After playing on Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks, it was a quick turnaround for the Utah Hockey Club as they flew down south to play the Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately for them, it was a big game for the Ducks’ youth as they handed Utah their second loss of the preseason. Despite the loss, it was a good night for multiple players on both teams. Here are some takeaways from Utah’s 5-2 loss on Wednesday night.
Lukas Dostal Continues Dominant Preseason
The best player of the game by far was Lukas Dostal for the Ducks. The young Czech goaltender has been a prospect many fans have been looking forward to. He was one of the best rookie goaltenders last season with the team. So far in the preseason, Dostal has been one of the best goalies and Wednesday night’s game proved it.
Related: Utah HC Buzz: 2024-25 Playoff Chances, Doan, Durzi & More
Dostal made glove save after glove save, not letting some of Utah’s best scorers have any chance at scoring. At the end of the day, the goaltender made 35 saves off of 37 shots, ending the game with a .946 save percentage. He also stopped every Utah player in the optional shootout after the game.
Dostal will most likely be the starting goaltender for the Ducks to begin the season due to John Gibson being out due to an appendectomy surgery. It will be a big step for him if he can retain his preseason form into the regular season. He’s one of the many young players for the team who will need to give it their all if the Ducks want any chance of being somewhat competitive this season.
Kailer Yamamoto Continues Hot Hand
In less than 48 hours, Kailer Yamamoto has not just proven he belongs in the NHL but also on Utah’s roster. After the Ducks scored the first goal of the game, Josh Doan took a shot from the blue line that Yamamoto then tipped from near the left faceoff circle. The puck soared into the net giving Utah their first goal.
The goal was Yamamoto’s third of the preseason. He has fit in well with every line combination head coach Andre Tourigny and the Utah coaching staff has placed him on. He’s played in almost every single preseason game as well and has had an impact in most of those games. Yamamoto has shown he deserves an NHL contract.
The question is where does he fit in on Utah’s roster? Players like Michael Carcone and Matias Maccelli are better than him and will be on the opening night roster. Kevin Stenlund will most likely be a fixture as the center on the fourth line. The other option is scratching Josh Doan but you’d want a rookie to play games to develop rather than sit in the press box.
Doan has also done enough to command a spot on an NHL roster. Similar to Yamamoto, he’s made an impact in almost every single preseason game he’s appeared in. Most likely, the 2017 first-round pick does get a contract from Utah but it’s hard to say he’ll be in the opening night lineup. It’s also hard to say he’ll be the first guy up when injuries hit the team. When Nick Bjugstad comes back, he’ll push someone out of the lineup and that player will most likely be the first one back in. Then there’s also Liam O’Brien who is a favorite within the Utah organization which helps him be above Yamamoto on the depth chart.
Either way, Doan and Yamamoto should appear in the NHL this season. Both have been some of the best players for Utah this preseason. It’ll be interesting to see how the depth pans out after the final couple of roster cuts for the team.
Anaheim’s Youth Out Duels Utah’s
There’s no question which team’s rookies were better in Wednesday’s game. The Ducks iced some of their top prospects and young players that made a big impact on the game. Leo Carlsson was the big one as he scored three points including assisting on the eventual game-winning goal. For his efforts, he was named the first star of the game. Carlsson is seeking to have a bounce-back year after being injured for a decent portion of last season.
Cutter Gauthier is another rookie for the Ducks who had a big role in the win. He scored the game-winning goal. Perhaps the top prospect for the team going into this season, Gauthier appeared in one game with the Ducks last season after being traded by the Philadelphia Flyers. In the game, he scored his first NHL point via an assist. Now, he’s seeking to continue his development by securing a permanent NHL roster spot in Southern California.
Jackson LaCombe and Dostal were the two other young players for the Ducks who contributed to the 5-2 win. Fans of the team should be excited for the upcoming season. While the Ducks won’t challenge for a playoff spot, a lot of their team will be made up of rookies who will be a significant part of the future. Besides the aforementioned players, Pavel Mintyukov, Mason McTavish, Troy Terry, Isac Lundestrom, Trevor Zegras, and Olen Zellweger will also make up parts of the roster.
With the loss, Utah falls to 4-2-0 in the preseason. With less than a week remaining before their first regular season game in franchise history, the team only has one more preseason game remaining before making decisions on who will make the opening night roster. Their final preseason game is on Saturday, against the Colorado Avalanche. The game will be played at Maverik Center: home of the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. The Avalanche have still not won a game in the preseason, currently sporting a record of 0-4-0. The two played a preseason game earlier this week where Utah won 6-3.
