2024-25 San Diego Gulls/Tulsa Oilers

[WhatTheDuck]

I wouldn't consider it "rushing" to have an CHL prospect advance to the AHL for their age 20 season rather than return as an overage, that's the normal progression for a prospect that age if they are expected to have an NHL future.

There are only a dozen skaters in the OHL who are playing an overage season and were drafted at some point or have NHL rights owned. There's none that were drafted in 2023, signed to an ELC and returned to junior. A few that were just drafted in their D+2, some other 2023 picks who are questionable to get signed (Konnor Smith among them) and one undrafted FA that the Oilers signed and then sent back. If you think a CHL prospect is worth signing at age 20, it's really uncommon to send them back as an overage. Definitely not "rushing" to send a player along the same path as the vast majority of their peers.

I could have understood going with an atypical path for Myatovic and sending him back, given everything he went through last year. But then you run the risk of him saying FU and refusing to sign before his rights expire this spring as well.

Pitre has been described as playing a pro style game, he just needs to get stronger so he can apply it at the AHL level. Let's see if he can make the necessary progression as a second and third year pro.

 

[tomd]

The ECHL should be a perfectly acceptable option for guys like Pitre and Myatovic. Get pro experience and some confidence at the same time. Right now these guys are just getting manhandled and overmatched every single game in the AHL. Not sure how destroying their confidence at 20 years-old is a good thing. But maybe it is.

 

[Kalv]

The ECHL should be a perfectly acceptable option for guys like Pitre and Myatovic. Get pro experience and some confidence at the same time. Right now these guys are just getting manhandled and overmatched every single game in the AHL. Not sure how destroying their confidence at 20 years-old is a good thing. But maybe it is.

So much this.

 

[TheDarkWingThatDucks]

I think pretty same way than GM Verbeek + it's better that guy's like Pitre and Myatovic plays against men/other youngsters than against teenagers.

Obviously I'm only one, who thinks that Myatovic is a good prospect and will in future be a better player than Pitre. Myatovic is still physically so immature (albeit a lot stronger now than in spring), but in my mind he is a defensively smart and responsible player, works hard, is not afraid to take hit and decent skater and passer. He can already use his long reach pretty well.

It will take 20 lbs muscle and c. 150 games (this season and next and maybye 30 games more) in the AHL until he is ready to chase NHL job. But if things go as I hope, 23 years old Myatovic will be a defensively oriented, heavy to play against, pass first, bearable good thirdliner or a honestly good fourth liner. He just turned 20 years a couple weeks ago!

Buddy is a T-birds fan he said Myatovic was super clutch glue guy in his line. Lots of game wining goals that helped them get to the memorial cup.

 

[TheGoodShepard1]

Roster might not be doing him any favors, but it really sucks that McIlvane appears to be way in over his head. A hire that I was actually encouraged about given he’d actually won things and his propensity for positivity (lord knows this organization needs more of it)

 

[WhatTheDuck]

The ECHL should be a perfectly acceptable option for guys like Pitre and Myatovic. Get pro experience and some confidence at the same time. Right now these guys are just getting manhandled and overmatched every single game in the AHL. Not sure how destroying their confidence at 20 years-old is a good thing. But maybe it is.

I wish the minors were structured in such a way that the ECHL was closer to AA baseball (younger but with higher end talent) while the AHL had more of your older fringe talents

 

[Static]

Dionicio back in the lineup today.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Dionicio back in the lineup today.

Hey that's good to hear. Whatever he did, if it wasn't bad enough to drop him or trade him - he surely has sat long enough.

 

[ZegrassyKnoll]

Roster might not be doing him any favors, but it really sucks that McIlvane appears to be way in over his head. A hire that I was actually encouraged about given he’d actually won things and his propensity for positivity (lord knows this organization needs more of it)

Yeah would be interesting to see what he could do with some combination of Cutter/Zell/Mintyukov added to the line-up.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Roster might not be doing him any favors, but it really sucks that McIlvane appears to be way in over his head. A hire that I was actually encouraged about given he’d actually won things and his propensity for positivity (lord knows this organization needs more of it)

We have no one above the age of 23 on the blue line signed by the Ducks before the season started. That means no fringe NHL d-men for the AHL. Because we traded away Vaak and no fringe d-man signed to an NHL contract, we are forced to keep youth Helleson up in the NHL as a healthy scratch since Dec 9th.

San Diego has only three forwards above the age of 23 signed in Regenda (25), Meyer (27), and Harkins (27).

The Gulls are lacking talent and signed fringe NHL talent on its roster to help usher in our youths as well as keep them down on the farm should injuries arise so they don't have to sit on the bench, healthy scratch for games on end like Helleson is doing now.

I don't know what coach McIlvane is supposed to do with a roster doomed for failure. We have seen some furious comebacks that have been successful and unsuccessful. That reveals his positivity with his group, but it is a little engine that could ... try and still not be enough.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Pasta scored two goals in today's loss. Myatovic finally got his first goal of the season.

Sidorov and Pastujov taking turns at scoring in different games, kinda like matching each other. I wonder who is Getzlaf and who is Bobby Ryan?

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Pasta scored two goals in today's loss. Myatovic finally got his first goal of the season.

Sidorov and Pastujov taking turns at scoring in different games, kinda like matching each other. I wonder who is Getzlaf and who is Bobby Ryan?

Idk hopefully that lights a fire under myatovic... but man that looks like a wasted pick.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Idk hopefully that lights a fire under myatovic... but man that looks like a wasted pick.

Myatovic was at the bottom of my potential 2nd round candidates, but did surprise me he was our first second round pick out of the three we owned. I like RW Halttunen, RD Gibson, RD Strbak, C Nelson, C Terrance, and G Clara ahead of Myatovic. The first five players listed are all on WJC teams, according to THW.

Although Myatovic did score 30 goals in his D+0 season, it felt more like an anomaly. He's more known for his defense, speed, and length (6'2). His D+1 season started of terrible and he missed over half the season. That goal scoring ability did not present itself in Myatovic's D+1 season. THW scouting report stated that he isn't creative offensively and relied on his teammates to get scoring. Madden said that Myatovic was his version of the ultimate support winger.

Gotta view Myatovic as a long term project if he's solely a shutdown guy coming from the CHL. It might take some time to adapt to playing defense in the pros, but if he adds weight that doesn't affect his skating, then Myatovic might have a chance in the bottom-6. He's got two more seasons left on his ELC to grow and adapt.

 

[Kalv]

Dionicio back in the lineup today.

Perhaps it was internal 10 game suspention

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Perhaps it was internal 10 game suspention

Solberg's SHL team also had its internal game suspension for Solberg too. We got some truly passionate LD's on our hands and I'm glad we do have coaches willing to bench them for conduct unbecoming. We need players with strong and controlled mentality if they're to thrive into higher levels of competition. Once calmed down, then the coaches let them back into the fold.

 

[anezthes]

4-game losing streak. 5 goals in that span.

 

[Kalv]

4-game losing streak. 5 goals in that span.

Pat's gonna Pat. I don't see any reason why San Diego should be this bad.

 

[AngelDuck]

Pat's gonna Pat. I don't see any reason why San Diego should be this bad.

San Diego is this bad because we have failed to execute on late 1st round picks and the veterans added have been underwhelming down there aside from Harkins who has been with the big club for a while

There’s a ton of focus on Mayatovic being a waste of a pick on here, but Gaucher is more glaring to me right now. He’s in his 2nd pro season and has 1 goal in 27 games

At some point you have to take a step back and wonder if there’s even any potential there at all. I understand that he wasn’t drafted to be a high scoring NHL player but it’s not unfair to expect 30-40 points out of him in his 2nd AHL season. He’s failing miserably

 

[Kalv]

San Diego is this bad because we have failed to execute on late 1st round picks and the veterans added have been underwhelming down there aside from Harkins who has been with the big club for a while

There’s a ton of focus on Mayatovic being a waste of a pick on here, but Gaucher is more glaring to me right now. He’s in his 2nd pro season and has 1 goal in 27 games

At some point you have to take a step back and wonder if there’s even any potential there at all. I understand that he wasn’t drafted to be a high scoring NHL player but it’s not unfair to expect 30-40 points out of him in his 2nd AHL season. He’s failing miserably

If we REALLY hit a late forst round pick, he'd not be in San Diego for long anyway. It certainly is an element but there are issues in the bigger picture as well, imo.

Gaucher and Myatovic are really dissapointing so far, agreed. You get those guys in later rounds.

 

[McDonald19]

San Diego is this bad because we have failed to execute on late 1st round picks and the veterans added have been underwhelming down there aside from Harkins who has been with the big club for a while

There’s a ton of focus on Mayatovic being a waste of a pick on here, but Gaucher is more glaring to me right now. He’s in his 2nd pro season and has 1 goal in 27 games

At some point you have to take a step back and wonder if there’s even any potential there at all. I understand that he wasn’t drafted to be a high scoring NHL player but it’s not unfair to expect 30-40 points out of him in his 2nd AHL season. He’s failing miserably

At least with Gaucher there is hope he can look better in the NHL in a defined structured role, like Helleson has.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

At least with Gaucher there is hope he can look better in the NHL in a defined structured role, like Helleson has.

I hope so too, but he's only looked good when paired with Caulfield. And any scoring winger will generate points as their winger. The difference between him and Helleson is that the org was trying to make Helleson as a "do it all" top-pairing D when he's shutdown D that could chip in. Gaucher has usually been in a bottom-6 role for the past two seasons.

 

[ZegrassyKnoll]

IMO people overthink AHL success.

Good AHL teams aren't good because they have good NHL prospects, good coaches, or good systems... It's because they're full of good AHL players.

The Gulls right now are full of guys we drafted that have nowhere else to go. They're still NHL prospects, not AHL players.

Back when the Gulls were great, they were led in points by guys like Kossila, Tropp, and Kevin Roy.

 

[mightyquack]

San Diego is this bad because we have failed to execute on late 1st round picks and the veterans added have been underwhelming down there aside from Harkins who has been with the big club for a while

There’s a ton of focus on Mayatovic being a waste of a pick on here, but Gaucher is more glaring to me right now. He’s in his 2nd pro season and has 1 goal in 27 games

At some point you have to take a step back and wonder if there’s even any potential there at all. I understand that he wasn’t drafted to be a high scoring NHL player but it’s not unfair to expect 30-40 points out of him in his 2nd AHL season. He’s failing miserably

Watching Gaucher you can see there is potential, the offence has been disappointing but the rest of his game has been very good with the Gulls this season, there's a reason he plays a ton of tough minutes for them. Has potential be a very good shutdown centre at the NHL level.

Now whether you want that from a late 1st round pick if another question.

Myatovic doesn't even look like he has the ability to play long term at the AHL level right now, let alone the NHL level.

 

[190Octane]

Watching Gaucher you can see there is potential, the offence has been disappointing but the rest of his game has been very good with the Gulls this season, there's a reason he plays a ton of tough minutes for them. Has potential be a very good shutdown centre at the NHL level.

Now whether you want that from a late 1st round pick if another question.

Myatovic doesn't even look like he has the ability to play long term at the AHL level right now, let alone the NHL level.

I don’t know how Gaucher’s game compares to Sammy Pahlsson but if he becomes the Jesus to Sammy’s God I wouldn’t complain about using a late 1st rounder on him.