Five Anaheim Ducks represented their home countries at the 2026 Winter Olympics. At the conclusion of the tournament, two medals were brought home to Anaheim. Radko Gudas and Lukas Dostal joined Czechia, Damian Clara played for Italy, Mikael Granlund represented Finland, and Jackson LaCombe was on the United States’ roster. Let’s take a look at each player’s performance and how their countries fared in the Winter Olympic Games.
Czechia – Radko Gudas & Lukas Dostal
Defenseman Gudas and goaltender Dostal seem to be staples of the Czech national team. The pair also made the roster for the country’s 2024 World Championship gold medal. While the nation’s team did not medal at the Olympics, they made it to the quarterfinals, where they fell to Team Canada in a close 4-3 game. Dostal, in particular, fought hard in that game, but it was not enough to advance in the tournament.
Gudas was a physical presence, as always, and tallied one point in five games with an assist. He had four penalty minutes and ended the tournament with a plus-3 rating. Czechia values Gudas for his defensive skills, dominant physicality, and veteran presence. He has appeared in six international competitions with the country and was selected as an alternate captain for this tournament.
Dostal played four games in the country’s run, where he had a 1-3-0 record. He was not as successful in the tournament as he and his team may have hoped for, and did not meet his NHL level of play. The goaltender finished his four games with a .886 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.72 goals-against average (GAA). This season in the NHL, by comparison, he has a .897 SV% and a 2.92 GAA.
Italy – Damian Clara
Ducks goalie prospect Clara played four games with Team Italy, but they did not advance past group play to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, he was unable to get a win for his team and ended with a 0-4-0 record. He did have a .911 SV%, but a 5.13 GAA. The host country’s performance in the hockey tournament was nothing short of disappointing.
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At just 21 years old, Clara has a lot of room to grow and develop his game before the 2030 Olympics, where he may get another chance on the national team. He is not a bad goalie by any means — this season, he has a 16-13-0 record with Brynas IF. It just seemed as if he was not ready to face the level of play seen at the Olympics.
USA – Jackson LaCombe
While LaCombe was chosen to represent the United States, he never made the team’s lineup. His presence was more of an “in case of emergency” situation, should another defender become injured or otherwise unable to play. However, Team USA did take home a gold medal after a 2-1 victory over Canada. LaCombe will be bringing a coveted gold medal home to Anaheim this week.
It is disappointing that the United States opted out of dressing LaCombe for even one game. He is a skilled playmaker and defenseman who has 31 assists this season and would have fit in well alongside high-scoring US forwards like Jack Hughes and Auston Matthews. Hopefully, he will get a chance to play in 2030 and showcase his skills on the world stage.
Finland – Mikael Granlund
Granlund was the highest-performing Duck in the Olympic Games. This was his 11th time on Finland’s national team, and his performance helped bring the country all the way to the bronze medal game. They took a decisive 6-1 victory over Slovakia to secure the medal. Granlund had three points (two goals, one assist) in six games across the tournament. He also served as captain of the team, with Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen as his alternates. His medal is well-deserved and will be celebrated both in Finland and Anaheim alike.
Overall, the Ducks had a mediocre showing at the Olympics. With just a collective four points from the skaters and one win from the goaltenders, they left much to be desired for Ducks fans. However, there are ultimately two medals coming home with the players — and who could be mad at that?
