Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The San Diego Gulls continue to work to fix this.
The ongoing rebuilding effort of the parent Anaheim Ducks has also brought major changes this summer for the Gulls, who will begin their 10th AHL season on Oct. 12 in Toronto. That overhaul began on May 13 when the Ducks added a longtime executive and scout Rick Paterson in the San Diego general manager position.
After going 26-35-10-1 last season, finishing 28th in the AHL, little was off the table in terms of potential changes. The Gulls also need stability, and that starts behind the bench there Matt McIlvane he will be the first person since 2020 to begin a second season as San Diego's head coach.
With seven of the team's first eight games on the road — including trips to Toronto, Abbotsford and Calgary — a stronger start than last season is crucial. The Gulls lost 13 games in a row from October 20 to November 24 and were left fighting for their season less than six weeks after it started.
To that end, Paterson and the Ducks took a different approach to building San Diego's roster. They brought in three veterans on AHL contracts, which means they can be counted on the Gulls' roster and not subject to Anaheim's recall. For a team that had 96 player trades last season, any additional roster stability is very welcome. They went out and took a strong, experienced defender, bringing in the Belleville captain Dillon Heatherington. For more blueline help, they added Milwaukee Roland McKeown. And to get points, enter Ryan Carpentera veteran of 392 NHL games. Heatherington and McKeown are former Calder Cup champions; Carpenter was an AHL All-Star.
All three players are in training camp with the Ducks.
“There's a lot of young talent here,” Carpenter told sandiegogulls.com, “whether it's Anaheim or guys trying to find a way up. That was me but many years ago. I think as an adult, you are expected to lead the way and set an example and be there for the boys on their journey. “
Heatherington and McKeown have their names on the Calder Cup. Carpenter made a run to the Stanley Cup Final with Vegas in 2018. They know what it takes.
“I'm looking forward to trying to turn that around and be part of the solution,” McKeown told the club's website. “We want to be winners, and it starts with the camp here. It is important to win. People want winners in this league.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league's top scorer in 2016.
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