Three Ducks Named to Preliminary 2026 Olympics Rosters

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AHL San Diego Gulls

Three Ducks Named to Preliminary 2026 Olympics Rosters

June 16, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Three Anaheim Ducks have been named to their respective country's rosters for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina (Milan, Italy). Goaltender Lukas Dostal and captain Radko Gudas were named two of Czechia's first six players to the country's preliminary Olympics roster. Goaltender Damian Clara was named to host nation Italy's first six preliminary Olympics roster, which will be the country's first Olympic appearance since hosting the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

The 2026 Olympics will mark the first time NHL players will participate in the Olympics since 2014. The 12 countries participating in men's hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are naming the first six players to their preliminary rosters today (Monday, June 16). The men's tournament will start with preliminary games Feb. 11, 2026 with the gold medal game scheduled for Feb. 22. The remainder of the rosters will be announced later this year.

Dostal, 24 (6/22/00), led Czechia to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Championship on home ice in Prague. He went 6-2-0 with three shutouts, a 1.58 goals-against average (GAA) and .939 save percentage (SV%), and was named the tournament's Best Goaltender and to the tournament Media All-Star Team.

Dostal posted a 23-23-7 record with one shutout, a 3.10 GAA and .903 SV% in 54 appearances (49 starts) in 2024-25. He set single-season career bests in wins, appearances, starts and saves (1,467). Among NHL goalies, Dostal was seventh in saves. Dostal became the seventh Anaheim goaltender to reach 20 wins in a season. The 6-2, 190-pound goaltender is 42-58-13 with two shutouts, a 3.29 GAA and .902 SV% in 121 career NHL appearances with Anaheim (107 starts).

Selected by Anaheim in the third round (85th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, the Brno, Czechia native has also represented Czechia at the 2022 World Championship (bronze medal), two World Junior Championships (2019 and 2020), 2018 U-18 World Championship and 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament (silver medal).

Gudas, 35 (6/5/90), was an alternate captain on the gold medal-winning team at the 2024 World Championship in Prague. Gudas will represent Czechia for the second time at the Olympics after he appeared in three games at the 2014 Games. Gudas was named the ninth captain in Ducks history prior to the 2024-25 season, the sixth Czechia native to serve as an NHL captain. In his 13th NHL season and second with Anaheim, Gudas earned 1-15=16 points with a +4 rating in 81 games. He led Anaheim in hits (261) and blocked shots (178), while he ranked second among all NHL defensemen in hits. Among NHL leaders, Gudas ranked eighth in hits and ninth in blocked shots.

Signed by Anaheim to a three-year contract through the 2025-26 NHL season on July 1, 2023, Gudas has earned 40-158=109 points with a +91 rating and 1,057 penalty minutes in 829 career NHL games with Anaheim, Florida, Washington, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. The Prague, Czechia native has also represented his country at three additional World Championships (2017, 2018 and 2019) and two World Junior Championships (2009 and 2010).

Clara, 20 (1/13/05), is the first-ever player from Italy to be drafted by an NHL team when the Ducks selected him in the second round (60th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Brunico, Italy native was the youngest goaltender to ever dress at the 2021 World Championship (16 years old) and the youngest player overall in more than 80 years. At the 2025 World Championship Division I, Group A tournament, Clara helped Italy earn promotion to the top division of the World Championships in 2026. Clara helped Italy to a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championship Division I, Group B tournament and was named the tournament's Best Goaltender and Top Player on the Team. He also helped Italy win gold at the 2022 World Junior Championship Division II tournament, earning the Best Goaltender award. He has represented Italy in the Division I World Championships in four of the last five years (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025).

Signed to a three-year entry-level contract June 3, 2024, combined for a 12-17-0 record with two shutouts in 31 games this season split between Karpat (Finnish Liiga) and Farjestad of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He also made his North American debut, appearing in two games with the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim's primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League.

Clara was named the top junior player in the HockeyAllsvenskan in 2023-24 (Sweden's second division), the first non-Swedish player to earn the Guldgallret award (Golden Grid). He went 25-8-0 record with four shutouts, a 2.23 GAA and .913 SV% in 34 regular-season games, ranking second among HockeyAllsvenskan goalies in wins and GAA. The 6-6, 214-pound goaltender won 10 of his 11 playoff appearances in 2024 (10-1), helping Brynas earn promotion to the SHL. At 19 years old, he was the youngest-ever goaltender to lead a team to promotion in the SHL.

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