The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers

### Executive Producers

Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, Steve Brill, James Griffiths, Michael Spiller, Emilio Estevez, Brad Petrigala, George Heller, Jordan Kerner, Jon Avnet and Lauren Graham

### Producers

Arielle Boisvert, Shawn Williamson, Damir Konjicija, Dario Konjicija, Marissa Berlin, Todd Linden, Jessica Watson, Patrick Kang, Michael Levin and Buddy Enright

### Production Companies

Goldsmith Yuspa Productions
 Brillco
 Brillstein Entertainment Partners
 ABC Signature

### Original Release

March 26, 2021 - November 30, 2022

**The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers** is an American live-action television series created by Steve Brill, Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa. It was based on the film series The Mighty Ducks.

The series premiered on Disney+ on March 26, 2021 and aired for two seasons until November 30, 2022.

## Plot

Now a hockey powerhouse, the Mighty Ducks junior team is selective about who makes the roster. After being cut and told he is wasting his time, 12-year-old Evan Morrow, at the urging of his mother, forms a new team of underdogs with the help of original Ducks coach, Gordon Bombay, who has since become the despondent owner of a low level ice rink.

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Lauren Graham as Alex Morrow
* Brady Noon as Evan Morrow
* Maxwell Simkins as Nick Ganz
* Swayam Bhatia as Sofi Hanson-Bhatt
* Luke Islam as Jaden Koobler
* Taegen Burns as Maya Kasper
* De'Jon Watts as Adib "Sam" Samitar
* Bella Higginbotham as Lauren Gibby (Season 1)
* Kiefer O'Reilly as Logan LaRue (Season 1)
* Emilio Estevez as Gordon Bombay (Season 1)
* Naveen Paddock as Jace Cole (Season 2)
* Josh Duhamel as Colin Cole (Season 2)

### Recurring

* Dylan Playfair as Coach T
* Julee Cerda as Stephanie
* Forrest Rozitis as Tibor Capek
* Zenon Brown as Havel Capek
* Em Haine as Winnie Berigan
* Lia Frankland as Mary Joe
* Amy Goodmurphy as Paula Ganz
* Jane Stanton as Sherri Andrews
* Stephnie Weir as Marni
* Connor DeWolfe as A.J. Lawrence
* Timm Sharp as Coach Toby
* Tiffany Denis Hobbs as Coach Jackie
* Rich Eisen as Himself
* Margot Anderson-Song as Gertie Willins
* Noah Baird as Cody "Fries" Lawrence
* Jaden Micah Wolfe as Franklin
* Joelle Better as Rambo Tate

### Special Guest Stars

* Matt Doherty as Lester Averman
* Elden Henson as Fulton Reed
* Garette Henson as Guy Germaine
* Vincent Larusso as Adam Banks
* Marguerite Moreau as Connie Moreau
* Justin Wong as Ken Wu

## Episodes

See Also: List of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Episodes

 2 | 10

## Production

### Development

By 2018, Steve Brill and Jordan Kerner, who respectively served as writer and producer for the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks, pitched to ABC Signature head Tracy Underwood an idea for a TV series based on the film, which was approved for development.

On January 22, 2018, it was reported that a half-hour The Mighty Ducks TV series was being developed by ABC Signature Studios, with Brill set to write and executive-produce the series. The series was being shopped to several networks and streaming services by the studio. On November 8, 2018, it was reported that the series will be released on Disney's streaming service, Disney+. On November 6, 2019, it was reported that Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, George Heller, and Brad Petrigala will co-executive-produce the series alongside Brill. On February 12, 2020, Goldsmith and Yuspa were revealed to be serving a co-creators and showrunners for the series, while Kerner and James Griffiths were revealed to be co-executive-producing the series, with star Lauren Graham also being credited as co-executive producer. On August 2, 2021, Disney+ renewed the series for a second season.

### Casting

In February 2020, Lauren Graham and Brady Noon were cast in the series as the lead roles, with Emilio Estevez returning to reprise his role as Gordon Bombay, in addition to executive producing, as well as directing an episode. Swayam Bhatia, Taegen Burns, Julee Cerda, Bella Higginbotham, Luke Islam, Kiefer O'Reilly, Maxwell Simkins, De'Jon Watts were also cast in undisclosed roles. On March 18, 2021, it was reported that Elden Henson, Matt Doherty, Vincent LaRusso, Marguerite Moreau, Garette Henson, and Justin Wong would reprise their roles from The Mighty Ducks films for the sixth episode of the series. In November 2021, it was reported that Estevez's season 2 option would not be picked up due to creative differences and a contract dispute. On January 24, 2022, Josh Duhamel was cast in a starring role for the second season. On March 25, 2022, Naveen Paddock joined the cast as a new series regular while Margot Anderson-Song, Noah Baird, Stephnie Weir, Connor DeWolfe, Timm Sharp, and Tiffany Denise Hobbs joined the cast in recurring roles.

### Filming

Filming for The Mighty Ducks was scheduled to begin on February 18, 2020, and end on June 11, 2020. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. James Griffiths served as a director for the series. In August 2020, it was announced that filming could officially begin after Disney TV Studios made a deal with British Columbia unions about testing the cast and crew members for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Filming officially resumed in September 2020 and concluded on December 17, 2020. Filming for the second season is scheduled to begin in early 2022.

### Promotion

In March 2021, ahead of the series premiere, and along with the NHL’s return to ESPN, Disney+ and ESPN collaborated on a 30 for 30 promotional featurette in partnership with Cheerios entitled The Legend of the Flying V on the championship game between the original Ducks and the Hawks, shown in the climactic scene of The Mighty Ducks. Among those who provide commentary are Don't Bothers members Sofi, Evan, Nick, Koob, Maya and Lauren along with original Ducks Fulton, Lester, and Connie – all played by their original actors ahead of their return in Game Changers – United States women's hockey forward and Olympic gold medallist Meghan Duggan, retired NHL forward and TNT hockey analyst Anson Carter and ESPN hockey analysts and SportsCenter anchors Linda Cohn, John Buccigross and Steve Levy.

## Release

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers was released on Disney+ on March 26, 2021. The second season was released on September 28, 2022.

## Reception

### Critical Response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 87% based on 38 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.8 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Game Changers doesn't quite flip the puck, but it has enough heart and good humour to make The Mighty Ducks proud." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 16 critic reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews."

Caroline Framke of Variety said Game Changers manages to be a solid follow-up, stating the series manages to provide a sharp update to a timeless story without relying too much on nostalgia, and praised the performance of the actors. Robert Daniels of Polygon applauded the humour of the series, claiming it offers a hysterical critique of present-day youth sports, and stated it manages to be a light-hearted family-friendly show. Joel Keller of Decider wrote that Lauren Graham represents the best asset of the show, praised the performances of the cast members, and complimented the writing, saying the dialogues are sharp and entertaining. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of the actors, complimented the series for its inclusive messaging, and found it sincere and emotional at times, despite calling the narrative flaccid. Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media rated the series 3 out of 5 stars, complimented the depiction of positive messages, stating the show promotes perseverance and positivity, and found agreeable the presence of role models, citing the gender and racial diversity across the main cast.