Recently, I had an opportunity to conduct a quick interview with San Diego Gulls play-by-play announcer, Craig Elsten.

Q1) What can Ducks fans expect when they make the trip to a Gulls game?

A) A great atmosphere. The Gulls have already drawn crowds of 10,000+ to seven of their first seventeen home games. San Diego is a much better hockey town than outsiders may give it credit for; the city supported hockey as far back as 1966 and for decades after, even some lower-tier teams. This is the highest level of hockey our city has seen in decades. The synergy between the NHL clubs in Southern California and the AHL clubs who have relocated to the state has been tremendous. We see Ducks and Kings jerseys all the time in the stands…but often my radio partner B.J. MacPherson will point out an Oilers jersey, a Flames jersey, Avalanche; there are plenty of hockey fans in San Diego and they are enjoying the chance to root for an AHL team here.


Q2) Last year's top draft pick Nick Ritchie recently had a "cup of coffee" with the Ducks. How has he handled coming back to the Gulls?

A) I think with any young player who dreams of reaching the NHL, being sent back to the AHL can seem to be a real setback at the time. To Nick Ritchie’s credit, he’s never hung his head or brought a poor attitude to the ice or the practices I’ve seen. It’s easy to forget how young Nick is (20 years old) and that it was just 2014 when he was a first round draft pick, this is his rookie season in pro hockey. Lately I notice, teams are trying to challenge Ritchie on the ice, get him to take penalties or get in fights and take himself out of the action, which is a smart strategic play on their part. Nick is by far the best goal scorer in the Ducks system and projects as a solid power forward. He’s working on the little things and I think, just like Shea Theodore and John Gibson before him, there will come a time when Nick gets called up again and never comes back. Whether that’s this week, next month, or next year, we’ll see.


Q3) Who is your Gulls MVP so far?

A) The Ducks traded the Gulls’ MVP of the first half, forward Max Friberg. Max was a player I called the “Swedish Army Knife”, because he was useful in every possible circumstance on the ice. He was the team’s best penalty killer, a good power play forward, great at blocking shots, solid in the corners, puck aware, and made very few mistakes. Unfortunately, Friberg was moved to the Montreal organization mid-December in a deal for goalie Dustin Tokarski, who since was injured in a January game in San Antonio, so the trade wound up really hurting the Gulls for a while. It’s taken multiple players adopting other responsibilities just to mete out all the jobs Friberg held with the team.

Of the current players on the team who have been here for the entirety of the first half, obviously the rookies Brandon Montour and Ritchie have been the team’s scoring leaders, but I would point to veteran center Chris Mueller, who has worked on lines with just about every key player on the team, is a persistent offensive creator for the Gulls and has a great grasp of what it takes to win.


Q4) Ducks fans know the stats of top prospects, but who is the locker room leader?

A) Again I would point to Mueller as someone who can truly mentor the young forwards on the team. Shane O’Brien is one of the Gulls’ more vocal presences in the room, and as the year has gone on I think he’s started to deliver more and more to the team on the ice as well. Two of the team’s key leaders unfortunately were injured for a great deal of the first half. Harry Zolniercyzk is a real sparkplug wherever he might be: in the locker room, on the bus, on the bench or on the ice. Harry is one of those personalities who keeps everyone else on the team loose, but also fired up and ready to go. And saving the best for last, defenseman and team captain Joe Piskula, a real professional and an example on and off ice for the younger players. Piskula missed a couple months of action as well. Both Harry and Joe are now getting settled back in on the ice and I think their presence bodes well for the team in the second half.


Q5) What insights do you have about Gulls head coach Dallas Eakins in terms of developing talent?

A) Dallas is calm, cool and collected. He’s a positive motivator who has a keen feel for individual personalities in the room, and how to tailor his approach for best effect. As a player who has seen the highs and lows of life in the AHL personally before becoming a coach, Dallas can relate to the players and recognize when to back off or when to step on it. I’ve heard from several of the younger players this season how there were times they expected to get aired out by Eakins after a bad play or a bad period for the team, only for him to surprise them with a much calmer or more positive approach. Dallas looks so stern and harsh when you watch him from afar, but the reality is a very compassionate man who has his finger on the pulse of his team and has built respect.

A Big thanks to Craig for sharing his insights about the up and coming Ducks prospects.

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