PREVIEW: Gulls Host Rival Reign In Lone Preseason Contest

Oct 7, 2022

By Paige Burnell/SanDiegoGulls.com

The long wait is over – San Diego Gulls hockey returns tonight. 

The Gulls are set to take the ice against the rival Ontario Reign tonight at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m. PT, Internet Stream: Gulls YouTube Channel, Radio: Gulls Audio Network) in the club’s one and only exhibition game of the 2022 preseason.

ENJOY FREE PARKING AND MORE AT TONIGHT'S PRESEASON GAME

Gulls head coach Roy Sommer, who will be behind the bench at Pechanga Arena for the first time as San Diego's coach, is also anticipating what he’ll see from his team in a game situation after a successful week of training camp.

"I’m looking forward to it," Sommer said. "The guys have had a really good week of practice and they put in the time. They were real attentive and you know, they competed hard, so I’m kind of looking forward to seeing what they do in a real game when they’re not playing against each other."

The stakes are highest for the Gulls who didn’t get significant time during the early portion of the Anaheim Ducks preseason schedule. 

Josh Healey, who is currently at Gulls training camp as a free agent, is one such player. After posting 1-7=8 points and a team-leading +20 rating with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2021-22, the defenseman is certainly ready for the chance to prove himself on Pechanga Arena's freshly laid ice. 

"I mean this is like number one place to play," Healey said when asked about hockey in San Diego. "I feel like even throughout the NHL. The city is awesome, the fans are awesome. We’ve got a good group of guys in the locker room. I’m really excited to be here so I’m just ready to get things going."

Healey is just one of several camp invites on San Diego’s preseason roster, which consists of 29 players (18 forwards, 8 defensemen and 3 goaltenders) all vying for a spot with the American Hockey League club.  

"Guys that didn’t get a lot of game times during the main camp up in Anaheim, those are the guys that are going to get a game," Sommer said. "You know, some of them didn’t get a game at all so this is their chance to see what they have."

This preseason game will serve as the final audition for a roster spot before the team opens its regular season. San Diego will begin the 2022-23 campaign on the road with back-to-back games against the Grand Rapids Griffins starting Friday, Oct. 14.