Ducks’ Dostál, Gudas on Their 2026 Olympics Experience

There aren’t many moments that are too big for Lukáš Dostál. The 25-year-old netminder has won both a gold and bronze medal at the IIHF World Championships, appeared in playoff games at several different levels and has now competed in the Olympics.

While his numbers in Milan weren’t spectacular by any means, Dostál did all he could to help Czechia continue to advance, including starting consecutive games in as many days against Denmark and Canada in the playoff round

“It was fun,” Dostál said of his Olympics experience. “Unfortunate ending for us. Obviously, we were hoping for something a little bit better, but  it was a fun experience that I'll never forget.”

Fellow countryman and Ducks captain Radko Gudas was competing in his second Olympics after being part of the Czech team that participated in Sochi in 2014, the last time NHLers had participated in the Winter Olympics prior to 2026.

“Definitely a lot of excitement going to the tournament,” Gudas said. “NHL players haven't been in this tournament for 12 years, so everybody was happy to get there, happy to get things going. It was a little bit nervous at the start of the tournament, but it was great to see the other athletes, the village, to be able to interact with some other sports and see how they get ready, their different workouts. Just chit-chat with the other parts of the sporting world. 
I was. It was great. Once in a lifetime experience, so really happy that we got the opportunity to go again. It was really fun and the family enjoyed it as much as possible as well.”

Gudas said that compared to Sochi, where the Olympic village was right next to the city and athletes were able to walk to the arenas, they had to take buses in Milan Cortina because of how spread out all of the facilities and arenas were.

“I was very young (in 2014),” Gudas said. “I was second-youngest on the team, so I was just listening to what the older guys are telling me to do and trying to not be in their way. Now, it’s later. It’s a little different approach, but both as equally proud moments for our country, I think. And it was a great pleasure to be able to represent under my country's crest.”

“It was beautiful,” Dostál said. “It was really fun. Before we got there, we were just sitting, all the countries, in a massive room and just waiting. There was a lot of those pin tradings, so I had a lot of pins. I was kind of bored. 
We were just sitting there waiting for like two hours for the opening ceremony. So I traded some pins and it was a lot of fun. You get to know some of the best athletes in the world. It was really a pleasure to be there.”

Czechia had Canada, Switzerland and France in their group. After falling 5-0 to Canada in the first group stage game, they beat France 6-3 in regulation and lost 4-3 to Switzerland in overtime. Dostál was in net for both losses. Finishing third in their group behind Canada and Switzerland set up a matchup with Denmark in the qualification playoff round. The Czechs would come out victorious by a score of 3-2, with Dostál again getting the start and making 24 saves.

The biggest test was up next: a rematch with Canada in the quarterfinals. After losing 5-0 just six days prior, this game was a much closer affair. Dostál has often spoken about how goaltenders have to immediately forget about bad performances in order to stay focused. He did just that in the rematch against Canada, making 37 saves. Gudas also added an assist on Czechia’s first goal of the game.

“He really stepped up for us,” Dostál said. “I feel like he kind of shows us the way, that we don't have to be afraid. That we can just play against them and just play freely because we have nothing to lose. And that’s why we took that game all the way to the overtime. I felt he played a good tournament, and against Canada was probably his best game.”

Despite Dostál and Gudas’ best efforts, it was the Canadians who came out victorious after Mitch Marner skated past all three Czech players and roofed a backhand past Dostál.

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“Twice, I got a chance to play against the most offensive team,” Dostál said. “You go to overtime, you suddenly see Makar, McDavid, MacKinnon all on the same ice playing against you. So, obviously, it’s a big honor. They're great players. But that's why it hurt even more, because we were really close to do some miracle. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us.”

“Since (I’ve been) here, he's been making strides, getting better every day, every month,” Gudas said. “We can see his calmness in his game, the way he's able to handle these big moments and a lot of the games (in) a quick amount of time. He was in the pipes for four of the five games that we played and he performed well at the highest level, playing against great players. It just gives you a little extra confidence as a D-core, as a team, having a guy like this perform against the top teams and at the highest level, where the pressure is very high. Just a great guy to have in the future in the organization. I'm just really happy for him that he can manage to do these things so early in his career and it's just going to make him better and better as he gets older.”

Both Gudas and Dostál spoke about how proud they were of the effort their team gave in the tournament, with Dostál noting that the players were still gelling in the first couple of games before finding their groove in the final few games. Gudas said he was especially proud of their response in the second matchup against Canada after playing a tough Denmark team the day before.

“I think this is a step in the right direction for us as a nation ,” Gudas said. “The under-20 program has been very successful the last four or five years. The adult hockey did some damage on international level. Definitely a step in the right direction. I think Czech hockey's making steps towards the top spot now in the hockey community again, and I'm really, really happy to be part of this growth. 
Czech Republic has been always been a hockey country, we all enjoy watching the games. We all get together and support if it's a good match. The NHL playoffs are usually very well-viewed in Czech Republic, even with the time zones. We’re happy the way that Czech hockey is heading right now.”

As the Ducks prepare to enter the post-Olympic break portion of the season, their 63 points are good enough for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. But a lull or dip in their form could pull them out of it, given the ferociously competitive Pacific Division this season. Every point matters, and Dostál and Gudas plan to use their experience from playing in the Olympics and apply it to the tight playoff race.

“For my experience, speed-wise, it was just so fast, but just so much fun to play those games,” Dostál said. “
It's definitely going to help me with growth. It's going to help me with confidence as well. It’s going to help me carry more pressure and (learn) how to handle more pressure from the Olympic stage to here in the NHL.”

“We all know those last two months are very important for us, for every single team,” Dostál continued. “The standings are very tight, so every game's going to matter, every point's going to matter. That experience, I had it in Prague at the Worlds. I had it before in Finland when I played some of those games. Even when I was growing up, we played a lot of those elimination games. 
So I kind of got the experience, but it's different (because now) I had a chance to get it against the best players. For example, the game against Denmark, you could tell that we knew that we have to win. Suddenly, you see how much pressure there is and the guys are not that smooth with the stick. Suddenly, you feel more pressure. But that's (the) type of games where you grow up. I had a chance to win the game and then played against Canada, another big one.”

“We just have to play the right way,” Gudas said. “We had the stretch of games that we (lost), and we didn't like our performance. I think as a group, we learned a lot of things from that stretch. (When) we figured things out, we started playing the right way. Guys are in good spots for each other. They're there for each other on the ice all the time and that's what you have to bring. Everybody’s tightening up their D-zone and neutral zone. So for us, just knowing what's right. Don’t play too risky and stay out of the box. 
I think those are the main things that if we start the last stretch of the season (doing that), we have a good success to making the playoffs, and that’s the ultimate goal. Everybody knows what's at stake for this. We’re looking forward to getting started again.”

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