The Ducks are Back and Better Than Ever in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Season 2
Our favorite Ducks are back, and better than ever in the second season of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. This season, the Ducks head off to hockey camp for the Summer, expecting a a break filled with fun and a little team bonding. However, head coach, Gavin Cole (Josh Duhamel) has other ideas. Coach Cole is set on finding the next set of hockey stars, so he pushes the campers to the extreme, accepting nothing but the best from every one of them. This pressure places a heavy toll on our favorite underdogs, creating friction for some of the team members while also creating some unlikely team ups for others.
What’s so nice about the first couple of episodes of the season is it keeps the lightheartedness of the first season while highlighting the extreme pressure teenagers face as they try to decide what the future holds for them. In the case of this season, viewers watch as each player from the Ducks questions not only their role on the team, but whether or not hockey will play a part in their future. As someone who faced a similar situation as the Ducks when I was younger, I could easily relate to the story and the problems the team was facing. Nothing about this story felt forced or unbelievable.
The first four episodes also do a fantastic job shining light on characters that were nothing but background characters in Season 1. Luke Islam, DJ Watts, and Taegan Burns are thrusted into the spotlight this season and nail every scene they are in. This addition to the show not only adds another layer of comedy to the series, but it provides more insight into last season’s teen leads, Brady Noon (Evan) and Sway Bhatia (Sofi). Nevertheless, it is Maxwell Simkins that, once again, steals the show. His character, Nick was the clear standout in Season 1, and he blows it out of the water in Season 2. He has a particularly great episode with Lauren Graham’s Alex that will leave you begging for more scenes between the two as the season continues.
Duhamel and Naveen Paddock join the cast as Coach Cole and camper, Jace this season and do a nice job fitting in with the returning cast. Duhamel has a great back and forth banter with Graham that could seem flirtatious at times while Paddock’s Jace creates nice tension for Noon’s Evan and Bhatia’s Sofi. It will be interesting to see where the writers take these two storylines as the season progresses.
Fans of the first season will definitely want to check out the new season on Disney+. For those who have never seen the first season, go watch it and then check out the new episodes. Game Changers is the perfect show if you are looking for something to turn your frown upside down. And, if what I just said wasn’t enough to get you to tune in, maybe the fact that there is a nice little cameo in the first episode will do it.