Ducks’ Lukáš Dostal Is Making Saves on and off the Ice
Anaheim's Czech netminder has been their best player this season.
Throughout the game, goaltender Lukáš Dostál doesn't evoke emotion very often. He tends to save it for moments like his first NHL win or his penalty shot save on Jack Hughes late in the third period.
One of those moments where he could release his emotions was after he helped lead Czechia to a gold medal at the World Championships this past summer in their home country.
"Unbelievable to win it at home," Dostál said. "I remember growing up and watching it every May, watching it on TV. I was always cheering for the Czech national team and suddenly to be able to play for the team and be a number one and win it at home, it's kind of a dream come true, and might never happen again to me. Such a cool experience that I'm gonna remember for the rest of my life.
"After we won, we celebrated at the hotel because we had a hotel right next to the rink. (We celebrated with our) families and the (coaching staff) and it was super nice. "The next day, we had a parade, and two hours into the celebration, I was so tired. I was like so tired. Not from drinking or anything, but it was just like, suddenly, the whole season (came over me). The season ended at the end of May, so basically (for) 12 months I was just practicing and playing. It was just like everything hit me (at once) and my nervous system relaxed. I was like, 'I'm so tired.' So, after two hours, I went to sleep.
"I remember the boys were sending the pictures to our group chat still in the morning. I was still (sleeping) downstairs. They enjoyed it and the parade the next day in the Old Town Square was something that I’m always going to remember because that doesn't happen often, where you have a chance to be there and celebrate something with the fans. What I'm going to remember most is the feeling after winning the gold and just how everybody was so happy because it was just such a joy.”
Dostál said he had no idea he would be Czechia's starter for Worlds. With Petr Mrázek and Karel Vejmelka on the roster, head coach Radim Rulík could have opted for a more experienced option in net. Dostál started five of Czechia's seven games in the preliminary round with Mrázek starting the other two. Czechia went 3-0-2 in Dostál's five starts and when it came time for the playoff round, Dostál remained the starter. Ondřej Pavelec, Czechia's goaltending coach, was always the one to tell Dostál whether or not he was starting the next game.
"(Pavelec) always told me, ‘Hey, you’re gonna play the next game’ or whatever he said to Petr, ‘Hey, you're going to play’ and I think Karel knew his role was going to be number three," Dostál said. "But I don't know if Petr knew (what his role was going to be). Ondrej, he never told me what my role was going to be and I was just thinking it was better because it took some pressure away from me. I didn't need to focus on if I was going to be number one and I was going to have all the responsibility, so I was just there and just tried to enjoy the tournament because playing at home in front of the fans, it's an unbelievable feeling and (you) just try to enjoy it.”
Dostál was busy throughout the summer after Worlds concluded, traveling to Germany to catch a Euro 2024 match before heading over to London to watch his friend and fellow Brno native, Barbora Krejčiková, compete in the Wimbledon final in England.
"(Krejčiková) played in the finals at Wimbledon, which was pretty cool because I could see inside," Dostál said. "I saw the Queen (and) all the people around and I was like, ‘I feel like I don't belong here.' It was a cool experience. She won it too, so I was pretty pretty pumped for her. I’ve known her for almost two, or three years. She’s from my hometown, so I know the coach too.
"She played in a tournament in San Diego and I remember watching it on TV last year, she got to the final. (She and Kateřina) Siniaková, they played their doubles together, they won like so many Grand Slams together in doubles. I saw (she got to the final) and I was like, "OK, I can text her and maybe get some tickets. So I saw her before that before the season started (when) I was driving to San Diego. That was the first time I met her and we kept in touch since then."
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Dostál also got to carry out the championship belt for OKTAGON 58, an MMA event held by OKTAGON MMA, a mixed martial arts organization based in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
"I got invited (to OKTAGON) because I could bring the belt for the main fight because the two fighters were kind of well-known," Dostál said. "That was a cool experience because it was in the soccer stadium and it was like 30,000 people there, so I was actually pretty nervous about that. It was a cool experience too."
Just 24 years of age, Dostál appears unflappable at times in net. His calm demeanor and poised positioning have helped the Ducks steal a handful of games dating back to last season. The franchise leader for saves in a single game (55), Dostál already has four games with 30 or more saves in six starts this season.
One of those was a 45-save performance against the Colorado Avalanche which saw him singlehandedly steal a point for the Ducks. Though they would lose in overtime, resetting and reloading for the next game is clockwork for Dostál.
“Right away," he said when asked how soon he moves on from a tough result. "When the game doesn't work out for us, I'm just trying to forget it as soon as possible and focus on another game and for another day. (Playing the Avalanche) was a tough game for us, but I can turn the page kind of right away because I don't really want to dig too much into the past. I'm trying to take the positives and the negatives from the game and just move on.”
After appearing in the most games of his professional career last season (44), Dostál has been the incumbent starter for the Ducks while John Gibson recovers from an emergency appendectomy. The 24-year-old started the last eight games of last season and hasn't missed a beat in 2024-25. The increased workload for a goaltender with so few NHL games under his belt still may be a concern, but Dostál has prepared for this opportunity.
"That's what I was preparing for during the summer," Dostál said. "You always want to be ready for the opportunity whenever it comes. You always hate to see (Gibson) get injured, but I'm just trying to do my best for the team and that's all I can do.”
Dostál said that the chances he got last season with the Ducks helped prepare him for his opportunity with Czechia at the World Championships during the summer. He admitted to Czechia goaltending coach Ondřej Pavelec that he might not have been able to handle that kind of role two to three years ago. The growth he's had and the experience that he's gained since coming over to North America in 2021 and playing in the AHL for the San Diego Gulls and the Ducks helped him take the role of Czechia's starter without fear.
"(Being Czechia's starting goaltender was a) great experience for me too because you know how it feels to be in that winning environment," Dostál said. "I'm trying to always compete with the guys here and trying to compete with them on the ice. That's something that maybe I can bring to the team. To get that experience, I think it's very valuable for me.”
For every save Dostál makes, he contributes 10 Czech crowns to a fund. At the end of the season, all of those funds are donated to people in need. The initiative is part of a non-profit organization called Saves Help, started by Czech goaltender Šimon Hrubec in 2019. Since the organization was founded, they have donated more than two million Czech crowns to those in need.
This past summer, Dostál auctioned off some of his equipment from previous international tournaments to help raise funds for a child diagnosed with Phelan-McDermid syndrome (a rare genetic disorder that may cause a range of medical, intellectual and behavioral concerns) and a man who is paralyzed from the waist down and needed a new moving platform for his home.
"Just trying to give back as much as I can," Dostál said. "I think it's a cool project and soccer goalies, they started too. Petr Čech, he's kind of taking care of it from the soccer side. I think that it's a cool project (and) just trying to help as much as I can."
Dostál also recently helped present nine-year-old Emma Melin with the honor of being the newest 21st Duck. The 21st Duck is a tradition that the Ducks have used to honor one of their fans who "embodies characteristics such as great perseverance, character, courage, inspiration or a fan who is making significant contributions to our community."
Melin has dealt with life-threatening food allergies during her entire life and endured multiple trips to the emergency room. She still regularly needs treatment for her allergies. When she was six, she began helping others with similar conditions and now has her own brand, Allergic Emma, which seeks to "help create a world where individuals with life-threatening food allergies can live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives – thriving in a society where they feel safe, seen, heard, and valued as active contributors."
For Dostál, it was a big honor to be able to help present the honor to Melin. He, Gibson, and the rest of the team spent time with her at a recent practice and Dostál skated out with Melin when she was introduced at the Ducks' home opener.
“Emma, she's a warrior," Dostál said. "I knew about allergies, but I didn't really know that, for example, she was telling me that you can get an allergic reaction from hand soap, just by washing your hands. So there was something very interesting and something knowledgeable. I learned something new. It was a big honor. I was a little bit nervous. I think she really enjoyed it. She did great, and I think it's an amazing thing that the Ducks do every year because it's kind of a big honor for the organization and the people.”
With Gibson back practicing, Dostál's workload may regulate once his veteran partner returns. But Dostál has proven that he can be trusted to take on a larger workload. In previous seasons, Gibson's performance had waned in the later months of the season, perhaps due to fatigue and a larger-than-necessary workload. With a tandem of Gibson and Dostál spelling one another, Anaheim could ensure that they get the most out of their two netminders.
"He's terrific. He's clearly our MVP after seven games," head coach Greg Cronin said after Dostál's 30-save performance against the New York Rangers in a 2-1 loss on Oct. 26. Cronin also stated after their 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 20 that "if our whole team personified the way he plays the game, which is 120 percent, we'd be undefeated." Dostál is a big reason why the Ducks have a 3-4-1 record and aren't lower in the standings.