They officially reminded him that he belongs among the stars. The 22-year-old Czech goalkeeper Lukáš Dostál received an invitation to the All Star Classic of the farm AHL and is increasingly talking about a permanent job in Anaheim’s main team.
In the current year, Dostál caught 27 games on the farm and with a success rate of 91.7 he belongs to the ten best goalkeepers in the league.
Considering the context, this is a sensational number. The Czech long man is catching for the San Diego Gulls, currently clearly the worst club in the AHL, having lost 29 out of 40 games. Manchaft No. 2 Olle Eriksson Ek did not even exceed 86 percent in success rate. Other substitutes are even worse off.
Dostal is catching for San Diego in his third year. He finished the previous two seasons with a similar success rate as he has now, and his teammates cannot praise him enough.
“He’s probably the best goalkeeper in the league,” he declared forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx.
No one on the California team was surprised that Dostál was nominated for the All-Star Game in February. “They picked the best goaltender in the competition, I really think so,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “He gave us a chance to win in so many games… He’s a fighter, everyone has to admit that.”
Dostál impressed the most at the turn of December and January, when he picked up two clean sheets and kept a clean sheet for a total of 152 minutes and 31 seconds, setting a new San Diego record. He surpassed the 137 minutes of star John Gibson, Anaheim’s current number one.
Twenty-nine-year-old Gibson has a contract with the Ducks for this and the next four seasons, taking up $6.4 million under the salary cap. However, due to mediocre performances in recent years and the fact that the club is undergoing a rebuild, there is speculation about his replacement.
Anaheim’s No. 2 is the same age Anthony Stolarz, whose contract expires in the summer.
Dostál could thus fully break into the NHL next season. He has already convinced the bosses that he has what it takes to be in the famous league. So far, he has caught eleven games in it, seven of them this year, when he stepped in for the injured. He impressed with his technique and calm nature.
“I think he’s done a fantastic job of showing us that he’s ready for a longer stay up there. He’s certainly then ready to be in the running for a permanent job here.” he declared Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins.
“When you have a goalkeeper from a farm, you usually get a little nervous as a coach,” he continued. “However, I had absolutely no reservations about Lukáš, neither did Sudsie (goalkeeping coach Sudarshan Maharaj, editor’s note). We just put him in the gate with the idea of getting down to business.”
Dostál finished a seven-game December save with a 90.9 percentage success rate (both Gibson and Stolarz are below 90 percent so far). He shined the most against Edmonton, when he blocked 46 of 49 shots and significantly helped the win. “Unstoppable” Connor McDavid caught seven of eight attempts.
Later, he could confidently declare: “I believe that I am a goaltender for the NHL.”
