Like many of his San Diego Gulls teammates, center Ben King is just getting started on his journey in professional hockey.
King scored his first professional goal in Sunday’s 6-4 road victory over the Ontario Reign, a notable achievement in what he hopes will be a long career.
Taken in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL draft by the Anaheim Ducks, the Vernon, British Columbia native is one of several young talents in the organization.
The 21-year-old and his fellow Gulls enter Friday night’s home opener at Pechanga Arena with a 2-0 record following a pair of wins in Ontario last weekend. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.
“Obviously, it’s nice to get that one early in the year and kind of give me some confidence,” said King, who did not play in last Friday’s season-opening 4-1 win over the Reign. “And it was awesome playing and getting the win, a good four points against a really good team. It was a fun game for me and for the whole team.”
For a Gulls franchise that was the worst in the AHL a year ago, the first-weekend wins were a very pleasant event.
King’s goal, which he described as coming from a “lucky bounce,” was assisted by fellow rookies Travis Howe and Tyson Hinds.
Sunday also saw 22-year old forward Judd Caulfield score his first AHL goal, 19-year old center Nathan Gaucher post his first AHL assist and 20-year old defensemen Olen Zellweger post his third assist in two games.
Those players, along with others, will form the core of a Gulls team that’s led by first-year coach Matt McIlvane. McIlvane said seeing the youngsters step up was “huge.”
“I mean, we’ve got two goals here — (to) develop and to win,” he said. “We know that if we don’t develop, we don’t have a chance, and there were two, three of our first-year players that I thought had their best game that I’ve seen from them so far — including rookie tournament, including main camp, including the start of the season. It’s fun. It’s good to see those guys have some success, because they’re going to carry a lot of the ball for us.”
King was described by this way by ElitePropects.com leading up to the 2022 draft: “He feathers pucks through tiny openings, makes crafty backhand es to the inside and winds up powerful wristers. He’s also a capable off-puck player, finding space by sneaking away from defenders and sprinting downhill in the perfect moments.”
Rematch on tap
Friday marks the Gulls’ third game of the season against Ontario. San Diego 2-6 against Ontario last season, finishing 31 points behind the Reign in the Pacific Division standings.
Opening night giveaway
The first 8,000 fans at Friday’s opener will receive a Gulls third jersey-themed cooler bag, rally towel and light-up wristband.
