Ducks' Dostal and Gudas Win Gold at World Championship, Lundestrom Wins Bronze
The IIHF World Championships have come to a close, and three Ducks left with medals around their necks. Goaltender Lukas Dostal and defenseman Radko Gudas won gold while forward Isac Lundestrom won bronze.
Six Anaheim Ducks players traveled to Czechia to represent their countries at the 2024 IIHF World Championships; Trevor Zegras (USA), Pavol Regenda (Slovakia), Olen Zellweger (Canada), Isac Lundestrom (Sweden), Radko Gudas (Czechia), and Lukas Dostal (Czechia).
Goaltender Lukas Dostal and defenseman Radko Gudas led Czechia, the tournament's host nation, to a gold medal victory on Sunday against Switzerland by a score of 2-0.
Of the players Anaheim sent to the World Championships, Dostal was the star of the show.
"His record speaks for itself," Gudas said of the 23-year-old Anaheim goaltender. "You know, he stepped into the NHL last year and he hasn't looked back. For the age he is, he's so calm and he gives us the confidence to be able to make those plays in front of him. He's always been there for us and it's wonderful to have him as a teammate in Anaheim and it's awesome to be world champions together."
Backstopping Czechia to gold for the first time since 2010, Lukas Dostal was named the tournament’s Best Goaltender and to the tournament Media All-Star Team. He finished the tournament with a 6-2 record (both non-regulation losses), a .939 SV%, and three shutouts, including a 2-0 shutout in the championship game when he stopped 31 of 31 shots.
Radko Gudas represented Czechia at the World Championships for the fourth time in 2024, failing to medal in his first three appearances. He wore an "A" for Czechia and was named a top three player for the team during the tournament. He tallied just one assist in ten games and averaged over 18 minutes per game.
2024 was Isac Lundestrom's second time representing Sweden at the IIHF World Championship and his first time medaling at the tournament. He finished with five points in ten games centering the team's third line.
Lundestrom's Sweden defeated Olen Zellweger's Team Canada in the bronze medal game 4-2. Before the bronze medal game, Zellweger was Canada's clear seventh defenseman and only hit double digits in TOI once. He played over 15 minutes in Sunday's loss but failed to find the scoresheet. He wrapped up his tournament with five assists in ten games.
The 2024 IIHF World Championship was the only tournament Olen Zellweger didn't earn a gold medal in while representing Canada.