‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’ Recap: ‘Ice Breaker’

Written by Zeke Perez Jr.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’.
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​“The Quack Attack is back, Jack!”
 
Season two of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers on Disney+ kicked off with a change of scenery, several doses of nostalgia, and new challenges on and off the ice for our ragtag group of hockey underdogs.
 
When we last left the team formerly known as the “Don’t Bothers”, they had just ended their Cinderella run to the state finals in unfortunate fashion, forfeiting the championship matchup against the rival Ducks due to an injured and incomplete roster. The two teams decided to settle the score in an unofficial game, with a couple of big wagers on the line. If the Ducks won, the Don’t Bothers would leave the league. If the Don’t Bothers won, they would get to claim the iconic Mighty Ducks moniker as their own. The Don’t Bothers donned original Ducks jerseys from Coach Bombay and rallied with a Flying V to steal a win and the name.
 
The new Ducks storm into the premiere on the high of their big victory, rollerblading together in the green, yellow, and purple Ducks sweaters in a nice shot calling back to the original movies. Then comes the curveball (or knucklepuck): the Ice Palace has been condemned. Although Coach Bombay has hired the Bash Brothers to repair the arena (making for a fun cameo), the Ducks are without home ice for the summer. Luckily, they’ve been invited to attend the Elite Performance Ice Center (EPIC) hockey camp in Los Angeles.
 
Team mom Alex (Lauren Graham) road trips with the team to EPIC, a camp run by Coach Colin Cole (Josh Duhamel), a former-NHL vet who started the camp to “create the future of the sport that [he loves].” While seemingly sincere, Coach Cole runs an intense camp, seeking to push the best and brightest hockey players to the next level. While maybe not yet reaching Coach Reilly levels of intensity, Coach Cole certainly prioritizes talent over team play and expects each player to chase greatness. While his drills are made to pull out the best individual hockey players, the Ducks fly together and outperform the other campers.

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However, all is not as well as it seems. It turns out that the name change led to a mix-up with invitations. Coach Cole intended to invite the other Ducks team and doubts that the new Ducks have the talent and willpower to match his philosophy, so he tries to pressure them to leave. While some Ducks enjoy the camp and find that they like being pushed, others are feeling the toll early. While Evan (Brady Noon) tries to rally the team to embrace the underdog role and stick things out, Nick (Maxwell Simkins) wants the group to step away. Coach Cole clashes with his own son, Jace (Naveen Paddock), who then tries to convince Nick that leaving was the right idea. The fissures in the ice threaten to crumble the new Ducks.
 
One of the biggest changes in season two is the loss of Coach Bombay, as Emilio Estevez departed from the franchise in between seasons. The absence of the original lead from the 90’s films is noticeable but is written well in this new Game Changers universe. Graham and Duhamel rise to the occasion, as do the young cast members. The show and the franchise are in great hands with this group at the helm.
 
As it was in season one, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is a wholesome, fun, and heartfelt series. It builds well on the legacy of the original films, bringing to life a loveable and diverse cast of characters that you can’t root against. The Easter eggs, cameos, and pure nostalgia sprinkled throughout the show are more than enough to spark joy in your inner child. This new season of Game Changers promises to deliver something that both new fans and those of us who grew up in love with the original films will be proud of.
 
New episodes of ‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’ air each Wednesday on Disney+.

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