The Mighty Ducks universe is getting even bigger. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers premieres on March 26 and features a new cast of lovable underdogs and competitive kids. Just like with the original movies, you’re going to love this class of talented youngsters. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Brady Noon, Maxwell Simkins, and Sway Bhatia about who their characters are most like from the original series.
“I think a lot of us are actually representing OG characters,” Sway told HollywoodLife during the show’s press junket. “My character [Sofi] kind of represents Banks because my character is on the competitive team, and you see in the pilot she has a bit of a knee injury. There’s kind of a connection to Banks there, but there’s also a little bit of a connection to Connie.”
For Maxwell, he is well aware that his character, Nick, gives off Lester Averman vibes. “My character is just like Averman, very funny, outgoing,” Maxwell said. “[He’s] the teen goofball, the team motivator, the team MVP. No, I’m kidding. He’s a very outgoing kid. He has his own podcast. He’s very much like Averman in a lot of sense.” As for Brady, Evan is just like Charlie Conway. Brady explained, “He’s the captain of The Mighty Ducks team, and I’m the captain of the Don’t Bothers. I think it’s pretty cool similarities, me as Evan and Charlie both have a close, tight connection to Gordon Bombay as you’ll see in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.”
When it comes to anything Mighty Ducks, there’s a lot of hockey involved. For Sway, stepping into her character’s shoes wasn’t a hard adjustment. “I used to be a figure skater, so a lot of people recommended the movie to me,” Sway said. “As soon as I got the audition, I watched the movie right away, and I got hooked instantly. I’m so inspired by Emilio Estevez, the OG Gordon Bombay. I think the whole idea of bringing the underdogs to the championship is empowering, and I absolutely love the movies.”
For Maxwell, his hockey skills are a work in progress. “They were nonexistent before,” Maxwell quipped. “Now they’re alive. They’re an infant. They’re striving. They’re becoming pretty good. My skills, I’ve become OK. Not nearly as good as Brady or Sway. They’re very good. Same with Kiefer O’Reilly. He’s very talented on the ice.” He also added that his co-star Brady is “extraordinarily talented” on the ice.
In The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. When Evan, played by Brady, is cut from the Ducks, he and his mom, Alex (Lauren Graham), set out to build their own team of misfits to challenge the cutthroat, win-at-all-costs culture of youth sports today. Along the way, they get Gordon Bombay on board to help. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers premieres March 26 on Disney+. New episodes will debut weekly on Fridays.