Prospect Update: Lukas Dostal

Photo: Darryl Dyck/CP

By Thomas Harrington

The Ducks selected goaltender Lukas Dostal in the third round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, 85th overall.

In his first season as a member of the Anaheim Ducks organization, Dostal spent the entire year playing in Europe. Most of that time was spent in the Czech2 and Liiga leagues. In the Czech2 league, he played for SK Horacka Slavia Trebic. He appeared in 24 games and had a record of 15-9, a goals against average of 2.50, and a save percentage of .915. In Liiga, he played for Ilves and appeared in 10 games with a record of 4-4-2, a goals against average of 1.80, a .922 save percentage, and one shutout. In the playoffs, he played for Ilves and had a record 2-5, with a goals against average of 2.71, and a .907 save percentage.

Dostal also played for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships. He was the Czech’s starting goaltender and played in four of their five games. He finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, a save percentage of .957 and a goals against average of 1.25. The Czech Republic lost to the US in the quarterfinals. Dostal was in net for that one and stopped 38 of 41 shots in the 3-1 loss.

This coming season, I’ve got a few expectations for Dostal. First, he’s got one more year of eligibility to play at the World Junior Tournament and I’d like him to be the starter for the Czech Republic again. It would be even better if he could lead them past the quarterfinals. Second, he’ll likely be back with Ilves this coming season, and he had some very good numbers for them last year. I’d like to see him put up equally impressive numbers this coming season, while also finding more success in the playoffs.

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In terms of his NHL future, Dostal is still a number of years away from his Anaheim debut. He’s got this coming year in Europe, and he’ll likely spend at least a year or two in San Diego before getting a chance with the Ducks. By then, it’s unclear exactly what the goaltending situation will be in Anaheim, other than the fact that John Gibson should still be the team’s starter. Ryan Miller will have likely retired, and Kevin Boyle, Olle Eriksson Ek, Anthony Stolarz, or someone else could be Anaheim’s new backup. It will be interesting to see what Anaheim’s goaltending looks like in a few years.

The Ducks signed Dostal to his entry-level deal back in May. By signing him to a contract now, he’ll have a chance to compete for a spot in Anaheim or San Diego this coming season. While unlikely, it is possible. However, it’s more likely that he’ll stay in Europe for the coming season, causing his three-year deal to slide and not begin for another year.

The next prospect update will be on Blake McLaughlin.

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August 6th, 2019