Prospect Update: Roman Durny

By Thomas Harrington

A fifth round pick from 2018, goaltender Roman Durny played in both Slovakia and the ECHL this past season.

Durny was supposed to spend the entire season in North America, but like so many others, his plans were disrupted by the pandemic. He started the year playing in Slovakia for HC Slovan Bratislava. Unfortunately, things got off to a rough start as the entire team was put under quarantine and their season opener was delayed by several weeks.

The season finally got underway, but Durny didn’t have a great time in Slovakia, as he played in nine games and had a 5-4 record, a 3.16 goals against average, and an .890 save percentage. However, his play did improve as the season went along, and he played his best hockey in Slovakia right before coming back to North America.

In late November, Durny returned to North America and spent the rest of the year playing for the Tulsa Oilers in the ECHL. With the Oilers, Durny fared much better, as he played in 26 games and had a record of 14-7-4, a 2.31 goals against average, a .916 save percentage, and one shutout.

In January, he was named the ECHL Player of the Week, as he won two games in a row, including one by shutout. Durny’s strong play continued into March, where he won 7 of 8 games and was among the league leaders in goals against average. Unfortunately, his hot play was interrupted by injury, and he was placed IR towards the end of March. He did return to the lineup before the season ended.

I had two expectations for Durny this past season, and he met one and partially succeeded on the other. First, I wanted him to stay healthy, as injuries really hampered him in his first professional season. He was injured in March, but it wasn’t a long term injury and he didn’t miss too much time. My second expectation was for him to put up better numbers than he did in his first pro season when he had a 4.02 goals against average and an .881 save percentage. In both leagues, he did just that. Even better, his play improved when he went from Slovakia to the ECHL. Hopefully that’s a sign of him improving as the season went on.

This coming season, Durny will likely be back in the ECHL, as Lukas Dostal and Olle Eriksson Ek are the favorites for San Diego. However, if Durny can have a good enough training camp or play well enough in the ECHL, he could make his AHL debut this coming season.

I have two expectations for Durny this coming year. First, to put up better numbers in the ECHL than he did this past season. Second, to make his AHL debut. He doesn’t need to become San Diego’s starter or even their backup, but I would like to see him get at least a game or two with the Gulls. If he can do that and play well, it will be a good sign for him going forward.

Durny has one more year left on his entry-level deal, and he will be a restricted free agent next summer. If he can put up great numbers in the ECHL or force his way onto San Diego’s roster, expect him to be re-signed a year from now. However, if he struggles in the ECHL, the Ducks will likely not qualify him and let him go as a free agent.

The next prospect update will be on Axel Andersson.

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Prospect Update: Lukas Dostal

Prospect Update: Jack Badini

Prospect Update: Ethan Brown

Prospect Update: Matt Berkovitz

Prospect Update: Sam Colangelo

Prospect Update: Bryce Kindopp

Prospect Update: Ian Moore

Prospect Update: Olle Eriksson Ek

Prospect Update: Thimo Nickl

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September 12th, 2021