Rick Paterson completed his 20th season with the Ducks last season, his second as Director of Professional Scouting. He served as the Director of Player Personnel from 2009-20, and was also the Director of Professional Scouting for two other stints with Anaheim (2005-09 and 2020-21). Paterson has over 40 years of experience as a player, coach and scout, and has won the Stanley Cup four times. Along with his Stanley Cup championship with the Ducks in 2007, he won titles with Tampa Bay (2004) and Pittsburgh (1991 and 1992).

Prior to joining the Ducks front office, Paterson spent seven years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 as the club’s Chief Professional Scout. After retiring from the NHL as a player following 10 seasons with Chicago (1978-88), Paterson joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an Assistant Coach from 1988-93, winning the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. He coached the Penguins’ International Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland from 1993-97 and joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as Assistant Coach in 1997-98. Paterson remained in that role until being named a Professional Scout prior to the start of the 1999-00 season.

Bob Ferguson enters his 16th season with the Anaheim Ducks organization and eighth in the  

San Diego Gulls Hockey Operations department. Ferguson is a hockey lifer, having been involved in either professional or amateur hockey for the past 43 years, either as a player, coach or member of a front office.  

In his seven seasons with the Gulls, Ferguson helped build teams that have a combined 238-164-26-15 record to lead the Pacific Division in all-time wins, points (515) and points percentage (.584%, min. three seasons) since the division’s inception in 2015. The Gulls are the only Pacific Division club to finish among the top four teams in five of the division’s seven AHL seasons. Ferguson has also led San Diego to four Calder Cup Playoffs appearances, including the club’s first appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2019.  

The Gulls (three times), Toronto Marlies (four times), Charlotte Checkers (three times), Chicago Wolves (three times) and Hershey Bears (three times) are the only AHL teams to advance to the Division Finals on three-or-more occasions since the inception of the current division format in 2015. Under Ferguson, San Diego owns the most playoff wins (18) and is tied for the most series wins (4) among Pacific Division teams. 

Under Ferguson, San Diego completed the 2021-22 season with a 28-33-4-3 record for 63 points and finished seventh in the Pacific Division, earning the club’s fourth Calder Cup Playoffs berth. In 2020-21, San Diego finished with a 26-17-1-0 record for 53 points and finished third in the Pacific Division based on points percentage (.602%), earning a spot in the Pacific Division Playoffs. In 2019-20, the Gulls posted a 30-19-6-2 record for 68 points and tied for third in the Pacific Division, sixth in the Western Conference, before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season in March. The 2018-19 club compiled a 36-24-5-3 record for 80 points and third in the Pacific Division, while also representing the division in the Western Conference Finals for the first time. San Diego defeated San Jose (four games) and Bakersfield (six games), before falling to Chicago in six games. 

The 2016-17 club went 43-20-3-2 for 91 points, second in the Western Conference and third in the AHL, while defeating Ontario in the first round of the postseason before falling in the Pacific Division Finals to San Jose (five games). The Gulls were named winners of the 2016-17 President’s Award as the AHL Team of the Year, given to an AHL organization for overall excellence as voted on by AHL team presidents. In the club’s inaugural season in 2015-16, the team finished with a 39-23-4-2 record for 84 points, earning second place in the Pacific Division and the club’s first berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Under Ferguson’s guidance, San Diego won its first-ever playoff series over the Texas Stars, 3-1, prior to falling to Ontario in the second round (five games).  

Ferguson was the Assistant General Manager of the Norfolk Admirals for the previous three seasons (2012-2015) and prior to that manned the same position for the Ducks’ prior AHL affiliates, the Syracuse Crunch (2010-12) and Iowa Chops (2008-09). He also spent one season as a college/amateur scout for the Ducks in 2009-10.  

Before joining the Ducks organization, Ferguson spent 26 seasons on the bench as a head coach in the professional and junior ranks. He had head coaching stints with Augusta (ECHL, 2005-08), Florida (ECHL, 1998-2001) and Indianapolis (IHL, 1995-98). In his nine seasons as a professional head coach, Ferguson’s teams never missed the playoffs. He is a two-time John Brophy Award winner as ECHL Coach of the Year, winning the honor in consecutive seasons with the Florida Everblades in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. 

A native of Kingston, Ontario, Ferguson’s illustrious 17-year career as a head coach in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with Sioux City (1981-90) and Des Moines (1990-95, 2001-04) garnered 517 career wins, the third-most in league history. Ferguson guided Sioux City to a pair of Clark Cup championships and won three Clark Cups with Des Moines. He is a three-time Gold Cup winner (U.S. Junior ‘A’ National Champion), five-time USHL Coach of the Year and five-time USHL General Manager of the Year. 

Bob and his wife, Lisa, have two children: Brett and Kaylee. Brett and his wife, Amanda, have the family’s three grandchildren: Caleb, Aidan and Reid. The family resides in San Diego.  

Jillian Reddin, daughter of Susan and Henry Samueli, enters her 15th season with the Anaheim Ducks organization, her eighth with the San Diego Gulls. Primarily responsible for player contracts, transactions, immigration, travel and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Reddin regularly coordinates with the Anaheim Ducks Hockey Operations department. She is also an Alternate Governor for the AHL Board of Governors. 
 
Reddin previously spent three seasons in the same role with the Norfolk Admirals (2012-14) and two with the Syracuse Crunch (2010-12). Prior to her stint with Anaheim’s AHL affiliates, Reddin spent a year in the Ducks front office. 
 
A native of Newport Beach, Calif., Reddin received a degree in Merchandise Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (Los Angeles). 
 
Jillian and her husband, Colin, reside in Encinitas.

Steve Trachtenberg enters his first season as Team Services Manager for the San Diego Gulls. Before joining the Gulls Hockey Operations staff, Trachtenberg spent the previous three hockey seasons as the Director of Hockey Operations for Massachusetts Hockey of the NCAA. 
 
In that role, he was responsible for coordinating all logistics of team activities, scheduling, and travel. He managed all video-related activities and helped ensure the program was compliant with NCAA, conference, and university rules and regulations. 
 
Trachtenberg, a 2018 UMass graduate, previously served as a hockey operations assistant for the Minutemen for four seasons while working towards his sport management degree. 
 
Trachtenberg also earned his master's degree in sport management at the University of Massachusetts in 2024.  
 
Prior to being named Director of Hockey Operations in May 2021, Trachtenberg spent two years as a partnership services coordinator with Learfield IMG College: UMass Sports Properties and Army West Point Sports Properties, managing contracted partnership elements and overseeing fulfillment for in-game promotions and assets for corporate sponsors. 
 
As an undergraduate, Trachtenberg worked as a member of the UMass hockey equipment staff and supported the Director of Hockey Operations with video and hockey analytics for coaching staff and NHL teams. He also served as a Corporate Sponsorship Intern with the Philadelphia Flyers in the summer of 2018 and was a Ticket and Fan Services Intern with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2018. 
 
A native of Warrington, Pennsylvania, Trachtenberg currently resides in Pacific Beach. 

Manson, 59, brings over two decades of coaching experience in both professional and junior hockey. He joined the Gulls as an assistant coach in 2025-26, overseeing the defense and penalty kill, helping the club to its first postseason berth since the 2021-22 season. Under his guidance, the Gulls penalty kill ranked eighth among all AHL clubs at 83.5% and the club was the second-least penalized team in the AHL (749 penalty minutes).

Prior to joining San Diego, Manson spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He spent parts of three seasons as assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers from 2022-24 after being promoted from the same role with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL) on Feb. 10, 2022. With Edmonton, Manson helped the club reach the 2022 Western Conference Final, as well as the 2023 Western Conference Second Round.

Prior to his role with Edmonton, Manson spent four AHL seasons as an 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 of the WHL, including six as an associate coach (2012-18) and eight as assistant coach (2002-09 and 2011-12), where he aided in the development of NHL players such as Leon Draisaitl and Josh Morrissey. 

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 with 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 Colorado to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022.

 

Jeff Glass enters his third season as Goaltending Coach with the San Diego Gulls. Glass joined the organization after a 17-year professional goaltending career, concluding with a two-year AHL deal with the Gulls.  

Glass appeared in 15 NHL contests with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017-18 going 3-7-3 with a .898 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.36 goals-against average (GAA). He spent parts of nine seasons in the AHL, posting a 78-98-13 record with a 3.26 GAA, .900 SV% and six shutouts in 218 career games with San Diego (2018-19 and 2020-22), Toronto Marlies (2016-17 and 2018-19), Rockford IceHogs (2016-17 and 2017-18) and Binghamton Senators (2005-09).    

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Glass also earned a 6-4 record with a 2.43 GAA and .912 SV% in 11 Calder Cup Playoff games with San Diego. During the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs, Glass stopped a club record 51-of-53 shots to win the longest game in Gulls playoff history, and fifth-longest in AHL history, in Game 1 of the Pacific Division Finals at Bakersfield.  

Originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the third round (89th overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Glass spent seven seasons internationally in the KHL with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan), Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia), Spartak Moskva (Russia), CSKA Moskva (Russia), Lada Togliatti (Russia) and Dinamo Minsk (Belarus). He posted a record of 81-87-30 with a .916 SV%, 2.64 GAA, and 16 shutouts in 218 career KHL games.  

Lucas Hurtt begins his third season as Video Coordinator with the San Diego Gulls. Hurtt joined the organization after serving as Assistant Video Coach for the New Jersey Devils for two seasons from 2021-22.  

A native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., Hurtt served in various hockey operations roles with Boston College men’s ice hockey (Hockey East) from 2015-2020 and helped the Eagles to Hockey East Regular Season Championships in 2018 and 2020. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English and a master’s degree in Sports Administration from Boston College.  

Joey Guilmet is in his ninth season as Head Equipment Manager of the Gulls and his 13th season in the Anaheim Ducks organization. A native of Ocean Beach, Calif., Guilmet has 23-plus years of experience between the NHL and AHL. He most recently spent two seasons as equipment manager for Arizona State University’s men’s ice hockey program. He was named to ASU’s staff prior to their inaugural NCAA Division I season in 2015-16. 

Guilmet spent four seasons working as the equipment manager for Anaheim’s primary AHL affiliate with the Norfolk Admirals (2012-15) and Syracuse Crunch (2011-12). He spent 12 seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL (2000-2011) and nine seasons in the International Hockey League, splitting time with the Orlando Solar Bears (1995-99) and San Diego Gulls (1991-95). Additionally, Guilmet was an equipment manager at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game and the 1992 MLB All-Star Game. 

Guilmet has represented Team USA on five occasions, serving as part of the staff at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games as well as three IIHF Men’s World Championships (2001, 2008, 2009). He was the equipment manager for Team USA’s gold medal team at the 2017 World Junior Championships. 

Guilmet received a degree from Mesa College in San Diego, and Gwinnett Tech in Duluth, Ga. He earned his certification in the Athletic Equipment Managers Association (AEMA) in 1995. Additionally, he conducted a workshop demonstrating equipment repair for professional and college equipment managers at the 2006 AEMA Meetings and also hosted a workshop on carbon fiber/kydex skate guard protection at the 2008 Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers Meeting. Guilmet is currently working on his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership at Arizona State University. 

Joey, his wife Michele, their son Oliver and daughter June, reside in Ocean Beach. 

Haley Cruz begins her first season as Head Athletic Trainer for the San Diego Gulls. Cruz most recently served as Head Athletic Trainer for the Knoxville Ice Bears of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Cruz graduated from Boise State University with a master’s degree in Athletic Training and a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, Pre-Athletic Training. During her time there, she worked with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL as well as Boise State's football and women's soccer teams. Cruz also spent time as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Macon Mayhem and Vermillion County Bobcats of the SPHL, as well as an Athletic Trainer for the Anchorage Wolverines of the North American Hockey League.

A Folsom, Ca. native, Cruz is a BOC Certified Athletic Trainer and AHA BLS Certified. Cruz resides in Carlsbad.

 

Cameron Nelson is a BOC-certified athletic trainer and performance specialist from Chesapeake, Virginia. He holds certifications including AHA CPR, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES), NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES), and Athletic Dry Needling, allowing him to deliver comprehensive, athlete-centered care that bridges injury management and performance optimization.

Cameron earned his Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Longwood University in 2022, where he completed a season-long internship with the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals. He went on to serve as the Head Athletic Trainer for the FPHL Mississippi Sea Wolves during the 2022–2023 season, also providing athletic training services to local high schools and junior colleges.

In 2023, Cameron completed his Master’s in Exercise Science from Pennsylvania Western University, further strengthening his foundation in human performance and rehabilitation science.

Since then, Cameron has served as the Head Athletic Trainer for the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 seasons. In this role, he leads all aspects of player health, including injury prevention, rehabilitation, return-to-play planning, and performance enhancement.

Dedicated, skilled, and committed to advancing athlete wellness, Cameron brings a high-energy, detail-oriented approach to every team and athlete he supports.

 

Jordan Davis enters his first season as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and his third season overall for the San Diego Gulls. In his role, Davis helps to ensure the overall fitness, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and supplementation programs of the club’s players. 

Davis most recently worked in the private sector, assisting professional athletes in their offseason training. Prior to that role, he worked primarily in college athletics, serving as the Head Strength and Conditioning coach with Cal Poly University for football, wrestling, women’s basketball, throwers, men’s soccer, and beach volleyball. Davis spent 2015-18 with Eastern Illinois University, serving as Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach at Eastern Illinois and overseeing baseball, men’s soccer, throwers, and an assistant with the football program as a graduate assistant. He also worked as a strength and conditioning intern at Eastern Washington, Purdue, Missouri, and Notre Dame.  

A native of Indiana, Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Performance from Purdue University and a master’s degree in Sports Administration from Eastern Illinois University. Davis holds various certifications such as his NSCA CSCS, PPSC, APC, VBT, and CPR/AED certifications.  

Jordan resides in San Diego with his dog, Cooper. 

Buchberger, 59, brings over two decades of coaching and player development experience in the NHL, AHL and WHL to San Diego. Buchberger served as assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers from 2008-14, as well as development coach from 2005-07, director of player personnel from 2014-16 and director of player development in 2016-17. He also served as assistant coach for the New York Islanders in 2017-18.

 

Most recently, Buchberger served as assistant coach for the Laval Rocket from 2021-24, where he helped lead the Rocket to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and aided in the development of NHL players such as Ducks forward Ryan Poehling, as well as current Canadiens' Cole Caufield and Jakub Dobes. Buchberger was head coach for the AHL's Springfield Falcons in 2007-08, where he led the team to a 25-35-10-10 record in his lone season at the helm. He also served as assistant coach for the Edmonton Road Runners in 2004-05.

 

Buchberger served as head coach for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL from 2018-21, leading them to the WHL Playoffs in his lone full season in 2018-19 with a 34-28-6 record (WHL playoffs not held in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic).

As a player, Buchberger skated in 1,182 career NHL games with Edmonton, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Pittsburgh, tallying 105-209=305 points with his 2,297 PIM top-40 among all-time among NHL skaters. Buchberger won two Stanley Cups with the Oilers in 1987 and 1990 and served as Edmonton's captain from 1995-99. He also served as captain for the Atlanta Thrashers’ inaugural season in 1999-00.

 

A Langenburg, Saskatchewan native, Buchberger represented Canada at three World Championships in 1993, 1994 and 1996, helping Canada win gold in 1994 and silver in 1996. He was teammates with Gulls head coach Dave Manson in Edmonton from 1991-94, as well as Canada’s 1993 World Championship squad.

McCarthy, 45, spent parts of the last five seasons as an assistant coach for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets from 2021-26, where he oversaw the team’s defense and penalty kill and coached defenseman Zach Werenski, who was named the 2025-26 James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman. Prior to joining the Blue Jackets, McCarthy served as assistant coach for the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, where he helped lead the Monsters to a playoff appearance in 2019. The Trail, British Columbia native also served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2025 World Championship.

As a player, McCarthy had an 18-year playing career as a defenseman. He skated in 302 career NHL games with Chicago, Vancouver and Atlanta from 1999-2008, posting 17-38=55 points with 168 PIM. McCarthy was selected by Chicago in the first round (23rd overall) of the 1999 NHL Draft. He also appeared in 191 career AHL contests, earning 13-48=61 points with 126 PIM with Norfolk, Chicago, Abbotsford, Springfield, Iowa and Lake Erie. He represented Canada at the 2000 and 2001 World Junior Championships, helping Team Canada earn bronze in back-to-back tournaments.

Brendan Werstine enters his first season as Physical Therapist for the San Diego Gulls. Brendan is a sports-residency trained physical therapist from Irvine Orthopedic Sports Therapy and has a background in strength and conditioning.

Brendan attended Trine University, graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Doctorate of Physical Therapy degrees. Since graduating, Brendan has earned the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist designation from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, as well as holding certifications in Personalized Blood Flow Restriction Rehabilitation from Owens Recovery Science, Inc., Dry Needling from Advanced Continuing Education and ProTailored Physical Therapy, Emergency Medical Responder (Sports Edition) from AskQuire, and Total Joint Replacement Rehabilitation from MedBridge.

Brendan currently resides in Mira Mesa, California with his girlfriend, Sarah, and their dog, Wrigley.

Adam enters his fourth season as the Director of Data and Recovery for San Diego. In this role, Rusiewicz works with the team and coaches to manage the players’ daily training load, track and perform testing, and use data to drive daily training decisions. 

Rusiewicz earned his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from SUNY Cortland and his master's degree in Kinesiology from A.T. Still University. In addition, he is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. 

Prior to working with the Gulls, Rusiewicz spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, beginning as a volunteer Strength and Conditioning coach and ending his time with the team as the Sports Science Coordinator. 

A native of Indiana, Pa., Adam, his wife Elizabeth, and daughter Eden, reside in San Diego.