The 2022 AHL Playoffs will feature the top seven teams from the Pacific

We are entering the business part of the season with the Gulls having played 33 games out of 68 total on the season. As they set their sights on the playoffs you might be surprised to know that it was announced before the season that all divisions will play an inter-divisional seeded “play in” round to start the 2021-2022 AHL Playoffs, with the last team left standing from each division facing-off against one-another until the two best remaining battle it out for the Calder Cup.

How does that work for the Pacific with its nine teams as opposed to the other divisions with eight in the Atlantic, seven in the North and seven in the Central? Well as revealed by the AHL in August before the season’s start, the top seven teams from the Pacific will make this play-in tournament with the division leader getting a bye into the second round while the remaining six teams face each-other in a best of three series similar to what we saw the Gulls play at the end of last season against the Condors.

As it stands right now, the Gulls are desperately clinging to that seventh spot but do have the capacity to move up as high as fourth place by stringing together a few wins.

Confused by this new format? Let me break it down for you in real time. If the Playoffs were to start today, the Gulls would be playing the second placed Heat in a best of three series, the Canucks would be facing the third placed Condors and the Eagles and Silver Knights facing off in the middle division series.

This format massively benefits the Gulls who – to be honest – haven’t looked like a playoff team for most of the season largely due to a lack of personnel. If they can just hang on – string together some more short win-streaks and tread water until the end of the season they should hopefully receive an injection of talent in the form of 2018 third round pick Blake McLaughlin and potentially 2019 fourth round selection Henry Thrun. Both are near point per game players in their Senior and Junior seasons at College respectively.

They could also receive some help from some more recent draft picks as their 2021-2022 Junior seasons come to an end, the likes of Mason McTavish, Sasha Pastujov, Olen Zellweger and Sean Tschigerl have had mammoth post-draft seasons this year and all were selected in the most recent 2021 NHL entry draft.

The Gulls last game is scheduled for April 29th, the OHL (McTavish and Pastujov) is slated to end around early April but both of their respective teams (Hamilton and Guelph) are in playoff positions as of right now. Similarly the WHL ends in early April with Zellweger’s Everett Silvertips leading their conference and Sean Tschigerls Calgary Hitmen currently clinging to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. We have seen in previous years that sometimes a Junior prospects team gets either upset or knocked out early and the Gulls benefit by receiving that player as a Black Ace for their post season drive. With four or five players currently in the CHL (I missed 2021 third round pick Tyson Hinds also) there is a higher chance of that happening.

Of course; I have not mentioned the potential cavalry the Gulls could also receive back from the Ducks at the conclusion of their season. That is because as of right now, the Ducks are in a playoff position so it is looking likely they cannot expect any help from them and will more likely continue to lose bodies up to the parent club as the end of the season draws near and wear and tear results in a few more injuries.

That said, should the Ducks get bounced in the first round while the Gulls are still currently engaged in their own playoff battle – they could hope to receive the following.

• Max Comtois
• Trevor Zegras
• Jamie Drydsale
• Simon Benoit

All of the above players are waiver exempt, other Gulls currently with the Ducks such as Vinni Lettieri, Greg Pateryn, Buddy Robinson, Danny O’Regan and Jacob Larsson will all need to clear waivers in order to be assigned.

So buckle up and have hope Gulls fans! San Diego can still make the playoffs and they can still do some damage, the end of this season will be a very exciting one hopefully with some much more high scoring and fun games than we have been treated with thus far this year.