Brouillard Rejoins Gulls Following Spengler Cup Success

Jan 2, 2026

By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com

While most of the San Diego Gulls were spending the holiday break with family and friends at home, defenseman Nikolas Brouillard had a different plan for Christmas as he joined Team Canada for the 2025 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.

The 30-year-old Quebec native was given the opportunity to represent his home country for the first time in his professional career and he ran with it. After posting a goal and an assist in two games, Brouillard led all Team Canada blueliners in points and was named not just to Team Canada’s Three Stars of the Tournament, but also to the Spengler Cup All-Star Team.

"I wore that jersey proudly, and for me to be able to succeed, and to play my best hockey there in a short amount of time, and also on a different ice, [at] elevation, [they’re] all things that I'm proud of," Brouillard said. "For me, it was going there, have a great experience, but I also wanted to perform, and to prove myself. And that's exactly what I did."

Now back with the team, Brouillard joins back with the Gulls on a three-game winning streak. The defenseman likely won’t suit up tonight after a 24-hour travel day on New Year’s Day but will be able to watch the squad take on Coachella Valley at a reasonable hour compared to the Alps.

"While I was away, I was looking at the score, at every game, even sometimes waking up in the middle of the night at four because of the time difference and then the Gulls were playing here at seven," Brouillard said. "I'm really proud of the team, especially how they handle themselves in Tucson after that 3-0 deficit going into the third. It just shows how much character this team has and how much belief in ourselves we have, because we've been trailing a lot of games going into the third by three goals. It's a lot, but we're never out of we're never out of things."

Brouillard should draw back into the lineup soon, and when he does, he’ll look to use his Spengler Cup success as a springboard for his second half.

"I had big confidence in myself going into there," Brouillard said. "I think I was playing great hockey here also. So that helped before coming into the break, and I made the good play, I made the right decision. And I just feel like all those things are going to help me throughout the second half."