Several Anaheim Ducks Players Added to World Championship Rosters
A week and a half after Trevor Zegras was announced to the United States World Championship roster, four more Anaheim Ducks have been announced to their country's rosters for the tournament.
A week and a half ago, USA Hockey announced the first 15 players selected to their Men's National Team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship tournament set to take place May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras was one of the names selected to represent the United States. Since then, four more Anaheim Ducks players have been chosen to represent their countries at the World Championships.
Radko Gudas (Czechia)
Gudas (33) will represent Czechia, the host nation of the 2024 IIHF World Championship tournament, for the first time since 2019 when he scored four points in ten games en route to a Czechia bronze medal game loss in a shootout.
Gudas wrapped up his first season as a member of the Ducks after signing a three-year, $12 million contract in the summer of 2023. He stepped in and assumed an immediate leadership role with the Ducks and was a steady defensive presence during the 66 games he played in the 2023-24 season.
Gudas set a career-high in goals (6) and penalty minutes (128) in his first season in Anaheim. His 37 minor penalties were tied for second-most in the NHL behind teammate, Frank Vatrano (40).
Gudas played the majority of his 5v5 minutes in 2023-24 paired with a young member of the Ducks blueline and provided a nurturing environment for them to grow their games. He played 492 minutes with Urho Vaakanainen (25), 343 minutes with Jackson LaCombe (23), and 118 minutes paired with Pavel Mintyukov (20).
Lukas Dostal (Czechia)
Dostal (23) will join Gudas in representing the host nation at the 2024 IIHF World Championship. He last played for Czechia at the 2022 World Championship tournament but only saw one game of action. In that one game, Dostal stopped 17 of 18 shots as Czechia defeated Great Britain 5-1.
In 2023-24, Dostal started 38 games for the Anaheim Ducks and played in 44 games overall. He ended the year with a .902 SV%, just .001 below the league average.
He logged his first career shutout on March 21 when he stopped 29 of 29 shots in a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"Obviously, Dostal played a lot of games, probably a little more than I envisioned," Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek said when addressing the team's goaltending at this post-season interview. "I think now we're in a good spot. We have two goaltenders who can play equally well."
Verbeek stated the Ducks will likely run a tandem goalie duo in 2024-25 where whoever is playing better at a given time will likely get the net.
Olen Zellweger (Canada)
Olen Zellweger (20) will join a potent young roster for Team Canada at the World Championships. Zellweger will be one of 13 U23 players selected by Team Canada, including Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Adam Fantilli, and Owen Power. He will represent his country for the first time since winning a gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Championship when he tallied six assists in seven games.
2023-24 was Zellweger's first professional season after a remarkably successful junior career. He started his rookie campaign in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls and was selected to the AHL All-Star Game in February. At the end of January, he made his NHL debut and played four games with the Ducks before his reassignment to the AHL for the month of February. Zellweger was recalled to the NHL at the beginning of March and played the team's remaining 22 games of the season.
Zellweger finished his rookie campaign with nine points in 26 games in the NHL and 37 points in 44 games in the AHL.
While always dynamic offensively, Zellweger began the season in the AHL with a mandate to polish his defensive habits. While he struggled in coverage at times as he adjusted to the speed and power of NHL hockey, he refined the fundamentals of the position and was seldom beaten in a one-on-one battle.
"I think it helps me get in the game more offensively when you're defending well," Zellweger said of his two-way game. "When you have that tenacity, you can transfer that into the O-zone."
Isac Lundestrom (Sweden)
Lundestrom (24) will join the Swedish National Team for the 2024 World Championships. He will be representing Sweden for the first time since the 2021 World Championship when he tallied just an assist in seven games played.
Lundestrom missed the first 36 games of the 2023-24 season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered during an off-ice training session in the summer of 2023.
Lundestrom scored five goals and six assists in 46 games during his 2023-24 season, his fourth full-time season in the NHL.
While he's an effective defensive player who can advance the puck up the ice deftly, he has struggled to generate meaningful offensive chances with consistency. He often opts for safer plays along the perimeter of the offensive zone and rarely gets pucks to dangerous areas of the ice.
Lundestrom is an RFA in need of a new contract and he would require a $1.8 million qualifying offer if the Ducks intend to maintain his rights.