The Ducks have signed goalie Tomas Suchanek to an entry-level contract that will span from the 2024-25 season until the 2026-27 campaign.
Suchanek, 20, was passed over in three consecutive drafts but had long been on the Ducks’ radar, as well as that of the Buffalo Sabres, who invited him to their prospect camp in the summer of 2022. His breakthrough came with the Czech junior national team last season, in which he also completed a second campaign in the North American junior ranks with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League.
Suchanek’s resplendent performance in net led Czechia to a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Eastern Canada, where he was one of three Czechs named to the all-tournament team. He had a 1.51 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage, losing just one match prior to the gold-medal game against powerhouse Canada, which he’d bested in group play earlier in the tourney.
The Ducks’ top minor-league affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, signed Suchanek to a one-year American Hockey League contract in October. Suchanek made eight starts with the Tulsa OIlers of the East Coast Hockey League and 21 appearances for the Gulls at the AHL level. He has posted a 12-6-3 record with a .919 save percentage, two shutouts and a 2.56 goals-against average behind a roster that has not been of playoff quality this season.
Suchanek is similarly sized to Lukáš Dostál, the Ducks’ No. 2 netminder who is 6-foot-2 and180 pounds and also hails from Czechia. Suchanek is a native of Prerov and is a product of the HC Prerov development system, though he made the move to North America at age 18. His athleticism and willingness to challenge shooters stand out, while, like most young netminders, he has been striving to improve his fluidity, positioning and rebound control, having already shown promise at the top minor-pro level this season.
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