2024-25 San Diego Gulls/Tulsa Oilers

[Hockey Duckie]

The Gulls have allowed nearly 4 goals a night, tied for last in total concessions with 58. Just to put that in perspective, other than Bridgeport, every other team who has scored at least 46 goals (the Gulls are right at that number, tied for 12th in the AHL) are .500 or better; San Diego is 4-10. They really miss Suchanek

That would be the same fate for the Ducks if it weren't for Dostal and Gibby.

 

[robbieboy3686]

Hey guys, how has luneau looked?

Bump ty guys

 

[Hockey Duckie]

 

[mightyquack]

Gulls lose 3-2 in OT.

Clang was great, made an insane save in OT too.

Not too sure on the GWG, sure looked like Clang was spun round by the forward who skates straight into the blue paint on the rush while the other forward dekes it round Clang.

 

[tomd]

Pointless streaks:
Gaucher 12 games
Myatovic 10 games

Both are neck and neck with offensive dynamo Noah Warren to see who will be the first to reach 2 points this year. Banish them to Tulsa where they belong.

 

[mightyquack]

Pointless streaks:
Gaucher 12 games
Myatovic 10 games

Both are neck and neck with offensive dynamo Noah Warren to see who will be the first to reach 2 points this year. Banish them to Tulsa where they belong.

Myatovic has been bad and should be in Juniors, which I've said from the first few games of the season.

Gaucher has been playing well outside of offensive production, but is also playing a pretty specific shutdown role on the Gulls this season. He's never putting up huge point totals in the AHL (granted you want to see more then 1 point from him).

Warren has had a solid season to date for a rookie defenceman, and is our best hope of having another top 4 RHD (outside of Luneau).

 

[anezthes]

Love that second goal by Pasta.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Myatovic has been bad and should be in Juniors, which I've said from the first few games of the season.

Gaucher has been playing well outside of offensive production, but is also playing a pretty specific shutdown role on the Gulls this season. He's never putting up huge point totals in the AHL (granted you want to see more then 1 point from him).

Warren has had a solid season to date for a rookie defenceman, and is our best hope of having another top 4 RHD (outside of Luneau).

Your point on Gaucher is valid, however it's still quite concerning that he's failing to produce at all right now. Even a borderline NHL talent (which Gaucher should at least be close to by now) ought to be able to put up middle six type numbers in the AHL, historically speaking.

He's never going to be an offensive guy, but a forward with NHL tools and a year in the AHL already under his belt - should be pacing for around 30-40 points at minimum, or the alarm bells start to ring.

It's still fairly early, hopefully he can string some points together here soon. I hated that we didn't get anything higher ceiling out of that trade at the time and still despise it though.

 

[tomd]

Myatovic has been bad and should be in Juniors, which I've said from the first few games of the season.

Gaucher has been playing well outside of offensive production, but is also playing a pretty specific shutdown role on the Gulls this season. He's never putting up huge point totals in the AHL (granted you want to see more then 1 point from him).

Warren has had a solid season to date for a rookie defenceman, and is our best hope of having another top 4 RHD (outside of Luneau).

To clarify, I've no problem with Warren. My point was meant to be that both Warren and Gaucher each have one point this year. That is 100% an indictment of Gaucher. Sorry that I didn't make that clearer.

There are no excuses for Gaucher this year. Jim Johnson (Director of Player Development) said that we would see a "whole different" Gaucher this year now that he is healthy. I don't think he meant we'd see a zero offense 4th line AHL player. I've been very down on him as a player since I actually started watching him play when he was in junior. Nothing he has done since then has changed my mind. It is looking like a terrible waste of a 1st round pick at this point.

Ducks of Tomorrow: Forward Prospect Update with Director of Player Development Jim Johnson | Anaheim Ducks

For a prospect pool ranked across the hockey world as one of the best in the sport, Anaheim's young talent took steps towards the NHL in 2023-24 and now turns its attention to a busy summer off the ice. Armed with a young, emerging core together in Orange County and

www.nhl.com

 

[AngelDuck]

it’s fair to compliment Madden when he finds a Zellweger or Luneau or Colangelo and also fair to criticize him for a Mayatovic or Gaucher or Tracey

 

[Hey234]

To clarify, I've no problem with Warren. My point was meant to be that both Warren and Gaucher each have one point this year. That is 100% an indictment of Gaucher. Sorry that I didn't make that clearer.

There are no excuses for Gaucher this year. Jim Johnson (Director of Player Development) said that we would see a "whole different" Gaucher this year now that he is healthy. I don't think he meant we'd see a zero offense 4th line AHL player. I've been very down on him as a player since I actually started watching him play when he was in junior. Nothing he has done since then has changed my mind. It is looking like a terrible waste of a 1st round pick at this point.

Ducks of Tomorrow: Forward Prospect Update with Director of Player Development Jim Johnson | Anaheim Ducks

For a prospect pool ranked across the hockey world as one of the best in the sport, Anaheim's young talent took steps towards the NHL in 2023-24 and now turns its attention to a busy summer off the ice. Armed with a young, emerging core together in Orange County and

www.nhl.com

From an alternative perspective, Vatrano scored 32 goals last season and this year he has 2. Which is the real Vatrano? For Gaucher, many here believed he played well enough in the preseason to potentially earn a 4th line spot. Roughly 20 games later, he's a busy and waste of a 1st round pick. Which is the real Gaucher?

Development is not linear. Sometimes players take big jumps, sometimes they don't. That doesn't mean he's useless. There will most likely be players drafted later that him that become better players. But that's true of literally every single team. It is not an indictment of the scouts drafting. Maybe we let a 21 year old develop more before drawing conclusions of "terrible waste".

 

[Deuce22]

Using points as the only evaluation tool for a player that’s being groomed to be a physical bottom sixer that kills penalties is confusing. A winning roster isn’t built with nothing but scoring skill guys.

 

[AngelDuck]

Using points as the only evaluation tool for a player that’s being groomed to be a physical bottom sixer that kills penalties is confusing. A winning roster isn’t built with nothing but scoring skill guys.

that’s certainly true, but drafting Derek Grant in the 1st round isn’t how you build that winning roster: there has to be a middle ground here

I’m not sure how you can even be sure Gaucher has an NHL career at this point. He might carve out a role but it’s not like he’s a sure fire great 4th line center

 

[tomd]

When he was drafted, Gaucher was projected to be a middle six center who could possibly play on the 2nd line when needed.

Now he’s projected as a 4th line center with no offense.

I guess the good news is that he can’t go any lower in the lineup. The bad news is that he may not achieve even the current minimal expectations.

 

[All Mighty]

When he was drafted, Gaucher was projected to be a middle six center who could possibly play on the 2nd line when needed.

Now he’s projected as a 4th line center with no offense.

I guess the good news is that he can’t go any lower in the lineup. The bad news is that he may not achieve even the current minimal expectations.

Ok man, we get it. You don’t have to say the same things over and over again. We all know how you feel and where you stand.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Gaucher's threshold is to be Groulx or better. Both shutdown centers. Gaucher was drafted 22nd overall and Groulx was drafted 54th overall.

Groulx	v	Gaucher
Prospect	Season	Year	League	Games	G	A	Pts	PPG	.	Plus/Minus
Groulx	D + 0	2017-18	QMJHL	68​	28​	27​	55​	0.81​		9​
Gaucher	D + 0	2021-22	QMJHL	66​	31​	26​	57​	0.86​		30​
Groulx	D + 1	2018-19	QMJHL	65​	31​	49​	80​	1.23​		37​
Gaucher	D + 1	2022-23	QMJHL	19​	13​	11​	24​	1.26​		15​
Groulx	D + 2	2019-20	QMJHL	57​	29​	49​	78​	1.37​		20​
Gaucher	D + 2	2023-24	AHL	72​	10​	15​	25​	0.35​		1​
Groulx	D + 3	2020-21	AHL	42​	10​	19​	29​	0.69​		14​
Gaucher	D + 3	2024-25	AHL	16​	0​	1​	1​	0.06​		-4​

Gaucher's offense is lagging behind Groulx at the moment. TBF, the 2020-21 Gulls were the 3rd best team in the Pacific, but Groulx was the Gulls' 3rd best scorer on the team with the highest +/- rating too.

It's still too early to tell about Gaucher. Although I wanted other more offensive players like Snuggerud or Kulich (who scored the game winner against the Ducks in OT last night), I am pulling for Gaucher to succeed to help the Ducks succeed.

 

[ZegrassyKnoll]

that’s certainly true, but drafting Derek Grant in the 1st round isn’t how you build that winning roster: there has to be a middle ground here

I’m not sure how you can even be sure Gaucher has an NHL career at this point. He might carve out a role but it’s not like he’s a sure fire great 4th line center

Only 65% of picks between 16-31 go on to play more than 99 NHL games. Grant played over 400 lol

 

[Hockey Duckie]

it’s fair to compliment Madden when he finds a Zellweger or Luneau or Colangelo and also fair to criticize him for a Mayatovic or Gaucher or Tracey

I wonder if our org did Tracey and Perreault wrong b/c both took huge steps forward in 2021-22, but degraded each consecutive season there after. We are currently talking about how Z might be broken offensively under Cronin.

 

[tomd]

Ok man, we get it. You don’t have to say the same things over and over again. We all know how you feel and where you stand.

I’ve deliberately stayed away from talking about Gaucher after reading what Jim Johnson said about him over the summer. But it is now clear that something isn’t working. Both Gaucher and the organization should be embarrassed at his play so far this year. Verbeek wants accountability...well, so do I.

 

[Hey234]

When he was drafted, Gaucher was projected to be a middle six center who could possibly play on the 2nd line when needed.

Now he’s projected as a 4th line center with no offense.

I guess the good news is that he can’t go any lower in the lineup. The bad news is that he may not achieve even the current minimal expectations.

This is an expectation issue and not a Gaucher issue. Scouts, media, and fans put an unrealistic expectation on his potential. Essentially, he's not met those expectations yet so thus he's a failure and waste of a pick. If anyone is consistently expecting to get 2nd line centers from the bottom of the 1st round, then that's unrealistic from a statical standpoint. If the Ducks get a serviceable player from the later parts of the 1st, that's a success, not a failure.

I’ve deliberately stayed away from talking about Gaucher after reading what Jim Johnson said about him over the summer. But it is now clear that something isn’t working. Both Gaucher and the organization should be embarrassed at his play so far this year. Verbeek wants accountability...well, so do I.

Why would the organization be embarrassed? A 1st round pick is playing in the AHL at 21. That's usually a good thing....

 

[Deuce22]

that’s certainly true, but drafting Derek Grant in the 1st round isn’t how you build that winning roster: there has to be a middle ground here

I’m not sure how you can even be sure Gaucher has an NHL career at this point. He might carve out a role but it’s not like he’s a sure fire great 4th line center

Agree. My point wasn’t that Gaucher is a sure fire NHL player, but that points isn’t the only evidence of his development.

 

[tomd]

This is an expectation issue and not a Gaucher issue. Scouts, media, and fans put an unrealistic expectation on his potential. Essentially, he's not met those expectations yet so thus he's a failure and waste of a pick. If anyone is consistently expecting to get 2nd line centers from the bottom of the 1st round, then that's unrealistic from a statical standpoint. If the Ducks get a serviceable player from the later parts of the 1st, that's a success, not a failure.



Why would the organization be embarrassed? A 1st round pick is playing in the AHL at 21. That's usually a good thing....

When I have some more time I’ll go back and see what verbeek and madden said about him after he was drafted. I’m pretty sure I won’t find that they were hoping he’s turn into a zero offense 4C.

There are lots and lots of 21 year-olds playing in the AHL right now who will never sniff the NHL. Almost none of them were 1st round picks though.

Every fan base is guilty of overrating their prospects but at some point reality has to set in.

 

[AngelDuck]

Only 65% of picks between 16-31 go on to play more than 99 NHL games. Grant played over 400 lol

Yeah, if someone told me right now that Nathan Gaucher would have as good of a career as Derek Grant has had, I would take it.

That seems like his upside and I personally have a problem with that. To each their own

 

[tomd]

Yeah, if someone told me right now that Nathan Gaucher would have as good of a career as Derek Grant has had, I would take it.

That seems like his upside and I personally have a problem with that. To each their own

The funny (or sad) thing is that I’ve been saying that Gaucher’s upside was Derek Grant since I started watching him. Unfortunately, that looks like the best case right now.

 

[shach1]

Pointless streaks:
Gaucher 12 games
Myatovic 10 games


If these picks are busts, it shortens are cup window when Terry ages out of his prime in 2030 or 2031.

Missed out on Kulich who scored the gwg against us yesterday, Danila Yurov and Jimmy Snuggurud. 3 top forward prospects rn by drafting Gaucher.

You can get a 4th line C anywhere.

We passed on Andrew Cristal with taking Mayatovic.

Leading scorer in the WHL.

I don't know why you would ever draft a player who basically has a third line ceiling.

Those are the easiest guys to find in FA.


Ritche Tracy Perault Mayatovic Gaucher