Gulls A-Z Player Profiles: Sam Carrick
Jul 24, 2019Sam Carrick set the tone for what kind of season he was going to have when he scored a shorthanded goal 1:27 into the Gulls’ first game of 2018-19, the fastest goal to start a season for San Diego. Carrick completed the season-opening game with 2-1=3 points, tying tie his career-high for points in a single game. That dominance continued as he recorded at least one point in each of the first six games of the season Oct. 6-26 (5-4=9).
Throughout 61 regular season games, Carrick earned 32-29=61 points with a +7 rating, setting career highs in goals, points, assists, PPG (11) and SHG (3). In addition, the third-year Gull led the team in nearly every major statistical category as the forward broke single-season club records in points, goals and SHG. By the end of the season, Carrick led the Western Conference and ranked tied for fourth among AHL leaders in goals. He was also named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week on Jan. 14 2019 after posting back-to-back three-point games.
Among the many records that Carrick set this season was points in a single game. On Nov. 25, the Gulls faced the Stockton Heat in a game on the road and Carrick helped the Gulls to a 6-3 win, contributing on five of the six goals scored. In addition to recording his first career hat trick, a natural hat trick, Carrick also added two assists to set the club mark with 3-2=5 points.
Carrick spent the majority of the season with San Diego, but his consistent dominance with the Gulls earned him his first appearance with the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 4 vs. Columbus. The Markham, Ontario native appeared in six contests with Anaheim and recorded his first assist with the club on Mar. 30 in a game at Edmonton.
Carrick’s production carried into the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs where he scored 7-7=14 points in 16 postseason games with the Gulls. He co-led San Diego in goals and ranked second in scoring while helping lead the club to its first-ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals.
“He’s been amazing. It’s been a privilege for me. I saw Sam in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization when he turned pro,” said former Gulls head coach Dallas Eakins. “To see him grow, not only as a player but as a man, and now he’s a father, he’s having a hell of year on the ice. Thirty goals in 58 games. His positive effect on his teammates, our staff, our organization and this great city, it is just such a privilege for me personally to watch that young man grow into a man.”
Over the offseason, the Anaheim Ducks announced on June 28 that the club re-signed Carrick on a one-year contract extension through the 2019-20 NHL season. It was clear that Carrick earned new Anaheim Ducks’ head coach Dallas Eakins trust over his time with San Diego and now he has the chance to impress the club enough to earn a spot on the Ducks roster at the beginning of the season.