Prospect Update: Tomas Suchanek

By Thomas Harrington

The Ducks signed undrafted goaltender Tomas Suchanek at the end of the 2023-2024 season. After missing all of the 2024-2025 season with an injury, Suchanek split this past season between the AHL and ECHL.

At the start of the season, the Ducks were flush with goaltenders throughout their system. In Anaheim, they had Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek. In San Diego, they had Ville Husso and Calle Clang. As a result, both Suchanek and Vyacheslav Buteyets started the season in the ECHL. Suchanek bounced back and forth between the AHL and ECHL several times throughout the season. However, once Mrazek was injured for the rest of the season and Husso became Dostal’s backup, Suchanek was called up to San Diego in mid-January and spent the rest of the year in the AHL. He served as Clang’s backup through the rest of the regular season, and then was Damian Clara’s backup in two playoff games.

In the ECHL, Suchanek played for the Tulsa Oilers and had a 3-8 record with a 4.27 goals against average and a .884 save percentage. He played in 15 games for the Gulls with a record of 5-7-3, a 3.31 goals against average, and a .879 save percentage. Suchanek returned to San Diego’s crease in early December. It was his first start in the AHL in about a year and a half. 

After missing all of the previous season, I had no expectations for Suchanek last summer. Instead, I just wanted him to play some hockey, and it was great to see him play 27 games between the AHL and ECHL. His numbers weren’t great, and definitely a step back from what he did in the 2023-2024 season, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was him getting back in the crease after a year off.

Dostal will be Anaheim’s starter this year, and Husso will most likely be his backup. However, the Ducks did sign Laurent Brossoit to a one-year deal. He’ll most likely be in the AHL this coming season, but if he plays well enough, there’s a chance he could take the backup spot behind Dostal and then Husso would be in San Diego. Either way, expect one of Husso or Brossoit to be with the Gulls this coming season. The question is, who will the other goaltender be? With Clang in the SHL this year, the other spot is wide open. Personally, I think Suchanek or Clara will serve as the backup, though Buteyets will be in the mix too.

I have two expectations for Suchanek this coming season. First, for him to play in more than the 15 AHL games he played last year. Second, for him to put up better numbers than he did this past season. If he wants a long term spot in this organization, Suchanek needs to show he’s put his injury behind him and get back to playing like he did in the 2023-2024 season.

Suchanek’s timeline to the NHL has been significantly pushed back after missing a year of action. Getting back on the ice this season was a great first step. If he can reestablish himself as one of Anaheim’s top goaltending prospects in the coming season, Suchanek could be back on track to make his NHL debut sometime in the next few years. Goaltending usually takes longer to develop than other positions and is notoriously difficult to predict. Anaheim is pretty set in goal for the coming season, and if the Ducks decide to move on from Husso and Brossoit in the 2027-2028 season, Anaheim will likely bring in a veteran backup rather than give a prospect a chance at the job. So I think the earliest we could see Suchanek in Anaheim isn’t until the 2028-2029 season.

Suchanek has one year left on his entry-level contract. If he can spend most of the upcoming season in the AHL, Anaheim will likely extend him by a year or two. However, if he’s still struggling to get his game back on track, the Ducks may decide to not qualify him and let him leave as a free agent.

The next prospect update will be on forward Maxim Masse.

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Prospect Update: Coulson Pitre

Prospect Update: Nathan Gaucher

Graduated Prospect: Beckett Sennecke

Graduated Prospect: Tim Washe

Graduated Prospect: Ian Moore

Prospect Profile: Anton Wahlberg

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July 22nd, 2026