San Diego Gulls Name Dave Manson and Michael Babcock as Assistant Coach
Jun 16, 2025The San Diego Gulls announced today that the American Hockey League (AHL) club has named Dave Manson and Michael Babcock as Assistant Coaches. They join Head Coach Matt McIlvane’s coaching staff alongside Goaltending Coach Jeff Glass and Video Coordinator Lucas Hurtt.
Manson, 58, brings 20-plus years of coaching experience in both professional and junior hockey. He joins San Diego after spending the 2024-25 season as an Assistant Coach for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL.
Manson spent parts of the three seasons as Assistant Coach with the Edmonton Oilers from 2022-24 after being promoted from the same role with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Feb. 10, 2022. With Edmonton, Manson helped the club reach the 2022 Western Conference Final.
Prior to his role with Edmonton, Manson spent four AHL seasons as Assistant Coach with Bakersfield from 2018-22, helping the club to two Pacific Division titles (2019 and 2021). He aided in the development of numerous defensemen within the Oilers organization from the AHL to the NHL, including Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Vincent Desharnais. Manson also served 14 seasons as a coach with the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL), including six as an Associate Coach (2012-18) and eight as Assistant Coach (2002-09 and 2011-12).
Originally selected by Chicago in the first round (11th overall) of the 1985 NHL Draft, the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native appeared in 1,103 career NHL games for Chicago, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Phoenix, Montreal, Dallas, and Toronto across 16 seasons. The defenseman recorded 102-288=390 points with the 13th-most penalty minutes in NHL history (2,792).
His son, Josh, was selected by Anaheim in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft and spent eight seasons with the Ducks. Josh helped the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022.
Babcock, 30, joins the Ducks organization after spending the last two seasons with the St. Louis Blues as a Skills Coach from 2023-25. Prior to his stint with the Blues, Babcock spent 2022-23 with the Ottawa Senator where he aided the coaching staff in developing game plans, pre-scouting, and in on-ice skill development.
Babcock spent two seasons with the University of Saskatchewan (2021-23), overseeing the club’s defense and power play. The Huskies power play ranked second in the nation among Canadian USports teams at 28.1%.
Prior to his coaching career, Babcock played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Merrimack College (Hockey East), from 2015-19, serving as the club’s captain in 2018-19 as a senior. The Northville, Mich. native played one professional season with Amiens of the French Ligue Magnus (France’s top division), helping the team win the Coupe de France championship in 2019.
His father, Mike, served as Head Coach of the Anaheim Ducks from 2002-04, helping the club to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals while he also coached the organization’s primary development affiliate in the AHL in Cincinnati for two seasons (2000-02). He won a Stanley Cup as head coach of Detroit in 2008 and coached Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.