make a playoff push next season with one of the league’s younger defenses.

Dostal will be 30 when the contract expires, making him an unrestricted free agent. Anaheim still has some notable RFAs to re-sign, namely 2021 No. 3 overall pick Mason McTavish.

Image courtesy of Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

Eleven Players Elect Salary Arbitration

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Eleven players across the NHL have elected for salary arbitration, per the NHLPA.

Those names include:

The deadline for second club-elected arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m., with arbitration hearings scheduled from July 20 to August 4. Two seasons ago, 23 players filed for arbitration, and last summer, that number dropped to 14 — a downward trend that continues this year.

As a reminder, not every player is expected to head to a hearing, as negotiations will continue leading into July 20. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet.

Team Czechia Announces 2025 World Championship Roster

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Team Czechia has named their roster for the 2025 World Championship. The Czechs face the tough task of maintaining their top play after winning Gold at this tournament with a 4-0-2 record last season. Only 10 players from the championship-winning roster will participate this year. That includes goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who operated as the third-string behind Lukáš Dostál and Petr Mrázek last summer. Vejmelka could be in line for the starer’s role this summer, after posting a stout .904 save percentage and 26-22-8 record with the Utah Hockey Club this season. That consistency, in an NHL starting role, should be enough to win a role over Daniel Vladař, who served as the Calgary Flames backup, and Josef Kořenář, a starter in the Czcehia Extraliga.

Czechia’s announcement of the roster made sure to specifically mention that Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrňák will join the team sometime during the tournament. Pastrnak also joined last summer’s tournament midway through, and uncharacteristically scored just one goal in four games en route to the Gold medal. But Pastrnak once again posted an incredible season in the NHL, with 43 goals and 106 points in 82 games. This is his first season not participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017, which could provide a bit more reason to play hard for his country. Pastrnak will be joined by Roman Červenka, leading scorer of the country’s 2024 squad, on Czechia’s top line. The 39-year-old Cervenka scored 11 points in 10 games last year, and recently posted a dazzling 19 points in 15 games of the Czechia Extraliga’s Playoffs.

With old and new leading the charge up front, and Vejmelka looking to duplicate Lukas Dostal’s performance in back, Czechia balances out their lineup with an experienced blue-line group. Their defense is headlined by top-pair Vancouver Canucks defender Filip Hronek, who will likely be partnered up with former New York Ranger Libor Hájek. Hronek scored 33 points in 61 NHL games this season, while Hajek scored 10 in 47 Extraliga games.

In the race for their first back-to-back titles since 2000/2001, Czechia’s current roster is as follows:

F Ondřej Beránek (Karlovy Vary, Extraliga)
F Roman Červenka (Padubice, Extraliga)
F Jakub Flek (Brno, Extraliga)
F Adam Klapka (Flames)
F Petr Kodýtek (HIFK, Liiga)
F Jáchym Kondelík (Pardubice, Extraliga)
F Jakub Lauko (Bruins)
F David Pastrňák (Bruins)
F Lukáš Sedlák (Pardubice, Extraliga)
F Matěj Stránský (Davos, NL)
F Daniel Voženílek (Zug, NL)
F Filip Zadina (Davos, NL)

D Daniel Gazda (Ilves, Liiga)
D Libor Hájek (Pardubice, Czechia)
D Filip Hronek (Canucks)
D Jakub Krejčík (Praha, Extraliga)
D Tomáš Kundrátek (Třinec, Extraliga)
D Filip Pyrochta (Mladá Boleslav, Extraliga)
D David Špaček (Wild, AHL)
D Jiří Ticháček (Karpat, Liiga)

G Josef Kořenář (Praha, Extraliga)
G Karel Vejmelka (Hockey Club)
G Daniel Vladař (Flames)

Opportunity Knocks For Ducks’ Lukáš Dostál

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John Gibson has become synonymous with Anaheim Ducks goaltending. He’s worked his way into all-time status since taking over the team’s starting role in 2016, with 193 wins, 477 games, and a .910 save percentage through his career – all ranked second on Anaheim’s all-time leaderboards behind Jean-Sebastien Giguere. But for the first time in his career, Gibson is at risk of being dethroned. Star prospect Lukáš Dostál has ascended to Anaheim’s top levels, last season becoming the first Duck besides Gibson to play in 40 or more games since 2016. Dostál stood strong in his chances, while Gibson continued to struggle, opening the door to a full-blown takeover next season.

Dostál has been working towards a coup since well before he moved to California in 2021. The 2018 third-round selection previously had a standout career in Finland’s Liiga – posting 41 wins and a .929 save percentage through 64 career games. That dominance followed him to the AHL, and Dostál quickly planted his stake as a top prospect with 15 wins and a .916 save percentage in his first 24 games with the San Diego Gulls. He’d maintain that save percentage through 40 more AHL games in 2021-22, playing well enough to earn his first NHL call-up. He played in just four games but showed an ability to stand up to the bombardment Anaheim routinely received. That fortitude earned Dostál 19 more NHL games last season and, with continued strong performances, the full-time backup role this year.

Dostál’s slow and steady climb to the top flight lined up with the worst years of Gibson’s career. He allowed a career-high 172 goals-against in 2021-22 – sat behind a Ducks defense that faced an average of 33.2 shots-against per game. It was clear that Gibson couldn’t stand up to the shelling – setting him up horribly for what was about to come, as the 2022-23 Ducks faced a staggering 39.1 shots-against per game: a record in the modern NHL. Gibson, understandably, performed horribly – becoming the first goalie since 2009 to allow 200 goals in one season and posting the first sub-.900 save percentage of his career.

Gibson entered 2023-24 on the heels of that historically-bad Ducks season – matched against Dostál, who was coming off a string of five strong seasons across the hockey world. And while Gibson entered the year as Anaheim’s de facto starter, he failed to maintain the wedge, stacking up 15 losses and a .904 in his first 24 games of the season. Those meager performances, and battles with injury, earned Dostál the lion’s share of ice time in the year’s second-half. His stat line of 15 losses and a .906 in 29 games didn’t jump off the page, though it stood tall compared to the abysmal 12 losses and .870 save percentage that Gibson managed in his final 22 games of the year.

Regardless of the starter, Anaheim’s 2023-24 campaign was underwhelming – with just 27 wins on the year. But it was Dostál who stood up to the test of a full season, while Gibson’s save percentage continued its gradual decline. To add insult to injury, Dostál has spent his summer leading Team Czechia to a World Championship Gold medal – posting a .939 in eight tournament games – while Gibson has once again failed to garner interest on the trade market. It seems Anaheim’s faith sits with the former, though Gibson’s lofty $6.4MM cap hit will command at least a chance at respectable ice time. It might prove his last chance at hanging onto the role he’s carried for the last eight years, though continued struggles could quickly cut things short, especially if Dostál enters the year with the dominance he showed at the World Championship.

Team Czechia Wins 2024 IIHF World Championship

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Team Czechia has made history on home ice, taking home the Gold Medal at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in 14 years (Twitter link). It is Czechia’s fifth time winning Gold since 2000 – the second-most of any country, behind Canada’s seven wins. Czechia has now medaled in 10 of the 11 visits the World Championship has made to Prague, including winning Gold Medals on home ice in 1947, 1972, 1985, and now 2024.

Czechia entered this year’s tournament as a favorite among the European competition, though they faced a tall order against Team Canada and Team USA teams now filled with hopeful Olympians. That’s the story they started that played out through the preliminary round, with Czechia winning hard-fought games against Finland and Norway – though a surprise performance from Team Switzerland was enough to push Czechia to a shootout loss in their third game. The Czechs bounced back with wins against Denmark, Austria, and Great Britain – and then revealed an ace up their sleeve, adding each of Martin Necas, Pavel Zacha, and international standout David Pastrnak to their lineup ahead of their matchup with Team Canada to finish the preliminary round.

Perhaps jet lagged, the reloaded Czechia lineup fell to another shootout loss against Canada. But they showed their cohesion when the elimination games rolled around – winning a hard-fought, 1-0 quarterfinals game against Team USA, reinspiring their offense in a dazzling 7-3 semifinals win over Team Sweden, and then getting revenge on Switzerland with a strong 2-0 win in the Gold Medal Game.

It was, surprisingly, Martin Necas who made the biggest addition of the late-stage NHL additions – scoring seven points in five games comapred to Pastrnak and Zacha’s one point each through four games. But it was Czech hockey legend Roman Cervenka and former Columbus Blue Jacket Lukas Sedlak who led the way for the country’s offense, recording 11 and 10 points respectively through 10 games. Czechia was also helped along by a standout performance from Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, who posted a .939 save percentage – saving 200 of 213 shots – through eight starts.

This World Championship win gives Czechia fantastic momentum headed into the 2026 Winter Olympics. They should be poised for a few notable additions in that tournament, including Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek, while also holding their breath to see if Cervenka can play into his 40s. But even through changes, this Czech lineup has stamped their place on top of Europe’s hockey world.

Injury Notes: Gibson, Kochetkov, Forsberg

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Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson left the team’s Thursday night game with an upper-body injury, being replaced by backup Lukas Dostal. Gibson has missed time for a variety of reasons this season, being placed on the non-active list earlier in the year for the birth of his child, missing one game due to illness, and now nursing an injury that could limit him further. The absences have kept Gibson to just 26 appearances this season, with the former William Jennings Trophy-winner recording a 7-17-0 record and .900 save percentage on the season. He leads the league in losses.

While Dostal has shown promise, his stat line doesn’t fair much better than Gibson’s, with the 23-year-old goaltender setting a 7-9-1 record and .903 save percentage in 19 games this season. Dostal entered the season with just 23 NHL games under his belt, setting a combined .902 save percentage since making his debut in the 2021-22 season. The Ducks acquired Dostal in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He was the sixth goalie to be taken that year and currently carries the most games played of any goalie in the class.

Other injury notes:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes also lost their goaltender, with Pyotr Kochetkov leaving the team’s game after a collision with Anaheim’s Isac Lundestrom. Kochetkov was hit in the head but seemed to get his leg awkwardly stretched, making it hard to speculate what injury he could be facing. The 24-year-old has played in 23 games this season, goin 11-7-3 and setting a .900 save percentage.
  • Ottawa Senators’ goaltender Anton Forsberg also joined the long list of injuries to occur on Thursday, leaving the team’s game after apparently tweaking something in his groin. The 31-year-old has managed 16 games, a 7-8-0 record, and a .889 save percentage this season.

West Notes: Blackhawks, Wild, Dostál

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There’s been some talk recently about the Blackhawks being big players on the restricted and unrestricted free-agent markets next summer. Not so fast, however, says The Athletic’s Scott Powers, who doesn’t believe the Blackhawks will be in the conversation for top potential UFAs such as current Maple Leafs winger William Nylander.

Powers reports Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson strongly desires to stick to a conservative rebuild plan, allowing the team’s current young talent and expected prospect additions over the next year to develop more before determining what holes the team needs to plug long-term on the free-agent market. In theory, this approach should afford the Blackhawks more cap space after signing franchise cornerstones Connor Bedard and Kevin Korchinski to long-term deals that would begin in 2026, permitting them to dangle more cash to attract marquee free agents when their young core has already done most of the work to return them to playoff contention.

That doesn’t mean the Blackhawks will turn their phones off on July 1, either. Expect their offseason plan to look similar to last summer’s, adding veteran talent on short-term commitments to fill out a 23-player roster that allows prospects they deem necessary for seasoning to see extended action in the minors.

Other notes from the Western Conference on Thursday:

  • Don’t expect the Wild to make any trades to fill out their injury-ravaged roster, GM Bill Guerin says. Speaking with The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Guerin says the Wild won’t have the salary cap flexibility to keep any acquired players on the roster after defenseman Jonas Brodin, whose $6MM cap hit is on long-term injured reserve and is providing necessary temporary cap relief, is ready to return to the lineup. Brodin remains listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury and is close to becoming eligible to come off LTIR. Aside from Brodin, six other Wild regulars are out of the lineup thanks to injuries, including captain Jared Spurgeon and their two highest-scoring forwards, Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello.
  • The Ducks may have lost in overtime to the Maple Leafs last night to extend their winless streak to three, but a team record was set in the process. 23-year-old backup Lukáš Dostál made 55 saves en route to the 2-1 loss, the most in a regular-season game by a Ducks goalie since the franchise began play in 1993. Anaheim’s third-round pick in 2018 has started 14 of the Ducks’ 37 games this season, posting a 6-8-1 record and a .901 SV% that sits just below the league average.

Ducks Recall Stalock As Gibson Is Day-To-Day With Injury

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The Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Alex Stalock on an emergency basis, as goaltender John Gibson is out day-to-day with injury. Rookie goaltender Lukáš Dostál will fill in as the team’s starter in Gibson’s absence.

Dostal takes on the starter role only hours after being named the NHL’s ’Rookie of the Month’ for his October performance. The 23-year-old goaltender appeared in five games in October, setting a 4-1-0 record and saving 152 of the 165 shots that he faced, good for a .921 save percentage; a stat that ranks 10th in the NHL among goalies with five or more games played. He was just two games shy of losing his rookie eligibility, playing in 23 NHL games prior to this season. He recorded a dismal 5-12-3 record in those games, although his .902 save percentage spoke to the potential for strong future showings. That potential is certainly shining through now, with Dostal poised for a great opportunity as long as Gibson remains out.

Interim backup Alex Stalock is continuing his journeyman career with a call-up to the Anaheim Ducks – now his fourth NHL team. With three games for the San Diego Gulls this season, Stalock has now played for seven different AHL clubs as well – although two of those teams were different affiliates of the San Jose Sharks. Either way, it’s been a winding career for the 36-year-old Stalock, who was originally picked 112th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. He will become the 11th player from that draft class to play this season, if he finds his way into Anaheim’s crease.

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