Most didn't expect Kase to make an impact during the 2016-17 season.
Kase, who missed most of training camp with various injuries, wasn't the most popular name honing his craft down in San Diego. The Kadan, Czech Republic native skated in just 25 games with the San Diego Gulls (AHL) during the 2015-16 season, recording 14 points. The small forward was also Anaheim's seventh-round selection (205th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.
He joined the Ducks in early November, making his debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins and facing the Arizona Coyotes just two days later. Kase wouldn't join the team for good until a few weeks later, getting recalled the day before a Freeway Faceoff matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.
"I'm so happy," he said, describing the recall. "I'm happy."
He'd go on to make Ducks fans happy - and provide an important spark - throughout the rest of the season.
His first highlight came on December 1 in Vancouver. After killing consecutive penalties - including a 5-on-3 for 58 seconds - Kase would get his chance. Ryan Getzlaf fed him a nice pass, but the rookie couldn't cleanly corral and fire the puck. He alertly carried it behind the net, emerging from the other side and throwing a shot into a mass of bodies. The puck twice deflected off Vancouver defenseman - once off Nikita Tryamkin, once off Eric Gudbranson - and into the back of the net.