Player Development Success Continues Through 2020-2021 Season
Jun 21, 2021By Andy Zilch/SanDiegoGulls.com
Several common words have been used to describe the previous season but for the Anaheim Ducks organization, one word remains consistent regarding the affiliation of the San Diego Gulls. That word is simple but grossly important - growth.
For the sixth season, the Gulls continued to generate a successful breeding ground for development, giving players the ability to reach the National Hockey League and play for the Anaheim Ducks. In that time span, 65 total players appeared in game action between the two teams after five new players dressed with both teams in a shortened 2020-21 season.
The first addition to this season’s list was forward Vinni Lettieri who made his Ducks debut before the AHL season began on February 5. The following two were the pair of first round picks in Trevor Zegras and Jaime Drysdale. After an acquisition last season by the Ducks, forward Sonny Milano was sent to the Gulls in mid-February on a conditioning loan. The 65th player to dress in both uniforms, however, is the purest example of what the organization desires.
Defenseman Simon Benoit skated in his first NHL game in Los Angeles on April 28, 2021, achieving a lifelong goal. The Laval, Quebec native took nearly three professional seasons to skate in the NHL after entering the organization as an undrafted free agent. Still unsigned at the time, Benoit first wore the webbed foot logo during the 2018 Vegas Rookie Faceoff. This earned him an AHL contract followed by an entry-level NHL deal. Year over year, he would continue his progression which is the exact blueprint the Gulls and Ducks strive for.
“To see a guy like Simon Benoit go up this year and get a game and see how that goes, then ends up playing five or six games in a row. I think it’s great for his development and growth,” said Gulls head coach Kevin Dineen. “I think that was his impression when he came back was, ‘boy was it fast.’ It was interesting that he felt like against some teams he was fine, that it felt a little closer to what he’s been playing for a couple years.”
As the players execute, the decisions begin at the top with Ducks Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray, who has been at helm for 12 seasons. The grooming and hands-on guidance can be credited to the Gulls coaching staff led by Dineen for the past two seasons. Prior to Dineen, Dallas Eakins was tasked with instructing these young players. As head coach of the Ducks, Eakins will see the development through to its maturation playing at the highest level of ice hockey in the world.
Dineen saw a high volume of rookies, 14 to be exact, take to the ice for his team this past season. The number is much higher than in years past because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed players under the age of 20 to join the league. Those players were Drysdale and forwards Jacob Perreault and Brayden Tracey. Regardless, the youth movement was in full effect and the ability to capitalize on developing was at a premium.
The Gulls bench boss skated in 1,188 NHL regular season games and has contributed in a coaching role over the greater part of the last 16 seasons. Having a firm grasp on the steps needed to make the NHL, he feels it is a day-to-day process.
“In all honesty, we talked about those things all year. It’s not something that all of a sudden where you have to go home and work on – those are conversations that are had daily,” Dineen commented on the developing aspect. “Our players, we feel, get plenty of feedback on their games. A lot of conversations along those lines and mixing in a little bit of, ‘hey, steps were made this year and that’s all well and good, but you’re never staying the same. You have to keep building and there’s an ultimate goal and that’s to play for the Anaheim Ducks.’“
Everyone is anxious for the start of next season, but possibly none more so than the next group of players to wear the Ducks uniform for the first time. While there is no certainty as to which of those players it will be, some of those promising rookie seasons in the AHL could provide the momentum to garner attention in the NHL.
Some of those aforementioned standouts include the likes of forwards Bo Groulx and Bryce Kindopp and goaltender Lukas Dostal who recently finished the first year of their NHL entry deal. Groulx, 21, finished fifth among AHL rookies with 10-19=29 points in 42 games and led San Diego with a +14 rating. Kindopp found his stride in the final eight games of the regular season posting 5-4=9 points. Overall, the 22-year-old totaled 10-10=20 points in 39 games with the Gulls. Each of the forwards also displayed a strong presence on the penalty kill throughout the season, setting a Gulls rookie record for shorthanded goals with two apiece.
Dostal finished the season with a 15-9-0 record, 2.87 goals-against average, and the fourth best save percentage in the league at .916. The 20-year-old totaled a .935 save percentage in three games during the Pacific Division Playoffs, the highest among all goaltenders.
Simply wearing the Ducks uniform isn’t the pinnacle for these players, however. The evidence this past season was visible with the leading scoring of the club, Max Comtois, who appeared in 47 career games with the Gulls spanning two regular seasons and one postseason. The former second-round pick tallied 16-17=33 points in 55 games in his first full NHL season. Another former Gull, goaltender John Gibson, is now a standout in the NHL. The 27-year-old continues to be classified as one of the best netminders in the NHL and has amassed a career .917 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average over 322 games.
When asked what it takes to make that impact, Dineen had one word, “Confidence. To walk into a room and have guys that have played in the NHL for a long time, most likely Hall of Fame players, that you’re playing with or against and to go out there and just play your game. I think that’s one thing. Understanding that the game is faster, it’s stronger, there is more discipline to it. I think you watch playoff games and (see) the support and the outlet passes that players have. Those are the kind of areas that come with growth.”
The 65 Gulls graduates who skated with the Ducks is an easy number to boast, but the more impressive concept to gloat about is the impact and success the players are having. What will the 2021-22 NHL season have regarding players who have worn the Gulls uniform and look to advance to the main stage? More importantly, what success will those players have in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks in the team’s pursuit of a postseason return?
Only time will tell once the new season begins in October as the Ducks open at the Honda Center while the Gulls return to the Pechanga Arena in San Diego.