LUKAS DOSTAL MAKING GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION
Kevin Dineen, coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, said goaltender Lukas Dostal makes things “look kind of chill.” Defenseman Josh Mahura described Dostal as “an incredible security blanket,” adding that he “gives us a lot better chance to win every night.”
“When it gets fast and furious in front of the net, you just see that battle come out,” Dineen said after Dostal made 40 saves in the Gulls’ 2-1 victory Wednesday over the Ontario Reign at Great Park Ice in Irvine. “He’s got that special intangible that bodes very well for his future.”
There’s been almost endless chatter over the past six weeks about left wing Trevor Zegras and his much-anticipated NHL debut with the Ducks. There’s also been talk about some of the Ducks’ other top prospects, including defenseman Jamie Drysdale.
Zegras (ninth overall) and Drysdale (sixth) were the Ducks’ top draft picks the past two years.
Little has been said about Dostal, a 20-year-old with an unmistakable sense of composure that calls to mind the unflappable nature of John Gibson of the Ducks. In fact, Dostal has been something of a mystery man since he was picked in the third round of the 2018 draft.
The native of Brno, Czech Republic, has played in Finland the past two seasons, and began 2020-21 with Ilves. He was 10-1-0 with a 1.64 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage in 11 appearances to start the season in Finland’s top league.
The Ducks then summoned him to Great Park Ice to begin training camp, assigning him to the Gulls. Clearly, Dostal wasn’t ready to make the NHL team, not with Gibson and Ryan Miller, a likely Hall of Fame candidate, standing in his way.
The organization’s coaches and executives were understandably curious to see what Dostal could do upon his arrival in North America, though. After Dostal’s three starts and three victories with the Gulls, they’re getting a sense his record in Finland was no fluke.
Dostal’s 1.67 goals-against average through three games was the AHL’s fourth-best going into Thursday’s games around North America’s top minor league. What’s more, he has stopped 109 of 114 shots for a .956 save percentage, which was second-best in the league.
