Printz Reflects On First AHL Goal

May 6, 2021

By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com

Greg Printz saw his opportunity; the chance in his 10th American Hockey League game to find his first professional goal.

As Andrew Poturalski drove wide around the Ontario defense and curled behind the net, the 6-2 rookie winger parked himself at the far post. Poturalski found Printz with a cross-crease pass, and the rookie made no mistake, slamming a shot through the legs of a sliding J-F Berube for his first AHL goal.

“I threw the puck to the middle; I was trying to get it to Potter,” Printz explained today, reliving the milestone moment from last night’s game against the Reign. “It ended up going to their d-man, but their d-man turned it over to (Poturalski), and he had a lot of outside speed. I figured if I just went to the net, he'd be able to find me, and just whacked it in. It was really exciting. Big shout out to Potter for the nice play.”

ICYMI: Last night, @Greg_Printz recorded his first career @theahl goal against our rivals, and it's a must see 🤩 pic.twitter.com/iV3JhCdU68

— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) May 6, 2021

The rookie, who earned a chance to skate on San Diego’s top line, found himself in position to score after a recent adjustment encouraged him to find the “tough” areas around the crease.

“He's a hard-working guy and he goes to the hard areas,” assistant coach David Urquhart explained. “One of the conversations we had before the last game was, 'If you go to the net, you're a tough guy to move when you're there. Pucks end up there, and you'll get your chances from there.' In the game, he did a good job of that, and he was rewarded for it. That's one of the things that can make a player easy to play with; a guy who goes to the net, goes to the hard areas and makes things easier for the rest of the guys on the ice. It opens up space for them. If you're playing with good players and open up space for them, they're going to be able to create offense.”

The milestone tally is another exciting moment in a whirlwind season for the Fairfax, VA native. Printz finished his college career with Providence College after a 5-2 loss to eventual national champion University of Massachusetts on March 17. Just a few weeks later, he signed a professional tryout with San Diego, making the trek to California for his first extended stay on the West Coast.

“The biggest thing was just being in Southern California,” he said when asked why he signed with the Anaheim organization. “You get to show up to the rink every morning in shorts and flip flops. Absolutely no complaints. An unbelievable place to play and they're kind of rebuilding. That's something I was looking forward to and try to make the most of the opportunity.”

The transition from collegiate to pro-level hockey hit him immediately.

“It's a big jump speed-wise, and all the players you're playing with are unbelievable players,” Printz explained. “You have to be ready at all times for pucks, you have to be able to make plays at any speed. I'd say that's the biggest transition. Obviously, guys are bigger and stronger, so you're getting pushed around a little bit more.”

The forward spent his first few days in practice soaking up systems and spending extra time with the coaches following practices.

“He's a student of the game,” Urquhart explained. “Right from the start, the toughest thing was learning the systems. When you're changing teams, changing leagues, making the jump up, sometimes that can be a challenge. For him, he was able to watch a few games first before getting in the lineup, and we sat together before that to go over the systems so he had some time to absorb it. When he came in to start playing, he was able to come in and hit the ground running. There's been a little bit of a learning curve, but I think because of his speed, because of his size, it's really cut that learning curve short and he's been able to contribute.”

Printz made his AHL debut on April 9 at Tucson and collected his first professional point and assist on April 21 at San Jose. As he continued to impress the coaches, the rookie earned more playing time. 

“He's a guy that's able to play a few different ways,” Urquhart said. “He has an offensive side to his game, but he can play that physical side as well. When he came into the lineup, that's something our team needed - that physicality, a bigger body that could play both sides of the puck. He's contributed that way, which is good to see.”

With recent call-ups and taxi squad assignments affecting San Diego’s roster, Printz found himself skating on the team’s top lines in recent games, with opportunities on special teams also coming his way.

“I'm just going to keep bringing that physical game, making sure I play consistently, stay out of the box and help out on special teams when I get the opportunity,” Printz said.

After achieving his milestone moment last night, Printz returned to the locker room to find a phone flooded with texts from family, friends and former teammates. He’s planning to hold on to the puck for now, though he admits his girlfriend will ultimately add it to others representing his career milestones.

Printz knows each day is another opportunity to keep his roster spot, and he’s keeping his plan simple – continue his strong, physical play.

“That's the thing I try to bring the most,” he said. “It's easy to bring every night - you can throw your body around even if you're not making the most plays or handling the puck the best. Moving your feet, getting on the forecheck, creating space for the guys I think was the easiest thing for me to bring and transition to the pro game.”