Welcome to another addition of San Diego Gulls Grades. The second full season in three years has come to a slow and excruciatingly disappointing end. Playing in a total 72 regular season games (four more than last year) in which the Gulls went 20-49-2-1 to finish at the bottom of both their division and the entire league by 20 points (more on that in a second article to come).
As always I will do this years San Diego Gulls Grades 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 have done in previous years.
Gage Alexander No Grade
16 Games – 5-7-3 – 0.887 SV% – 3.59GAA
Alexander burst onto the scene just before the Gulls lost Lukas Dostal to the Ducks and conveniently for him – right around the same time some of the more important players began to return from injury.
After making the mid-season move from Juniors to Pro, Gage started out with Tulsa going 1-4-0 with a 3.61 GAA and 0.875 SV% before being called up to the Gulls after a John Gibson niggle saw the trickle down effect of Lukas Dostal moving up to Anaheim for the first of a few recalls before eventually staying put.
Alexander made his first start on Valentines Day at home against the Tucson Roadrunners, a 3-1 win in which he made 29 saves on 30 shots. He would play a total of 16 games throughout the second half of the season – temporarily stealing the number one net from Olle Eriksson Ek after Dostals recall and then losing it at the end of the season to the late arrival of Calle Clang.
His game is still very raw and he is not as compact or technically sound as his tandem partner Clang but he has “Big Goalie Energy” and is very reminiscent of a younger Anthony Stolarz. Very tall but quick and powerful on his edges, making him hard to beat on a cross ice pass if he gets the right read or is able to see the play develop. I put that addendum because in the final games of the season he actually was frequently beat on a cross-ice feed but to me it was only because he was a touch behind the play which was a combination of situational awareness and likely some sinking confidence.
He is a battler. I am not really sure how else to put it. He fights to make the save and never gives up on a stop even when it seems impossible to make. As his game matures under the Ducks coaching staff he should turn into a fairly solid third string goaltender, it will be interesting to see how he and Clang are used next season.
Axel Andersson D-
32 Games – 1 Goal, 4 Assists – 5 Points
Last year 35 Games – 4 Goals, 6 Assists – 10 Points
The one thing Andersson needed to do this year was to stay healthy and he did not. He played three less games than last season and ended with half as many points.
There isn’t really much else to say other than note that on a team full of incredibly bad +/- Andersson was the only player who spent the entire season with the team and played more than 30 games to be above the negative with a +1. Yes I know its a flaky and untrustworthy stat but it is consistent with his time with the Gulls overall as being one of their more reliable defenders in his own end.
He has since signed back in Sweden and it is unlikely his tenure with the Ducks continues much further given the waves of incoming defensive talent arriving. It’s a sad ending to one of the pieces acquired in the Kase deal which now leaves Jacob Perreault as the last remaining and most important part of the trade.
I had high hopes that Andersson could stay healthy and eventually make his way to the Ducks but alas it was not meant to be.
Nik Brouillard B
72 Games – 6 Goals, 33 Assists – 39 Points
Last year 66 Games – 13 Goals, 26 Assists – 39 Points
As the only Gull to play in all 72 games this season Brouillard was leaned on heavily to carry the load and the weight of that was visibly evident for stretches during the year.
He finished tied for third in scoring on the team but was also a team worst -27, indicating just how many minutes he saw this year and how taxing it was on his game.
With the timely acquisition of Michael Del Zotto and the easing of his burden he returned to form and so too did the Gulls until yet more injuries took their toll on the team.
Once again Brouillard impressed with his skating ability and the ease in which he rushed the puck up ice, essentially a one-man transition machine and a human zone entry cheat code he is vastly important to the Gulls to the point where I will be very very very upset if he is signed elsewhere. Much like I was when Patrick Williams dared suggest he would be of much interest at the AHL trade deadline. He is once again a UFA looking for a much deserved NHL deal from the Ducks and as I have said many times before – I believe he can still fit with and provide much needed mentorship to this incoming group of talented defenders. There are currently two to three spots open on the right side going into the coming season, he would look great alongside say…. Tyson Hinds.
David Cotton F
36 Games – 4 Goals, 5 Assists – 9 Points
Last Year 55 Games – 7 Goals, 9 Assists – 16 Points
Cotton put up some so-so numbers with the Wolves last season and tried to translate that to a contract with the new-in-town Firebirds but instead found himself struggling to get in the line-up.
With the Gulls fighting injuries across the roster and in dire-need of a Center he was brought in for “future considerations” and made an impact right away, tallying three goals in his first seven games.
As players began to return from injury and others were sent back from the Ducks he once again found it hard to stay in the line-up and finished the season on a 14 game pointless drought.
He is a pending UFA but I doubt he is brought back and likely will need to see some time in the ECHL to gain some confidence back.
Chase De Leo A-
22 Games – 9 Goals, 14 Assists – 23 Points
Last Year 55 Games – 21 Goals, 35 Assists – 56 Points
In a season of extreme misery the injury sustained by De Leo in the Gulls very first game that saw him miss all but 22 games of it was the ill-omen that set off the perfect storm of crap to follow.
When De Leo did eventually return he demonstrated just exactly what it was that he had intended to do with this Gulls team when he signed a two year deal after an impressive point per game campaign in Utica. Riding an eight game point streak that saw the Gulls string their first set of back to back wins of the season he wasted no time in putting his mark on the team. In the end it was too little too late but it did instill a sense of hope that he might single-handedly drag the team back to a playoff spot for the briefest of moments.
Entering year two of his deal the La Mirada native will hope that he does not encounter any further horrific bad luck so that he can lead this fresh crop of incoming talented Ducks prospects. He will likely either center the top line again which could see him placed between the incumbent Tracey and Perreault, or perhaps placed on a line with the young but high scoring winger Sasha Pastujov.
Michael Del Zotto B+
40 Games – 6 Goals – 25 Assists – 31 Points
Last Year 26 Games – 10 Goals, 17 Assists – 27 Points
Del Zotto was brought over from Charlotte in a mid-season three-way deal that saw Danny O’Regan land in Grand Rapids and Giavani Smith end up in Charlotte.
The Gulls were in the midst of an extreme shortage on the blue line as both injuries and call-ups meant PTOs like Luka Profaca and Frank Hora were seeing regular action and the Gulls were dropping games like Taylor Swift drops re-recordings. Something had to change and MDZ was brought in to bring in both veteran stability on the left side as well as easing the pressure from an already well over worked Nik Brouillard.
He responded right away, netting a goal and an assist in his first home game (after seeing the first two games with the Gulls on the road and going scoreless in Tucson) he followed that up with a seven game point streak that spanned almost the entire month of January. He revived the anemic Gulls Power Play on his own while providing vitally important leadership to the back-end and the suddenly stagnating and flailing Drew Helleson instantly saw a huge improvement in his game after being paired with the incoming NHL veteran.
He also provided an unexpected pest element to the Gulls line up as he consistently picked out the resident hot-head on opposing teams and seemingly slipped under their skin with ease via a little jab here and an after the whistle non-chalant bump there. I am sure these antics resulted in at least two or three game-changing Power Plays in the Gulls favour after his arrival and only backfired once when he was tossed after letting a heated encounter get the better of him.
He is a once again an Unrestricted Free Agent but hopefully Ducks and Gulls management see the immense benefit he brought to the squad and make the right call to re-ink him and help mentor this incoming group of talented young defenders.
Lukas Dostal A
34 Games – 11 Wins – 21 Losses – 0 OT Losses – 3 Shutouts 1 Assist – 2.97 GAA – 0.912 SV%
Last Year 40 Games – 18 Wins – 14 Losses – 4 OT Losses – 2 Shutouts 1 Goal – 2.60 GAA – 0.916 SV%
It feels like The Bakery (TM) has been a Gulls fixture since forever so it is easy to forget he only made his North American debut last season.
In what would be a shortened second season due to a mid-season call-up to the Ducks that eventually became permanent Dostal once again did all that he could to steal the Gulls a win even when the rest of his team was doing all that they could to sabotage that.
Somehow his numbers kept their sparkle and he had two more shutouts than last year despite playing six less games. He didn’t have a heck of a lot more to prove at the AHL level but did that anyway, elevating his game to show he is capable of stealing games if given adequate defensive help and minimal offense. He was also consistent, showing up as sharp and focused night in and night out – something young goaltenders often seem to struggle with.
This was his last season in the AHL as he proved himself worthy of regular NHL duty while he covered for Anthony Stolarz after he went down with a season ending injury in February. The aforementioned Stolarz is an unrestricted free agent and appears to not be included in the Ducks plans moving forward given the end of season arrival of Calle Clang. Fare the well The Bakery – go show them what you got.
Hunter Drew F
44 Games – 5 Goals, 6 Assists – 11 Points
Last Year 64 Games – 17 Goals, 21 Assists – 38 Points
I considered not including Drew given he was dealt midway through February after looking largely lost for a good part of the season.
Was he the most disappointing player on the Gulls this season? Possibly. I expected a lot of him given how good he looked in his first full season as a forward last year and given he started the year with a goal and assist in the first game of the year. But he also appeared to expect too much of himself and often seemed to be trying to do too much.
As the points stopped coming he started to revert to what came easier to him and the penalty minutes began to pile up and continued after his shift to Rockford where he picked up his second and third game misconducts on the season. Finishing the year with 149 PIMs, a new career high and 15 more than the previous total he appears to have well and truly settled into an enforcer-come-depth-player role which is sad because his shot is truly something to behold and if given the right supporting cast he might have really turned into a prototypical hard-edged power forward, the kind of player that is so valuable in the postseason.
Olle Eriksson Ek F
20 Games – 2 Wins – 14 Losses – 0 OT Losses – 4.44 GAA – 0.852 SV%
Last Year 26 Games – 7 Wins – 15 Losses – 2 OT Losses – 3.44 GAA – 0.883 SV%
Hoping to follow up a disappointing showing last season where he struggled to get game time even when the Gulls were long out of a playoff spot, Eriksson Ek again struggled to show any kind of consistency and failed to take a hold of his chances when presented to him on a silver platter.
This was the year for the former Ducks fifth round selection to finally grab the Gulls net but instead he briefly held it for perhaps a weekend before losing it to the less experienced, more raw but not lacking in enthusiasm – Alexander Gage. I am sure it did not help his already shaky confidence that he was expected to be the man between the pipes and help the team string together some wins after watching his long-time tandem partner struggle to do just that for the first few months of the season before his recall. Perhaps much like good friend Hunter Drew; he expected too much of himself – whereas the young Gage had no such expectations but to play as well as he possibly could given the circumstances.
There isn’t much else to say but what could have been. Eriksson Ek has signed back in Sweden and likely won’t be seen this side of the ocean again or at least not with the Ducks organisation.
Brent Gates Jr F
38 Games – 1 Goal, 9 Assists – 10 Points
Last Year 45 Games – 12 Goals, 11 Assists – 23 Points
I actually had Gates (and others on this list) on a higher grade until I discovered that grade didn’t exist (apparently “E”s are not a thing) but I have always had a soft spot for Gates and the Gulls woes this season could not be placed solely on him.
Yes he did follow up an encouraging sudden re-emergence last season with a somewhat less than optimal campaign but he also didn’t have the same supporting cast he had last year and spent much of the season battling injuries.
It is hard to tell if it was the injuries or quickly dropping confidence levels but he wasn’t the same player as last year. He wasn’t going to the danger areas or getting his nose dirty in the crease as often and as a consequence the goals were not coming like they did last season.
Instead he struggled to stay in the line-up – popped in the odd assist every other outing between six game scoreless droughts and finished the year with less than half the points of last season. On a positive note he would take the teams unofficial Lady Byng trophy, picking up just the single two minute minor on the season. He has since signed with the HK Nitra club in Slovakia.
Glenn Gawdin C
57 Games – 17 Goals, 16 Assists – 33 Points
Last Year 62 Games – 15 Goals, 35 Assists – 50 Points
Brought in as one of the now recurrent group of veteran forwards signed in the off-season after the previous crop sign elsewhere. Like the rest of the team – Gawdins numbers suffered as compared to last year but he was at least semi consistent in his scoring and did have the odd big game (such as a Hat Trick against the visiting Griffins in November).
He had a brief three game stint with the Ducks in November just before the aforementioned Hat Trick but was not recalled again as he too saw stretches on the sidelines due to injury – missing most of December with a lower body complaint.
He is entering year two of a two year two-way deal signed last off-season and I for one am happy to have him back – if only because I love making Flash Gordon goal calls.
Rocco Grimaldi A
54 Games – 27 Goals, 29 Assists – 56 Points
Last Year 44 Games – 26 Goals, 26 Assists -52 Points
I debated whether or not to include Grimaldi but he did spend almost the entire season with the Gulls so it seemed rude not to.
He was a point per game player capable of taking a game over but at the same time found himself most often frustrated at his team-mates not being on quite the same page as him.
Signed as a last minute reclamation project looking to translate a good showing in the AHL to a new opportunity in the NHL after the Predators elected to not bring him back I knew right away that his time in San Diego would probably be brief. Strangely he never received a call-up to the Ducks despite leading the team in scoring – even finishing as the teams leading scorer despite being dealt at the end of February. He was traded to Rockford in a baffling move that based on reports and quotes seemed a “goodwill move” to get him more game time in the post season to further pad out his resume so he might earn another NHL shot. The Icehogs were swept in the Semi Finals by Texas after getting past Iowa in the opening best of three round and Grimaldi finished with 4 points in 5 games for the postseason. Whether he is able to translate that to an NHL contract next season remains to be seen but I would not be averse to bringing the SoCal native back to provide some experience on what should be a much much better Gulls squad.
BO Groulx B+
63 Games – 18 Goals, 21 Assists – 39 Points
Last Year 40 Games – 11 Goals, 11 Assists -22 Points
Despite having a better point per game campaign than last season I feel another B+ is in order. Groulx was his usual dependable pair of safe hands in his third year with the Gulls but also did not quite elevate his game to the next level. He did finish the year tied for third on the team in scoring with Nik Brouillard.
Although he didn’t take quite dominate any match-ups his absence was most definitely missed when he went down with an upper body injury as the Gulls were starting to turn things around with a very small glimmer of hope of potentially sneaking into the final Pacific playoff spot.
With the Gulls mathematically eliminated he earned an end of season call-up to Anaheim presumably so they could see how he might fit into their plans next season although I am not sure a two-game showing would have been enough.
Groulx is now an RFA having completed his three year entry level deal and I would expect him to be brought back on a team friendly one or two year deal but with Anaheim now starting to load up on Centers it will be interesting to see how he fits. For now the Ducks fourth line spot is his – presuming Derek Grant is not brought back next season, but after the upcoming draft where Anaheim likely selects Adam Fantilli – it will come down to he and Isac Lundestrom for the checking line center role with Nathan Gaucher also looking likely for the task in future.
Drew Helleson B
65 Games – 5 Goals, 13 Assists – 18 Points
Last Year 17 Games – 0 Goals, 2 Assists – 2 Points
It likely wasn’t the year the former Colorado Avalanche second round pick expected in his first full season in San Diego but he did manage to top it off with a milestone to add to his young professional career – scoring his first NHL goal in just his second NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks on the 11th of April.
Perhaps indicative of the heavy minutes he played, he had the third worst +/- among the regular blue-line corps, only Del Zotto and Brouillard were worse. He did well to shoulder the load as a rookie and was mostly consistent in his efforts to keep opposition forces at bay except for the odd bad game and one in particular against Iowa where he was directly responsible for four of the five goals against.
He is about to enter year two of a three year entry level deal signed after he was acquired in a deal that sent Josh Manson to Colorado and there is noise among Duck fandom that he should be a shoe-in for a spot on their blue-line next season. I would pump the breaks on that. Much like the same was said for BO Groulx after his first full year with the Gulls, who then made the Ducks out of camp the following season and then struggled for the first two months before being mercifully returned to San Diego. Not saying it’s the same but I feel like expectations should be tempered regarding players that have only seen one full year in the A. Can I see him spending time with the Ducks next year? Absolutely. Will he spend the entire year up there? I don’t think so.
Olli Juolevi – C
38 Games – 1 Goal, 13 Assists – 14 Points
Last Year 3 Games – 0 Goals, 1 Assist – 1 Point
I went back and forth on this grade. His numbers compared to previous years indicate a definite decline but he was also injured for a lot of the season, so not entirely his fault.
Juolevi was expected to be a big part of the Gulls backend this season and like much of the write-ups I have written above, he started the season well – compiling four points in the first two games. But has injuries took down much of the rest of the team, his numbers fell with them until he too succumbed to injury and missed most of December, February and all of January.
I have no qualms with his play while he was in the line-up, he was everything you could want in a veteran defender. Winning puck battles in his own end, deploying savy gap control to break up plays through the neutral zone and providing quick transition in the opposite direction whenever he forced a turnover. If anything – given his first round selection pedigree there may have been more expectation on his offensive numbers but on a bad Gulls team that lost a lot of man-games to injury, he actually did a pretty good job of keeping it simple and tidying up in his own end.
I did not include him on my list of defenders that Id like the Ducks/Gulls to bring back next season – realising with the amount of incoming prospects that spots will be scarce but I would definitely consider him a “nice to have” if he can stay healthy.
Bryce Kindopp – F
65 Games – 6 Goals, 3 Assists – 9 Points
Last Year 67 Games – 12 Goals, 17 Assists – 29 Points
This was the final year in Kindopps three year entry level deal and he needed to have a big year to aid in contract negotiations but did the complete opposite of that, showing further regression from the initial 20 points in 39 games marker he set in his first season in 2020-201.
Like last season he was shifted around the line-up and struggled to find a home or lasting chemistry on any one particular line. As always he was a regular fixture on the Penalty Kill but did not contribute much on offense, finishing tied for 18th on the team in shots on net with Jacob Perreault who played 17 less games.
As mentioned above, his best season was his first season, under Kevin Dineen and mostly on a line with BO Groulx and Alex Limoges. Since then he has been sent on a seemingly endless journey to find chemistry with other line-mates or set up to fail in an only vaguely familiar position when he was tried at Center to start last season.
I just noted on twitter that writing this article has been like writing a bunch of Obituaries and this is one of the harder ones as Kindopp is a prime example of mismanagement of potential. He is now an RFA with arbitration rights but at this point I can’t really see him being brought back next season.
Justin Kirkland – C
32 Games – 9 Goals, 9 Assists – 18 Points
Last Year 66 Games – 25 Goals, 23 Assists – 48 Points
Kirkland was brought in to provide veteran stability and leadership after the departures of Vinni Lettieri and Buddy Robinson. Instead – much like Lettieri in his time with the club; he spent most of the time with the Ducks.
In the 32 games he did manage to find himself in San Diego he used his size and NHL tools to find the scoresheet to the tune of the Gulls second best shooting percentage of 15% behind only Rocco Grimaldi at 16.8.
In a cruel twist of fate; as he was on his way to a Ducks game against Boston he was involved in a car accident that saw him miss all of January and February then required to wear a Cage for the rest of the season as his face continued to heal.
With his one year deal now concluded, Kirkland is once again a UFA looking to secure a new deal that either gives the same or higher salary at the minor level or a better shot at an NHL spot. Given the pay-rise he got on his minors salary joining the Gulls, I can’t see why he wouldn’t want to come back and there will always be need for a versatile veteran forward such as him.
Josh Lopina – F
59 Games – 2 Goals, 2 Assists – 4 Points
Last Year 13 Games – 1 Goal, 3 Assists – 4 Points
Lopina was an important piece upon joining the team as a Black Ace at the tail end of last season, slotting right into the line-up and working his way up to the top line when BO Groulx went down with a season ending injury.
Which is why this season was so disappointing in comparison. Lopina found himself on the fourth line for the majority of the year and was only moved up whenever Coach Sommer was looking to try create a spark.
He looked like an entirely different player from the one we saw at the end of last season, not as hungry and more tentative, less willing to go to the dirty areas.
Perhaps the only positive of his season came near the end when he finally showed some consistent play on a line with the youngster Hvidston and the veteran hard-working Josiah Slavin. It was this strong play that elevated him to the top line in the final game of the season in the place of late-scratched Chase De Leo.
He has two years left on his three year entry level deal and from what I have seen of his play it is evident he is not a play-driver, requiring talented and hard working wingers to help retrieve pucks or create space with their speed. So although this was a dismal season for Lopina, I can see him bouncing back next season if he gets minutes with more talented line-mates.
Blake McLaughlin – NA
24 Games – 0 Goals, 0 Assists – 0 Points
Last Year 7 Games – 1 Goal, 0 Assists – 1 Point
After wetting his feet and scoring his first professional goal as a Black Ace last season McLaughlin failed to launch this year, coming in and out of the line-up every other game before finally being assigned to Tulsa in January.
At the time he joined Logan Nijhoff and Max Golod (the later of which would end up finishing second in scoring on the team even after being moved at the deadline in the Dylan Sikura deal) finishing the year with 34 points in 43 games, good for fourth on the Oilers.
Given how much promise he had at the time of his draft and despite his ho-hum NCAA numbers I still believe their is hope for McLaughlin; at the time of his selection he was seen as somewhat of a high ceiling pick that carried some risk – it is up to the Ducks now to see if they can make good on that bet. They have not done well with their development of even early round prospects of late but with Matt “Ted Lasso” McIllvane taking over next season – hopefully this changes and if any player could be the poster child for having the biggest turn around of them all, it would be McLaughlin.
Dmitry Osipov – F
57 Games – 2 Goals, 1 Assist – 3 Points
Last Year 45 Games – 3 Goals, 2 Assists – 5 Points
Osipov was not signed to be a scorer but he also wasn’t really much of anything else either.
The man I dubbed the Russian Hunter Drew given his conversion from defender to forward and insatiable thirst for penalty minutes essentially did what he was brought in to do this year. Provide an extra body on the fourth line and drop the gloves when asked to.
There was a point where he lost the tough guy role to the instant crowd favourite Travis Howe until the rugged Grandson of the hockey legend went down with injury and was then later assigned back to the ECHL, leaving Osipov as the last man standing to handle enforcer duties for the remainder of the season.
It doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense to bring him back next season – particularly given that Howe did a much better job of deterring would be combatants when he was healthy and in the line-up.
Danny O’Regan – C
27 Games – 3 Goals, 15 Assists – 18 Points
Last Year 53 Games – 13 Goals, 21 Assists – 34 Points
After the Gulls had passed way beyond distress call levels of circling the drain thanks in large part to a decimated defensive core Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek (or was it Rob Dimaio?) finally pulled the trigger on a three way deal that sent O’Regan to Grand Rapids in exchange for defensive help in the form of Michael Del Zotto from Charlotte.
It was a tough call given the Gulls were also slightly banged up at forward and he ended up being their third best points-per-game player on the season but you have to give to get and the former Silver Knight was in the final year of his two year deal so it made the most sense.
Last season he was asked to do too much in the absence of recalled veteran forwards padding out an oft-injured Ducks roster and this season he lacked a supporting cast in a nightly losing effort due to a battered Gulls roster and lack of depth, it wasn’t a great one-and-a-bit years stay in San Diego for O’Regan.
Jacob Perreault – D
48 Games – 8 Goals, 11 Assists – 19 Points
Last Year 55 Games – 14 Goals, 23 Assists – 37 Points
In his second full season and third since turning professional the Ducks former late first round selection in 2020 took yet another step back.
Again injuries derailed any attempt at consistency for the youngster but in comparison to the year before – there was no promising hot-streak cut short this time, he just simply failed to get going. He never put more than a two game point streak together all year and it’s hard to see where the blame lies given how bad the team was overall.
His two-way game and defensive side of the puck did continue to improve this year and he eased back on the between the whistle antics to a degree but what he needs to focus on now is getting back to basics and realising that his biggest strength is his shot, not his play-making. There are only so many ways I can express in words/coded cipher/smoke signals/interpretive dance that he needs to shoot the puck more.
Thanks to a two year entry-level slide he still has two years left on his entry level deal and it feels like next season is a potential turning point. Having already tasted the NHL last season but showing some doubt with a poor showing this year – he needs to take every opportunity presented now and hopefully with the incoming wave of talent he will have the healthy competition as well as support to achieve that.
Chase Priskie – A
16 Games – 7 Goals, 6 Assists – 13 Points
Last Year 54 Games – 8 Goals, 23 Assists – 31 Points
By my own games-played criteria Priskie should not have garnered his own stand-alone Grade and summary but as I wrote about several times after his acquisition; he was an important part of the team and needs to come back next year.
He not only added another dynamic to the previously predictable and flat Gulls Power Play by giving a left-side one-time option. He also provided a consistent puck rushing option to the back-end that had been half-functioning at best and largely dependent on who was healthy and in the line-up. He also stealthily improved the Gulls abilities at zone entry.
Acquired at the NHL trade deadline in exchange for Austin Strand – Priskie had 9 points in 42 games with Rochester before exploding for 13 points in his final 16 games of the season with the Gulls, including a six game point streak and three multi-point nights. Oh yeah, and he also had a whopping 42 shots on net in those 16 games to bring his total to 112 on the season – good for eighth on the team.
Perhaps most important of all – Priskie was clutch, finishing tied for the team lead in game winning goals with three (along with BO Groulx) and tied with Grimaldi for the most overtime winners with two. He did all of this in just sixteen games.
He is a UFA and his contract compares directly to what the Ducks signed Juolevi to last off-season, I for one know who I would rather have back next year…
Luka Profaca – F
47 Games – 1 Goal, 4 Assists – 5 Points
How to grade an undrafted rookie playing his first season in the AHL on a terribly coached and comically far-too-injured team?
Profaca wasn’t really even expected to be a regular fixture in the Gulls line-up this season, I am sure when he tried out as a PTO at training camp before the season started he was ticketed for Tulsa and to be brought in as injury depth if and when required.
But right from the outset he was thrown on the front lines as first Olli Juolevi went down and then later Josh Healey. Healey never returned from whatever caused him to miss most of the season but even once Juolevi returned, Profaca still managed to see the odd game, including their last home game of the season after Drew Helleson was called up to the Ducks.
Profaca was much like Osipov – a warm body in the line-up but he didn’t really move the needle or contribute in any way other than to play basic defensive structure. His gap control and work in the defensive end were average but enough to get by – what needed more work was his break-outs and transition. From what I had already read about him coming into this season, transition was never his strong suit so it made sense that this weakness was magnified ten-fold in the AHL.
All in all this season likely provided the young Profaca with some valuable experience – whether or not we see him in the Ducks organization again is another story but I doubt we see him on the Gulls next year.
Pavol Regenda – B+
50 Games – 13 Goals, 12 Assists – 25 Points
After the Ducks failed to sign Alex Limoges after his 40 points in 62 games campaign last season, they instead brought in the 6’3″, 219lb Slovakian winger for the same minors salary that Limoges ended up signing in Winnipeg for.
Regenda impressed at camp and made the Ducks line-up, seeing time on the bottom two lines with limited ice-time but making very good use of his chances, compiling three points in his first six games. But as the Ducks losses started to pile-up and his production (at least on the scoresheet) dried up, he was assigned to San Diego for more seasoning.
Seeing his first action with the Gulls in November he (like other new assignees or acquisitions) contributed right away, hitting the ground running with his first two AHL goals and a four game point streak that saw him called back up to the Ducks sporadically throughout the the later part of the year before eventually staying for good for the rest of the season.
Finishing the season with 25 points, Regenda was a go-to contributor in the top six and much like he showed during his time in Anaheim; was a play driving force, using his big frame to punish the opposition in their own end and cause turnovers before going to the front of the net and creating havoc. Thriving on emotion – perhaps his best game with the Gulls was the one pictured above where he followed up a heated confrontation with the Firebirds pesky Captain Max McCormick with a game-tying goal en-route to an eventual Gulls overtime win. Perhaps not surprisingly he finished near the top of the team lead in shots (112 – tied for seventh with Chase Priskie) and sixth in Penalty Minutes per game (more per game than Osipov but less PIMs overall).
He was not immune to the Gulls horrifically cursed run of injuries as he went down with a scary looking concussion on the 7th of April – falling face first after being double-teamed at center ice. Hopefully this does not trouble him in the long-term.
Regenda has one year left on his two year deal and I have automatically penciled him in to make the Ducks this season, his game is clearly too polished for the AHL and with the Ducks recently announcing Eagles coach Greg Cronin as their eleventh in history, I am betting he recognises the worth that the big Slovak brings in terms of game driving metrics.
Dylan Sikura – A-
17 Games – 4 Goals, 8 Assists – 12 Points
Last Year 60 Games – 33 Goals, 40 Assists – 73 Points
Sikura was another late acquisition, acquired at the trade deadline in a move that inadvertently involved Rocco Grimaldi but was not officially stated as such because Grimaldi was on an AHL only deal.
Sikura was drafted by Chicago in 2014 and spent his first four professional years with the organisation (as well as a short stop in Henderson) before signing a one year deal with Colorado and exploding for 73 points last season. He used that leverage to garner a new deal in Chicago but struggled to put up remotely similar numbers before being dealt to the Gulls.
It took him a few games to get settled and it had to be hard to step in and fill the shoes of the departed Grimaldi on a team already struggling to generate offense. The points did start coming – a couple of assists here, a pair of goals there as he and Chase De Leo slowly began to build chemistry and feed off of each-other.
Much like Del Zotto – Sikura brought a much needed dynamic to the team that had been sorely lacking. Shot volume. Through his 17 games after joining the team he compiled 50 shots on net to finish with a team leading 184 on the year putting him in the top 25 in the league. He was fourth on the team in Points Per Game and second in Points behind Grimaldi, finishing with 44 on the year combined with his Rockford haul.
Having finished a one year deal which he had likely hoped would produce better numbers by the end of it Sikura should be looking for something that offers the same or better minors salary with a legitimate shot at some NHL minutes. His deal compares to that of Keifer Sherwoods last season and also in the same vein as Nathan Walker and Buddy Robinson; I can’t see why the Ducks/Gulls wouldn’t want to match that to keep him around particularly given they appeared to ask for him specifically in the Grimaldi deal. After-all, 70 point scorers don’t just fall out of the sky.
Josiah Slavin – B
16 Games – 4 Goals, 3 Assists – 7 Points
Last Year 49 Games – 18 Goals, 14 Assists – 32 Points
I am sure I will never understand why the Gulls insist on having a set list of numbers to be assigned and recycled with little rhyme or reason.
So it did take a short while for Slavin to grow on me given the affront that he jumped right into Hunter Drew’s sweater after being traded for him.
But grow on me he did, to the point that – yes I know it sounds like a broken record – I would like him to be brought back next season also.
Slavin may not excel at any particular one thing but he does do a great job of a bunch of the little things, there were instances where he would gain the zone and expertly handle the puck through traffic before finding an open team-mate. Or spot the right time to drive the net on a rush and create just enough havoc in front to generate a high danger score chance. Through it all – his main strength is his work ethic and relentless fore-check, the AHL doesn’t keep publicly available stats on it but I can quite confidently say that Slavin led the team in offensive zone turnovers. Something that hugely endeared him to me.
Much like Drew – Slavin was at the end of his entry level deal and is now an RFA with arbitration rights, his minors salary was 15k higher than Drew and his deal seems pretty straight forward to qualify to me as I feel he would be a good mentor to the likes of Nathan Gaucher.
Brayden Tracey – C-
62 Games – 10 Goals, 18 Assists – 28 Points
Last Year 55 Games – 11 Goals, 20 Assists – 31 Points
A lot will be thinking this grade is too high given the expectations placed on Tracey this season (and by association – Perreault) and although his numbers were worse than last year with more games played – I don’t believe it was entirely all his fault.
He started the season well – collecting three points in his first two games and then stringing together a three game point streak a game later. But as the season wore on and San Diego faced loss after loss after loss, Tracey struggled along with the team to stay consistent.
He would explode for a multi-point night and then go quiet for three games before popping in again with another two points here or there. Remarkably as the rest of the team fell too injury either all at once or like inter-changeable substitutions – Tracey almost made it the entire season before going down at the end of March, rejoining the team for their final games in April at Colorado.
Like Perreault – who he has remained tied to since turning Pro – his game matured a lot this season as he took on a lot more defensive responsibilities and even took it upon himself to play the role of the pest on occasion and tried to get under the oppositions skin with mixed results. Like a reflection of the Gulls season – the sparks of brilliance and ability to take over a game that we have seen from him most of last year were few and very far between and I put a lot of that down to constant unfamiliar line-mates, why Sommer used him with Perreault only sparingly I will never understand.
He also seemed gun-shy and less willing to go to the dirty areas like he used to – perhaps realising early on that opposing teams now knew his favourite spot by the right side of the net and this adjustment very likely hurt his numbers as well.
Again – like Perreault, he has had a couple of “slide years” on his three year entry level deal so that this upcoming season is his last on the deal and as much as it has been said a lot already; this will have to be a big one for him if he hopes to take the next step and get another taste of the NHL. His development has lagged and patience will be running thin as well as the potential danger of slipping into the AHL-journeyman realm.
Here is hoping McIlvane sees the obvious benefits in keeping the pair of Tracey and Perreault together next season.
Evan Weinger – D-
39 Games – 3 Goals, 5 Assists – 8 Points
Last Year 60 Games – 12 Goals, 12 Assists – 24 Points
Weinger was brought in as a last minute Hail Mary depth signing using Sommers’ San Jose connections and I for one was surprised when he was sent to Tulsa to begin with.
His speed is a class above his peers at the AHL level and would have been wasted in the ECHL where he collected 11 points in 9 games.
Once he joined the Gulls midway through November his contributions didn’t show on the scoresheet but his speed definitely helped both on the forecheck at five on five and on the penalty kill, the only knock on his game – which was something the Gulls knew of from his time with the Barracuda – is he is far too easily pushed around and off the puck.
He has since signed in Austria so we will not be seeing a repeat last minute signing but it is somewhat ironic he is going to the same country that the new Gulls head coach is arriving from.
Honourable Mentions
Judd Caulfield
5 Games – 0 Goals, 0 Assists – 0 Points
Acquired from Pittsburgh in a deal that involved the rights for 2020 fourth round selection Thimo Nickl, Caulfield was signed to a two year deal and joined the Gulls as an ATO for their remaining five games. He is regarded as a big heavy power forward that excels at the defensive side of the game without the puck and that is indeed what I noticed the most about his brief end of season sojourn. He feels like one more piece in the make-up that is Pat Verbeek reshaping both the Ducks and Gulls in his image and creating clubs that deploy a more blue-collar style that is more difficult to play against. He begins his two year deal next season and figures to slot in on the fourth line likely alongside Josh Lopina and potentially Blake McLaughlin.
Cale Clang
5 Games – 1 Win, 3 Losses, 0 OT Losses, 0 Shutouts – 2.65 GAA, 0.904 SV%
Coming in as a Black Ace after his season in the SHL completed, Clang signed a three year entry level deal and joined the Gulls. Originally selected by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2020 draft and acquired in the Rickard Rakell deal, Clang finished his final year with Rogle with a 10-5-0 record and 2.28 GAA and 0.915 SV%. His arrival and three year deal indicates the permanent graduation of Lukas Dostal to the Ducks next season and likely departure of Anthony Stolarz (although rumours are once again persistent that John Gibson wishes to be moved). Despite the young Gage Alexander briefly enjoying stealing the net from the incumbent Eriksson-Ek, Clang wasted no time in showing he is the far more polished product. I noted several times that his style is so well refined and compact with little to no excess energy spared; similar to Dostals but that it took Dostal at least a year to get to that point. I have every confidence that with a competent defence in front of him the young Swede is going to turn some heads next year and have a record setting rookie season.
Josh Healey
12 Games – 0 Goals, 0 Assists – 0 Points
Like an ice-cream on a hot summers day, Josh Healey was fun while he lasted. He showed what he was about early on in the piece, getting a five minute major for boarding in the Gulls first game of the season in Grand Rapids and later a 15 minute misconduct for a check-to-the-head in Abbotsford – his signing and style of play felt like a strong indication of the direction Verbeek wants his clubs to go. Alas – that rough and ready style also opens one up to injury and Healey was not seen again after a home tilt with the aforementioned Grand Rapids who perhaps sought and dealt out their revenge. I admit I don’t believe I saw those games or at least I don’t remember seeing how he was hurt. The 28 year old was on an AHL only (or perhaps PTO) deal and it remains to be seen whether he is kept around next season.
Travis Howe
24 Games – 0 Goals, 0 Assists – 0 Points
Say what you will about the grandson of the great Gordie Howe but there is no denying he is a great showman. Signed to a PTO during one of the many periods during the season that the Gulls were completely decimated by injury, Howe became an instant favourite with the Pechanga faithful. He picked up two separate misconducts on the year but did a much better job – I feel – of deterring would be combatants and pests from targeting the Gulls smaller skill players. He was returned to Jacksonville of the ECHL at then end of February but I for one would love to see him back next year if there is an opening for the token tough guy.
Connor Hvidston
7 Games – 1 Goal, 0 Assists – 1 Point
As the lone CHL prospect to join the Gull as a black ace after his Swift Current Broncos failed to make the postseason, Hvidston was a much needed breath of fresh air and as noted above – instantly helped to turn around the fortunes of the likes of Josh Lopina. He was eased into action at first but quickly gained rapport with his line-mates Lopina and Slavin on a line that became an easy go-to choice to shift momentum or keep things going in the offensive zone. The 2022 fifth round selection had a great post-draft season, finishing with 65 points in 59 games and third on the Broncos. It was this output that perhaps made 2021 fifth round pick Sean Tschigerl expendable as the Ducks opted not to sign him before the two year deadline nor did they bring him in as Black Ace to the Gulls when his Calgary Hitmen were bounced from the WHL postseason. But enough about that. Hvidston looked great in his first tease of the AHL as an 18 year old and even had me lamenting that he would likely be able to handle the minutes were he somehow able to play for the Gulls before legally allowed to by the CHL-NHL transfer agreement. His lanky frame smoothly flowed around the ice and allowed him to be in all the right places at all the right times – most memorably scoring his first professional goal when he chased down a dump in and pounced on a turn-over to fire it by the surprised Oscar Dansk of the Calgary Wranglers. Sadly we won’t see him again until the end of next season as a Black Ace once again – depending on how his Swift Current Broncos do next season.
2023-2024 Game 72: San Diego Gulls at Coachella Valley Firebirds
In the final game of the season after surrendering a three goal lead to go down 5-4 in ove…