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Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/NHLI via Getty Images)

3 Anaheim Ducks Named to Preliminary 2026 Olympics Rosters

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Hayley Paljug | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 8:55 AM ET

Three players in the Anaheim Ducks organization have been named to their respective countries’ 2026 Winter Olympics rosters. Captain and defenseman Radko Gudas and goaltender Lukas Dostal will represent Czechia, while developing goaltender Damian Clara will represent the host country, Italy. This is the first Olympic Games since 2014 that will see NHL players on ice hockey rosters, so it is an exciting and exceptional honor to be chosen. These three players are in elite company, with Gudas and Dostal playing alongside David Pastrnak, Martin Necas, Pavel Zacha, and Ondrej Palat. Clara will be joining Diego Kostner, Thomas Larkin, Daniel Mantenuto, Tommy Purdeller, and Luca Zanatta on Team Italy.

Radko Gudas

Gudas is a big, physical presence on the ice and has made an impact on the blue line throughout his two seasons in Anaheim. He finished the 2024-25 season with 16 points in 81 games. While he is not the most offensively-minded defenseman, that is not where his impact lies. Gudas led the team and ranked second across the league in hits (261) and blocked shots (178). He is not afraid to use his 6-foot, 204-pound frame to his advantage and battles well along the boards.

Internationally, Gudas joined Czechia in their gold-medal win at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championship. He served as alternate captain for that affair. The defenseman also represented his home country at the World Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019, as well as the World Junior Championship in 2009 and 2010. This will be his second Olympic appearance, as Gudas also joined the Czech Olympic roster in 2014. Czechia will appreciate his size, physicality, and veteran leadership as they take on the 2026 Olympics.

Lukas Dostal

The Ducks would not have achieved their successes this past season without the help of Dostal. He became the primary goaltender for the Ducks throughout the 2024-25 season and proved himself, making clutch saves and finishing with a 23-23-7 record, 3.10 goals-against average (GAA), and a .903 save percentage (SV%).

Dostal also made waves on the international stage recently, helping lead Czechia to a gold medal at the IIHF’s World Championship. In that tournament, he went 6-2-0 – with three shutouts – and ended with a 1.58 GAA and a .939 SV%. Alongside his gold medal, he was chosen as the tournament’s Best Goaltender and named to the Media All-Star Team. He has represented his home country multiple times, including at the 2022 World Championship, 2019 and 2020 World Junior Championships, 2018 U18 World Championship, and 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Dostal is no stranger to tough competition and international style of play, and “the DostWall” will be a force to be reckoned with as Czechia looks for an Olympic medal.

Damian Clara

While Clara has not made his way to the NHL level yet, he has been in the lineup in both the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and HockeyAllsvenskan, as well as playing a few games for the San Diego Gulls. In 2023, he became the first-ever Italian player to be drafted by an NHL team after some impressive international showings that got him on the radar of scouts. In 2021, at just 16 years old, he was the youngest goalie to play at the 2021 World Championship and the youngest overall player in over 80 years. The following year, he helped Italy win gold at the 2022 World Junior Championship Division II tournament, and followed it the next year with a bronze medal in the World Junior Championship Division I, Group B tournament. In both of those tournaments, he won the award for Best Goaltender. In 2025, he helped Italy be promoted to the top division of the World Championships for the 2026 tournament.

This past season, he had a combined 12-17-0 record (two shutouts) with his season split between Karpat of the Finnish Liiga and Farjestad of the SHL, as well as appeared in two games with the Gulls. In 2023-24, Clara was named the top junior player in HockeyAllsvenskan, going 25-8-0 (four shutouts), and boasting a 2.23 GAA and .913 SV%. His 6-foot-6, 214-pound frame is a major advantage in his goaltending skill, and he helped his team, Brynas, earn a promotion to the SHL after a 10-1 playoff run. He will be a keystone of Italy’s Olympic success.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are to be hosted in Milan, Italy, Feb. 6-22, and the remaining ice hockey rosters will be announced in early 2026.