San Diego Gulls 2022 Grades

Welcome to another addition of San Diego Gulls Grades. The first full season in two years has come to an end in disappointing but unsurprising fashion. Playing in a total 68 regular season games in which the Gulls went 28-33-4-3 followed by two playoff losses resulted in the end of the very short one-season tenure of coach Joel Bouchard and his staff behind the San Diego bench. It was a mostly depressing and frustrating season wrought with inconsistent play but it also featured some bright spots in the form of breakout performances from a couple of players, some surprising development from others and an overall hope for the future as a new core began to form.

As always I will do this years grading in alphabetical order in the hopes that I don’t miss anybody, some I may miss on purpose due to sample size and some because I was pressed for time. I will also disperse awards throughout to those that I felt worthy of greater recognition – much like I did last year.

He missed significant time between November and January before once again going down toward the end of the season – playing his last game on the 8th of April in Abbotsford.

Overall it was a very good year for Andersson – he grew in confidence while also honing his defensive game and bulking up physically. His game was mistake-free, simple and left you with a sense of ease whenever he was on the ice. He was also a threat on the attack and was utilized as the point shot on the Power Play, but it was his defensive game that stood out the most this season. To me he clearly was the Gulls best and consistent defender night in and night out (closely followed by Kodie Curran and Trevor Carrick) but only playing half the season in his first full year in the AHL is more than a little worrying. He wins my award for the Gulls best defencemen this season.

Badini seems to have become a “locker room guy” – prominently mentioned by the players in more than a few social media clips as “Badger” or “DJ Badger”.

This was the final year of his entry level deal and given his lack of progress I would not be surprised if the Ducks failed to qualify him – particularly since the arrival of Josh Lopina; but I think he deserves one last chance and it can’t hurt to bring him back on at least a one-year deal as injury cover.

Spending more time at forward than on the blue line this season at this point it seems he might go the Hunter Drew route and become another full time forward convert but whereas I was sure for Drew it was a good fit – for Brouillard I am not so sure. I still feel his game is better suited to rushing the puck and the combination of his tenacity and lack of fear makes him a bulldog on the back-end but I can also see why it might be better for him to make the switch.

The Ducks blue-line depth is quickly returning to the level of quality that made it the envy of the league almost ten years ago and if he wants to carve a path within the organization it might be the right choice to try it as a forward. It should be noted that he is 27 now but by the same token – Sam Carrick made it to the NHL this past season in a full time capacity as a 30 year old so never say never.

He wins my award for the Gulls best player of the year.

Perhaps the most egregious move Bouchard made all season was naming Greg Pateryn the next San Diego Gulls Captain over the much more obvious choice of Trevor Carrick and he served as de-facto Captain while Pateryn spent long stretches with the Ducks or on the shelf nursing injuries. Now a full UFA after his one year deal expired at the conclusion of this season I would hope the Ducks bring him back with a view to making it official in the Captaincy department – this is his Gulls team now and I can’t see anybody else leading it as well as he can.

Two months later he made Gulls history by becoming the first goaltender to score a goal when he iced an empty net victory against the Colorado Eagles in early March. It is tough to grade him on this season as it felt to me he suffered from a combination of sophomore syndrome and burnout. He started more than half of the Gulls games including several back to backs after Bouchard lost confidence in Eriksson Ek. When he was on his game, he was on it – and we have seen that from him before, but when he wasn’t; he really wasn’t and that happened far too often this season. I would like to see how he looks under a different coach and system next season in the hopes that this one was dictated more by the regime in place and the arrangement in front of him.

His debut and accelerated development has lead many Ducks fans to loudly wonder if Anaheim should include John Gibson in the line of veteran players being dealt to speed-up the rebuild but by the same token the Ducks also acquired SHL star goaltender Calle Clang during that flurry of trades this past deadline. What that says about Dostals future is unclear but it does give them another blue-chip prospect in net to fall back on should the right offer for Gibson arise.

Dostal is entering the final year of his entry level deal and barring any surprises over the summer I believe we will see him back as the number one goaltender for San Diego next season. How much time he spends with the Ducks next year, is another question…

His hard work and eagerness to step up for and protect team-mates earned him a call-up to the Ducks in the final three games of the NHL season with the parent club in decidedly roughed up shape. During that span he saw action in two games and his first NHL fight in San Jose. He was my winner of the Gulls most improved player last season and I would love to give it to him again but there was one other player that also caught my attention as having a much more surprising season in development.

The future is bright for Drew and can only get brighter as the Ducks look to rebuild – some say there is no need for enforcers any longer but I say it can never hurt to have one just in case. Drew still plays that game but is also blessed with a shot and release that can fool goaltenders from anywhere in the offensive zone. Look for him to challenge for a spot on the Ducks fourth line next season if not spend a lot of time on the I5 shuttle.

There wasn’t too much to fault in his game – if anything the only gripe I could mention would be an over-tendency for turnovers; not the “trying something that would have been cool if it worked” kind either, the silly “why did you do that?” kind. But other than that – there was no other reason for why he should have not received a call-up to the Ducks and perhaps that is what lead him to depart for Sweden.

I had hoped he would stick around and become a part of the Ducks rebuild moving forward – Anaheim still own his rights for now so that could still eventually happen – perhaps in a Jesse Puljujärvi kind of way but we shall see.

He finished around 40th in the league for GAA with 3.44 and near that range in Save Percentage also with 0.883. I felt comfortable and confident with his play at the start of the season but as the year progressed it became quickly evident that some factor in his confidence had changed such that you never knew which Olle you were going to get whenever he was given a start. He would look completely locked in and sharp for one game and then absolutely all over the place the next. We did see a more aggressive side to him this season which was a somewhat pleasant surprise, particularly when he challenged the Ontario Reign bench at one point in a game in which he was not even the starter.

However; with the acquisition of fellow Swede Calle Clang it may mean the Ducks have already moved on from the younger brother of Joel Eriksson Ek but I wouldn’t be so quick to give up on him – goaltenders notoriously take much longer to develop and he is still just 22.

It was like viewing an alternate version of him that had time traveled to the future then come back a grizzled veteran. He no longer shied away from the danger areas, knew exactly where to be and when and had no hesitation whatsoever to throw the puck on net. His 23 points in 45 games put him just ahead of BO Groulx for 11th on the squad in scoring and more than deserving of the consistent spot in the line-up he retained – sometimes at the expense of the likes of Brayden Tracey.

Gates is one of those players that has a knack for scoring big goals and he showed as much in the series against Ontario – providing the game tying goal in game two. I would love to see him continue his amazing redemption story in the years to come with the Gulls and he is the deserving recipient of my most improved player award.

Once he was mercifully returned to San Diego it took him a couple of games to return to the Groulx we knew and loved but once he did – it didn’t take long for he and Alex Limoges to rediscover the chemistry that made them the Gulls top duo last season.

Had that train remained on track his end of year grade might have been different and the Gulls may have perhaps progressed further in the postseason but alas he suffered a lower body injury against the Reign in mid-April and was done for the season. His absence created a huge hole in the Gulls line-up particularly on the penalty kill but newly signed Josh Lopina did an amicable job of stepping in to fill that void.

Groulx has one year left on his three year entry deal and one has to expect he will once again challenge for a spot in the Ducks line-up next season which is feeling more and more like it is an important one in terms of development and his long-term future in Anaheim.

He did spend six games with the Ducks when their blue-line was suddenly decimated in January and March but at this point it looks as though he is on the same level as Jacob Larsson in terms of NHL potential.

I wouldn’t be averse to Anaheim bringing him back for depth and injury cover but at the same time the organization has a dump-truck full of defensive prospects coming and despite his experience he might find it increasingly harder to find ice-time in the years to come. He just completed the second year of his two year extension so now becomes an RFA with arbitration rights – it will be interesting to see if the Ducks attempt to low-ball him given his injury history thus far.

What I noticed from the final stretch of games that I was able to see him play in (and something mentioned on the Gulls broadcast a few times also) – is that he is always looking for the stretch pass or to move the puck up ice in a hurry. His defensive game is iron-clad, he had no trouble adjusting to and handling assignments down low – it did take him some time to get used to the higher speed of the game as compared to College but by year’s end he was quickly becoming one of the Gulls better defenders.

He came very close to scoring his first professional goal on several occasions and it feels like only a matter of time before the offensive side of his game (that saw him finish with 25 points in 32 games at Boston College this season) breaks through. Some might expect he will challenge for a spot with the Ducks next year but I still feel he needs another year with the Gulls – he is just 21 years old and still adjusting to the pace of the professional game; I do expect him to be one of the Gulls best defenders next season though.

Despite the obvious chemistry he showed with Groulx and Limoges last season – Bouchard refused to go to that hole and instead Kindopp found himself either with a different set of wingers or on a cobbled together line every other night. His production suffered as a result but he never complained and continued to do what he does best – play hard two-way hockey.

His hard work was rewarded with a call-up and his first NHL game in January against the Flyers playing on the fourth line in a shut-down role with limited ice time.

He is entering the final year of his three year entry level deal and should look to have a break-out offensive year if he hopes to earn a pay-rise on his next deal – here is hoping he sees a much more stable year with some consistent and talented line-mates to aid in that.

He then set about providing a steady veteran presence on the the Gulls blue-line but didn’t exactly push the needle either offensively or defensively. He just was. Which has been an apt descriptor for his game for much of his Ducks career.

However there was one positive note and new inclusion to his game that I noticed this year, he appeared to add a physical edge that saw him draw the ire of opposing teams on a nightly basis. It became commonplace for Larsson to draw a call as a result of a hot-headed forward losing his proverbial fecal matter with him (the most memorable was when he had his stick slashed in half as he stood casually minding his own business after a whistle).

The aforementioned decimation of the Ducks blue line midway through the season meant he saw time in six games in the NHL from the end of December through to January. However the changing Ducks regime and somewhat backward career progression for Larsson means Verbeek is unlikely to qualify him so we may have just seen his last season with the Ducks/Gulls.

In total he saw 31 games with the Ducks, contributing an even split of five goals and five assists in the process while generally being used in roles that most benefited his one-timer.

Now a UFA at the conclusion of his one year extension signed last summer, it remains to be seen whether we see him back. The Gulls desperately need experience and scoring up front and of all their veteran forwards he is the one I would most like to be brought back but this feels like a career crossroads for Lettieri – who might see his chance for more NHL minutes in a team like the Seattle Kraken.

He was selected as the AHL Player of the Week for the period ending March 27 when he put up 8 points in four games including his first career hat trick against the Roadrunners.

After Groulx suffered a season ending injury in April he didn’t miss a beat – linking up with Josh Lopina to continue piling up the points including four points in the final games of the regular season with an extra goal and assist in the two postseason games in Ontario.

Limoges is hard working and uses his big frame to drive the net or cycle the puck down low – he is also incredibly difficult to shift once he establishes net front position or sets up in the low slot. A pure goal scorer but without any extra dazzle, if the Ducks don’t sign him to an entry level deal this off-season I would have to question their sanity.

When BO Groulx went down with a season ending lower body injury – Lopina was the next best thing to replacing him and he jumped at the chance. Taking his spot on the top line with Limoges and Perreault the Ducks 2021 fourth round pick never looked back – keeping the line a respectable threat for opposing teams and although not showing on the scoresheet; he most definitely helped to drive play.

Much like Helleson he got better as the season came to a close, and scored the games opening goal in the game one 7-4 loss to the Reign in the playoffs as well as netting his first AHL goal in the final regular season game against the Roadrunners.

It has been a while since the Ducks have had a pure defensive center – but Lopina does remind me of and play in a similar vein to Sami Pahlsson. Progressing as far as the top-line center within the first five games of his pro career does indicate a very bright future for the Minooka, IL native.

It took him just five games to get his first AHL goal – scoring in a game against the Barracuda in late November but that was about all he did offensively other than a few assists here and there. Don’t get me wrong – I am not disparaging him as a player; I could see why Bouchard would prefer to use him over Badini solely because of how reliable defensively he was. The only issue was he didn’t really contribute much anywhere else – he was essentially used to give other centers a rest and potentially to provide chaos in front of the opposing teams net with is big 6-2, 197lb frame but he didn’t do much of that either.

I am not really sure whether we see him back next season but if we do I am assuming only as injury cover.

I will admit I didn’t see much of the seven games he played – only distinctly remembering the game in which he scored his first professional goal. He played a determined and astute game – sliding into scoring areas at the right moments (such as the occasion that lead to his first AHL goal) while also showing good hands and vision. The Ducks selected him based off of what they saw in his play-making ability and have given him a two year entry level deal to prove them right.

With Limoges and Tracey seemingly sure to graduate in the coming season if not the one after it feels as though McLaughlin should have no trouble moving up the line-up in the years to come.

He was as expected. Reliable. Consistent. As well as bringing a calming veteran presence but I feel perhaps that too much was asked of him and his numbers reflected that. He was supposed to be one of many veteran forwards on the Gulls but ended up being the only one on most nights as the others were either on semi-permanent recall or injured. Standing in as a replacement for Sam Carrick or Andrew Poturalski was always going to be an unfair task to ask of him let alone asking him to do it on his own while residing over a group of young forwards in the process.

He would sometimes find a way to score when the Gulls most desperately needed it but there were times you could tell he lacked the support needed and by seasons end it was glaringly obvious that he would often just take the game on his own and just do his best through individual talent.

He has another year left on his two year deal and you have to hope he would expect the Ducks to provide some more help next season.

Don’t get me wrong, he is a proven NHL veteran but his steadily declining foot speed that already wasn’t quite fast enough for the NHL is now becoming a hindrance in the AHL also. He saw ten games with the Ducks – getting a goal and an assist and saw a total 35 games with the Gulls while battling various injuries that saw Trevor Carrick become the pseudo-Captain for much of the season.

He is once again a UFA and given how this article seems to indicate Carrick is the Captain moving forward – here is hoping we won’t see Pateryn back next season with the Gulls.

Injuries and illness were the main reason for his hot and cold spells, causing him to miss time throughout the year and spanning parts of December, January and April. He only really seemed to find himself again for the stretch run in mid February. This was also coincidentally when he was placed on the top-line with Groulx and Limoges – later Lopina and Limoges.

I saw a lot of Perreualts game mature this season, he was more defensively responsible and less apt to force the extra pass. I also put money on it that one day – one day, that spin-o-rama move coming down the left wing is going to work. However – as I noted several times this year – his tendency to embellish is starting to become a problem and it seemed that particularly this year; he was on the officials radar, as they often looked the other way even when it was a legit call.

He led all Gulls in shots with 130, an average of 2.4 shots per game which is what he should be doing but also finished in the top five on the team in penalty minutes – a slight concern.

It will be interesting to see how much time he spends with the Ducks next season but at the very least he should be counted on to be in the Gulls top six.

He proved to be one of the Gulls most dangerous and important penalty killers and by seasons end; was always part of the unit sent out to block shots and deflect the final assault to secure a win. He was definitely faster than last year and that was evident from early in the season while the mean-streak we saw from him last year caused more than a few opposing team players (memorably Ryan Merkley) to lose their cool.

Like Limoges, he was playing on an AHL deal this year so it remains to be seen whether he gets signed to an entry level deal with the Ducks or is given another contract with the Gulls. At present the Gulls have no forwards due to join them next season other than potentially Sasha Pastujov (for more on that – read here) so it’s not like his roster spot is going anywhere and he proved his worth as one of their most important defensive forwards this year – I hope to see him back next season.

He started out well – hitting the ground running with a three game point streak to start the season but then – much like the team – went through long stretches without getting on the scoreboard. He was an integral part of the Power Play and could be counted upon to drive play at times, but could also be overwhelmed down low and if he was ever paired with another slightly smaller defender I grew nervous.

Was it the systems? Was it the pairing? Was it the Coach? Rafferty is now a UFA so unless he chooses to come back – we may never know.

His size and two way game did earn him a call-up to the Ducks where he played in 32 games, the most of any of the Gulls veteran forwards this season (not including the graduated Sam Carrick).

But ultimately, when he was with the Gulls – he didn’t provide enough NHL x-factor to prove himself a difference maker. Perhaps that is too harsh – I really couldn’t fault too much in his game but it was frustrating to watch. He just had no finish. He had the speed and vision to cause turnovers, create his own breakaways – but he just could not finish.

Once again a UFA – it will be interesting to see if he is brought back; I for one believe the Gulls can do better.

He did not quite burst out of the gate like Perreault did, it took him until his fourth game to get a point streak going but once he did he strung together a six points in five game tally followed by a seven points in three game haul a few games later (earning him player of the week honors). By the end of November he was leading the Gulls in scoring and poised for an NHL call-up before going inexplicably cold.

Again – like Perreault, he did get that NHL call up and saw action in one game but then suffered a hand/wist injury at the start of February that saw him sit for three weeks until he eventually returned to action against the Barracuda.

Being a year older than Perreault – the development from Tracey this season was a lot clearer and he was able to fine-tune and polish off a lot of the areas of his game that were raw last season. Notably – remember when I wrote this about him last year?

he is so adept at slipping into the soft areas undected and found himself at the end of a bang-bang play that he either fired right into the opposing teams logo or shanked off a post or sent wide.|

Well this year he was still able to sneak into those scoring positions (namely to the right side of the net) and complete those bang-bang plays.

Overall this was a great year for Tracey and I am excited to see what the future holds for him – next season he will be counted upon to be in the Gulls top six and with a new coach; perhaps he will be paired with more fitting line-mates more often.

Honourable Mentions

Morgan Adams-Moisan

28 Games – 1 Goal, 1 Assist – 2 Points

Spending his first full year in the AHL – Adams-Moisan saw time in 28 games but was mostly inserted into the line-up to provide grit or when the Gulls were down in numbers. He finished third on the team in Penalty Minutes despite playing a third of the number of games as the leaders. He did surprise every so often with the occasional casual skill move such as a between the legs shot or half spin-o-rama which did make him somewhat of an intriguing player to keep an eye on but ultimately he knew his role and stuck to it. Given he was a Bouchard connection from his Armada days he likely will follow him to where-ever he lands next.

Kodie Curran

48 Games – 1 Goal, 15 Assists – 16 Points

The curiosity of Kodie Curran and whether he would ever see a game with the Anaheim Ducks finally came to an end when he was traded at the deadline to the Bruins in the Lindholm deal. Up until that point he had been the Gulls best defender or close to first equal with Axel Andersson and he was sorely missed there-after. I am not sure why the Ducks refused to give him a look – given they lured him over from Europe in the first place. This season he showed more intensity – dropping the gloves in three separate games; including what would be his send-off before he was dealt. Fare thee well Kodie, I’d have you back in a heartbeat but you deserve an NHL shot.

Max Golod

18 Games – 1 Goal, 3 Assists – 4 Points

Golod began the year with the Gulls but couldn’t stick in the line-up and was eventually pushed out by the more physical and reliable play of Marleau and Adams-Moisan. He actually wasn’t doing too badly to start – collecting three points over a five game span in late October and early November. But by January he was permanently assigned to Tulsa – ending the year there by contributing 22 points in 32 games with the Oilers while also netting an additional 3 points in 4 games in their short post-season run. Next year is the final year of his three year entry level deal – whether or not he spends much of it with the Gulls will depend on how far he has come this past season. His numbers with the Oilers as compared to others on that roster don’t look that great.

Nathan Larose

22 Games – 1 Goal, 2 Assists – 3 Points

Larose came in as a relative unknown – potentially invited by the Ducks scouts in the far-east. He did an amicable job of providing spot-duty and the odd fill-in at a moments notice as a seventh defencemen; however he didn’t really provide much else. I had hopes he could be another Simon Benoit-type find but this season didn’t really show much of that. Still three points in 22 games in his first season in the AHL isn’t too bad either. I have a hunch we will see him back next year.

San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades San Diego Gulls Grades

San Diego Gulls Grades

San Diego Gulls Grades