Familiar Faces Excited For NHL's Return To San Diego
Sep 28, 2023By Nick Aguilera/SanDiegoGulls.com
For the first time in 29 years, National Hockey League action is back in San Diego.
On Friday, the Anaheim Ducks will face the Los Angeles Kings in an NHL preseason exhibition game at Pechanga Arena San Diego, marking Anaheim’s first trip down the I-5 for an NHL contest since 1994.
It also marks the first time an NHL game will be played in San Diego since the Gulls were named Anaheim’s primary affiliate in the American Hockey League prior to the 2015-16 season. Since then, 89 players have appeared for both the Gulls and Ducks. Some familiar faces will hit the ice in San Diego, swapping the familiar Gulls crest for the webbed D.
"It’s going to be crazy," Ducks center Benoit-Olivier Groulx said. Groulx has appeared in 145 games with the Gulls and 20 with the Ducks since 2020, including two games with Anaheim after being called up to close out the 2023-24 NHL season.
"I know the rink is going to be packed, that’s for sure," he said. "The rink there is so loud, especially when there’s big things happening at the arena… It’s going to be pretty exciting to play for the Gulls fans as a Ducks player."
There’s no one on the Ducks roster with more experience playing at Pechanga Arena than center Sam Carrick, who holds the Gulls’ all-time record with 222 games played in a San Diego sweater. Carrick served as San Diego’s captain from 2019-2021 before emerging as an NHL regular in Anaheim for the first time in his career during the 2021-22 season.
"It’s a super fun environment to play in," Carrick said. "The fans are passionate. They love it… You can feel the energy in there when you’re in there and when you’re playing. Whether it’s a big hit or a fight or a goal, you can feel the energy. That just goes to show how good of a crowd it is and how much they love hockey."
Trevor Carrick, who reunited with both his brother Sam and the Ducks organization this offseason, is another familiar face for the Gulls faithful. The energy boost San Diego fans provide won’t go unnoticed while he fights for a spot on Anaheim’s opening night roster.
"Pechanga’s going to be bumping," Trevor said. "The fans down there are fantastic. I’m excited to get down there and reconnect with the fans. I know that place will be rocking. It’s a special place and they love their hockey."
Brayden Tracey spent the past two seasons with the Gulls and made his NHL debut with the Ducks on January 9, 2022. Despite his limited experience in the NHL, he knows how big the game will be for the city and its fans.
"I think it’s huge," Tracey said. "I know my dad, when he was little, he never had an NHL team around him. When he went to his first game, I know he was super pumped and happy, so I can only imagine it’s going to be the same thing down in San Diego.
"[The fans] were watching us all year long last year and rooting for us. I can only imagine their going to come out firing just like us."