Ducks of Tomorrow: Goalie Prospect Update with Coach Sudarshan Maharaj

As former NHL coach and broadcaster Harry Neale once famously said, "If you have a goalie, it's 70% of your team. If you don't, it's 100%."

The backbone of most successful playoff teams resides in the crease and Anaheim's rebuild now includes five promising young goaltenders working their way to the NHL.

With the 2023-24 minor and junior hockey seasons now in the books, AnaheimDucks.com caught up with Ducks Goaltending Coach Sudarshan Maharaj for an update between the pipes.

"The goal of any player in our organization is to progress to win a Stanley Cup and it's a long, grinding, pressure-filled experience to get there," Maharaj said. "The more that you can gain control of the situations in net and create those pressures, the better off you are when the time comes to face it at the NHL level. The development process is all about the steps of the ladder to mature as a goaltender."

Calle Clang

Clang completed his first season in North America this year, leading the Gulls in appearances (32) and saves (855). 

"There were a lot of new things for Calle this year," Maharaj said. "Leaving home, coming here and having to adjust to the North American game, so there were some growing pains but we really felt like he started to make a lot of those adjustments that we wanted and needed him to make at the end of the season. I'm excited about Calle's progress at the end of the season and am looking forward to him taking the next steps and bringing consistency back into his game."

The 22-year-old Clang, acquired from the Pennguins in the 2021 trade deadline deal that sent Rickard Rakell to Pittsburgh, has started 125 professional games between Sweden and San Diego. He owns a 11-19-4 mark in the AHL alongside a .898 save percentage (SV%) and 3.15 goals against average (GAA).

Tomas Suchanek

The undrafted Suchanek was one of the AHL's biggest surprises this season, posting a .910 save percentage and earning an entry-level contract with the Ducks.

"It showed a lot about Thomas that he came into rookie camp and had a very good showing, it sort of got him on the map," Maharaj said. "We'd had interest in him in the draft and we always liked him, but he showed us even more at the rookie tournament and then subsequently with his play down in Tulsa (ECHL).

"Everything Thomas has gotten, he's earned. I have a lot of respect for him digging in and really maximizing his opportunity."

Suchanek, who first came to California as a free agent invite to last summer's development camp before inking an AHL deal just prior to the 2023-24 campaign, ended up pacing San Diego in SV% and GAA (2.92).

"We have an interesting situation because we have a number of goalies who could be in San Diego next year," Maharaj said. "So, for these guys, it's about coming in and establishing themselves early with a good showing either at development camp, rookie camp or training camp. It's a real opportunity for the guys to come in and show their wares in a very competitive environment."

Vyacheslav Buteyets

Anaheim's sixth-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Buteyets signed his entry-level contract in May and will play his first season in North America next year.

"Vyacheslav is a big goaltender who skates very well and has good structure to his game," Maharaj said. "Like any young goaltender, he's still got a lot to learn but there's a good structural base to his game. He's a hard-working kid who wants to learn and get better, so from an attitude point of view, he's very invested in his development.

Buteyets appeared in 35 games for Chelmet Chelyabinsk (VHL - Russian Second Division) and also made his KHL debut at just 21 years old. Across the last three VHL seasons, Buteyets owns a 40-32-6 record with a .923 SV% and 2.36 GAA.

"He's spent a lot of time in the second division in Russia, so he's got a lot of pro experience. Now it's a matter of coming over here and bringing all those good habits with him so he can establish himself on the North American front."

Gage Alexander

The 6-foot-6 Alexander spent the 2023-24 season with Tulsa, finishing with a 5-8-1 record in 19 appearances.

"The next steps for Gage are really about developing consistency," Maharaj said. "He has shown flashes at times of very high-end play, but he is still in that period where he hasn't been able to maintain that for an extended period of times. So we're really looking for Gage to bring more consistency and maturity to his game."

Alexander started 16 games for San Diego during the 2022-23 campaign, but did not appear in an AHL contest this season.

Damian Clara

The first Italian-born player ever selected in the NHL Draft, Clara validated Anaheim's interest with a dynamite 2023-24 season in which he was named the top junior player in the Hockey Allsvenskan (Sweden's second division) while leading Brynas to promotion to the Swedish Hockey League.

"Of all the guys, Damien had probably the most pressure-filled season last year, playing for a team that was trying to make the jump back up to the SHL," Maharaj said. "And when their other goalie unfortunately had to leave the team for personal reasons, Damien was thrust into the starting role and played something like 14 games in a row just trying to establish himself. He did a fantastic job maturing as a goaltender, both technically and mentally. He spent a lot of time on his mental game as well as his technical game and he played some very pressure-filled minutes in the playoffs. Eventually, he was the starting goalie when the team took the step back to the SHL. Of all the guys, he had the most intense experience last year and he handled it very, very well."

Clara, who will play for Färjestad BK in the SHL next year, posted a 25-8-0 record with four shutouts, a 2.23 goals-against average (GAA) and .913 save percentage (SV%) in 34 games, placing second among HockeyAllsvenskan goalies in wins and GAA.

"There is an old saying that a lump of coal is a lump of coal until you put pressure on it and then it becomes a diamond," Maharaj said of Clara's postseason performance. "He really had to respond to a lot of pressure, not just within the organization but external pressure of playing for a quality team that and the reputation of that team he was playing for. So it was a great learning experience for him on how to handle not just your in-game preparation, but all of the circumstances that surround the games."

The 6-foot-6 netminder also won 10 of his 11 playoff appearances, leading all HockeyAllsvenskan goalies in postseason wins, GAA (1.68) and SV% (.931). At 19 years old, he became the youngest-ever goaltender to lead a team to promotion in the SHL.