PREVIEW: Gulls Host Rival Reign In Lone Preseason Contest | San Diego Gulls

Oct 7, 2022

By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com

The lengthy wait is over – San Diego Gulls hockey returns tonight. 

The Gulls are set to take the ice in opposition to the rival Ontario Reign tonight at Pechanga Enviornment San Diego (7 p.m. PT, Web Stream: Gulls YouTube Channel, Radio: Gulls Audio Community) within the membership’s one and solely exhibition sport of the 2022 preseason.

ENJOY FREE PARKING AND MORE AT TONIGHT’S PRESEASON GAME

Gulls head coach Roy Sommer, who can be behind the bench at Pechanga Enviornment for the primary time as San Diego’s coach, can be anticipating what he’ll see from his workforce in a sport scenario after a profitable week of coaching camp.

“I’m trying ahead to it,” Sommer stated. “The blokes have had a extremely good week of observe and so they put within the time. They had been actual attentive and you recognize, they competed arduous, so I’m form of trying ahead to seeing what they do in an actual sport after they’re not enjoying in opposition to one another.”

The stakes are highest for the Gulls who didn’t get vital time through the early portion of the Anaheim Geese preseason schedule. 

Josh Healey, who’s at the moment at Gulls coaching camp as a free agent, is one such participant. After posting 1-7=8 factors and a team-leading +20 score with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2021-22, the defenseman is actually prepared for the possibility to show himself on Pechanga Enviornment’s freshly laid ice. 

“I imply that is like primary place to play,” Healey stated when requested about hockey in San Diego. “I really feel like even all through the NHL. The town is superior, the followers are superior. We’ve received a superb group of men within the locker room. I’m actually excited to be right here so I’m simply able to get issues going.”

Healey is only one of a number of camp invitations on San Diego’s preseason roster, which consists of 29 gamers (18 forwards, 8 defensemen and three goaltenders) all vying for a spot with the American Hockey League membership.  

“Guys that didn’t get quite a lot of sport occasions throughout the primary camp up in Anaheim, these are the fellows which can be going to get a sport,” Sommer stated. “You realize, a few of them didn’t get a sport in any respect so that is their probability to see what they’ve.”

This preseason sport will function the ultimate audition for a roster spot earlier than the workforce opens its common season. San Diego will start the 2022-23 marketing campaign on the highway with back-to-back video games in opposition to the Grand Rapids Griffins beginning Friday, Oct. 14.