September 28, 2026
By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com
three years ago Thomas Suchanek experienced highs and lows.
Fresh out of the Western Hockey League, goaltender Suchanek was called up from camp to the AHL regular in quick fashion. After being sidelined by injury and goaltending uncertainty in 2023, the then-rookie netminder quickly provided stability in net for a Wolves team struggling to find its footing. The Anaheim Ducks’ top player quickly took notice and signed him to his first NHL contract in 2024.
It looked like Suchanek would give the Ducks much-needed depth and maybe even a path to the NHL. But Suchanek tore his ACL during offseason workouts. The injury sidelined him for the entire 2024-25 season, the first year of his NHL entry-level deal.
“Very hard, very long way,” Suchanek said. “I didn’t expect it to be this long. It was my first major injury so I thought it would be pretty quick and I’d be good to go. But it was quite the opposite. It took longer than I expected.”
Suchanek returned last season, but instead of the consistency he once had, he found himself between the AHL and ECHL levels. At the AHL level, he posted a 5-7-3 record, 3.31 GAA and .879 SV% in 15 games, a far cry from his 2023-24 numbers (14-10-5, 2.92 GAA, .910 SV% in 29 games).
Now, nearly a year and a half removed from surgery, Suchanek is ready to return to the level he flashed three years ago.
“The season was not what I wanted,” Suchanek said. “It was not good at all on my part. I think it was also a big learning experience for me because I think it’s been a long time since I’ve had such a bad season, so I even worked with a mental coach in the summer and everything to get back to where I wanted to be before the injury. So I think I was able to do that and this year I just showed how I can play great and great.
The road to an AHL start won’t be easy, however, as the Seagulls currently have three goaltenders. Join Sushanek Laurent Brossoitwho has 141 NHL games and nearly 200 AHL appearances under his belt, and Damian Clarawho stole the show as Italy’s goalkeeper at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Between veteran Brossoit, rookie Klara and Suchanek in San Diego, every game after the crease could write a different story.
“We’ve seen him compete, win and win a lot at this level, and I think he’s going to have to rely on the experience he has at this level to help him get through that level,” the goaltending coach said. Jeff Glass said: “He’s got something that nobody here has done. We all know he can fight, compete and steal games for this team at this level. So he has to go out and show it. He has to prove it again, and if he does, it will be good.”
