Gulls open 2025-26 season with sights set on returning to playoffs

by Ryan Finley

The San Diego Gulls have made slow, steady progress in each of the last two seasons.

Returning to the Calder Cup playoffs will require more than tortoise stuff.

The Gulls open the 2025-26 American Hockey League season on Friday night looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The showdown with the Coachella Valley Firebirds starts at 7 p.m. from Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.

The top affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, the Gulls have struggled alongside their parent club for years. Things bottomed out during the 2022-23 season, when the Gulls went 20-49-2-1, finishing last in the AHL’s 10-team Pacific Division. The team improved in 2023-24, going 26-35-10-1 — good for ninth. Last season brought a three-win improvement, but the Gulls’ 29-35-5-3 record still merited ninth place.

While AHL rosters can be fluid, third-year Gulls coach Matt McIlvane figures to benefit from the Ducks’ youth movement. San Diego’s season-opening roster will likely include Stian Solberg, ranked No. 2 among Ducks prospects by NHL.com, and Tristan Luneau, who is fifth. Both are defensemen.

San Diego will play its home opener Oct. 18 against the Henderson Silver Knights at Pechanga Arena. The Gulls will host the Colorado Eagles four days later before hitting the road again.

Fans should expect a packed house both nights. For all of San Diego’s struggles on the ice, the Gulls remain a big draw. The team averaged 7,262 fans per game last season, per HockeyDB.com. The attendance figures ranked eighth in the 32-team AHL.