Brayden Tracey Gaining Confidence And Finding Success In His Second Season

Dec 2, 2021

By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com

Confidence is a funny thing.

There are moments you can tell a player is feeling it, overflowing with confidence each time they hit the ice. The opposite applies, too – when players are mired in slumps, there’s the constant search to find that elusive feeling once again.

It’s safe to say Gulls right wing Brayden Tracey has confidence in spades.

“Obviously, you have to have confidence to play in this league,” he explained following a recent practice at THE RINKS – Poway ICE. “It’s one of the best leagues in the world, and if you don’t have the confidence, it’s going to be hard to make a play out there. If you’re scared or whatever it is, it’s going to be hard. I think if you bring your confidence up a little bit, and build off that, I think it’ll go good.”

Named the American Hockey League’s Player of the Week on Monday, Tracey enters this weekend’s back-to-back games in Stockton with 3-4=7 points in his last three contests. He’s a key cog in San Diego’s recent five-game win streak, elevating the team from the bottom of the Pacific Division standings into third place. Selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round (29th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Tracey recorded 5-9=14 points with a +10 rating and eight penalty minutes (PIM) in 15 games this season.

Among AHL rookies, he ranks tied for second in plus/minus and tied for seventh in scoring. Tracey’s 11 points in the month of November (5-6=11) placed him tied for third most among first year AHL skaters. In addition, he’s tied for the team lead in assists (9) and ranks in points (14) and third in goals (5).

“He’s definitely making strides,” Gulls assistant coach Max Talbot explained after a recent practice. “He’s a player that came to camp, had a good rookie camp, and has been working and working. You know, what we bring this year is the structure and how we want guys to work. I think he’s buying into this, and that’s the first step. A guy who wants to improve and get better, and we’ve definitely seen some improvement.”

It's a solid second showing for Tracey, who received his first taste of professional hockey during the shortened 2020-21 season. In 12 games with the Gulls, he went scoreless with four PIM. Tracey acknowledged the leap from junior hockey to the professional level was a big one.

“It’s a pretty hard jump,” he said. “These are grown men we’re playing against. Juniors is just 20-year-olds and under. It’s obviously a big jump; I think the speed is the biggest thing. The speed difference is quite the difference, and there’s always someone laying the body out there, which is also a huge difference. For me, I think it was the speed and how fast plays are made.”

After his stint in San Diego, Tracey returned to the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals, where he posted 9-12=21 points in 22 games. He led the team in points and finished tied for first in goals and second in assists. The nearly point-per-game production came from an increased focus on the details of his game.

“The execution part was huge,” he said when discussing last year with Victoria. “When you go down after playing pro for a couple of games, I think execution is key. Get down there, get all the guys going, get the execution level high and just build off that. I think once the execution is there a lot is going to come from it.”

Heading into the offseason, Tracey returned home to Calgary and trained with a group of professional players, many on the Flames. On top of the normal focus of adding speed and size, he focused on a key factor for success – patience.

“If you’re not patient with the puck, you’re not going to be able to make a play,” Tracey explained. “This league is obviously hard. I played last year, and there’s big guys, physical guys, they’re fast. If you don’t have the patience with the puck, I don’t think you’ll be able to make a play in this league. Focusing on making plays, making simple plays, execution is just key for me and will only build my game.”

On top of this, he acknowledged a more focused effort on getting to “the inside” – those areas where he needs to battle with bigger and stronger players with increased physicality and determination.

“I’m getting on the inside a lot compared to last year, and (Gulls head coach Joel) Bouchard is right, you get on the inside you’re going to score more goals,” he said. “I think that’s our job, to get to the front of the net, battle and try and put it in the back of the net.”

He’s taken another note from his coach, a mindset his hard work will pay off.

“That’s always been a quote I’ve gone with, and he’s one of those guys that if you’re working hard, things are going to go well,” Tracey explained. “He’s been a really big boost to my game this year and helped me out a lot.”

As the goals and points pile up, it’s easy to see Tracey’s confidence grow and his importance to the team’s success rise.

“He’s been playing better and better,” Talbot said. “Like I said, the structure things takes time to understand what we’re trying to do, what we’re building here, but he’s definitely buying into this. He’s definitely pushing back. It’s funny with (Brayden) Tracey – he can play physical, he can get in the corner also. He’s finding some confidence recently, which is good for him. Last year, he didn’t have a lot of success offensively, but he’s finding that. He can definitely be an important player on the team.”