New-Look Gulls Gearing Up For Another Season
Oct 5, 2023By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com
There’s a new energy around the San Diego Gulls. With a new head coach in Matt McIlvane and an influx of young players, the group’s excitement can hardly be contained.
"There’s so much energy on the ice," McIlvane said. "We asked the guys to execute a few things from a performance perspective. Their energy, effort and enthusiasm were awesome. There’s certainly a lot of learning going on. Systems, new guys, new group, but we’re really impressed by their effort.
"We want to bring energy to our day. It starts with coaches and goes right into our leaders. Any of our young guys who are learning to become leaders, they should bring that too. Talk does a lot of things. It gets you mentally engaged into the day. It also brings some spirit to the team practice. We were happy with that."
The Gulls roster currently includes 20 players under the age of 24 and four players drafted by the Anaheim Ducks over the past three NHL Drafts. One of the new faces in the Gulls locker room is forward Sasha Pastujov. Pastujov was drafted by Anaheim in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft and set career-highs in points (41-57=98), goals and assists in the Ontario Hockey League last season.
Now gearing up for his pro debut, Pastujov is leaning on the veteran group to help get him up to speed.
"They’ve just been great," Pastujov said "[They’re] leading by example. Being early to every meeting, being on the ice early and off the ice late. Just following their lead and their examples. They always have the right thing to say. It’s been great."
Pastujov, who played for McIlvane at the 2023 Rookie Faceoff Tournament in Las Vegas, has high praise for his new coach. He said McIlvane created a competitive environment, even in training camp.
"Everyone’s pushing each other to be better," Pastujov said. "Already through four days, I feel like I’m a better version [of myself] than I was on Monday."
Defenseman Drew Helleson and forward Jacob Perreault are part of a handfulof the returning faces from the Gulls’ 2022-23 squad. With McIlvane now at the helm, the two are getting a first look at their new coach’s style. So far, it’s been a hit with them.
"I like him a lot," Perreault said. "Same thing with [Anaheim’s head coach Greg Cronin]. I think it’s a big change for us this year compared to last year. Finishing last in the league, it wasn’t what we wanted. There’s a lot of different expectations coming into camp this year. A lot different pace, a lot faster and I like it. I like to play like that."
"Coach [McIlvane] brings a lot of energy," Helleson added. "It’s been fun the last couple of days getting to know some of the guys that I haven’t met before."
The Gulls will look to put these early lessons to the test on Sunday, when they travel to Ontario to face the rival Reign in the lone preseason matchup. The two teams will kick off the 2023-24 season on Friday, Oct. 13 in Ontario.