


Ducks goalie Lukáš Dostál’s career has taken him from his native Czechia to Finland to the U.S., but he’ll be sticking around Orange County for at least five more years after agreeing to a contract extension worth $32.5 million.
Dostál, 25, announced his own signing via Ducks social media channels Thursday.
He’s come light years from a tiny town outside Brno where he began his journey to NHL stardom.
“I look at myself in the mirror and I always see myself as being a kid from a village with 300 people in it,” Dostál said. “It’s a good reminder that if you have a dream and you want to chase it, there’s always a possibility to reach it.”
Last season, he led one of the NHL’s top goaltending tandems with veteran John Gibson. The longtime Duck was traded to Detroit in June, and now Petr Mrázek will serve as Dostál’s backup.
Dostál said he reached out to Gibson when he was dealt, saying the pair had a strong “professional relationship” and that he gleaned quite a bit from Gibson. Now, Dostál is the uncontested starter.
“Lukáš has proven he is a No. 1 goaltender and we are so pleased to get this deal done,” Ducks GM Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “He is just entering the prime of his career with his best hockey ahead of him.”
Dostál went 23-23-7 with a .903 save percentage last season, but given his team’s typically poor possession numbers and high shot volume against, he was one of the top goalies in terms of goals saved above expected.
Remaining unsigned for the Ducks are RFAs Mason McTavish, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, Drew Helleson, a solid contributor on right defense, Sam Colangelo, who spruced up the third line once he was called up for good last season; and Tim Washe, who joined the Ducks for two games at the end of last season after winning the NCAA title with Western Michigan.