SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (0-0-0-0) vs. SAN DIEGO GULLS (0-0-0-0)

SAT, OCT. 3, 2026 | 3 PM | TECH CU ARENA |  SAN JOSE, CA

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AND SO IT BEGINS: The Barracuda open their 12th season in the American Hockey League on Saturday afternoon, welcoming the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks) to Tech CU Arena for a 3 p.m. puck drop. The Barracuda are coming off a 40-28-2-2 (84 points) record in 2025-26, marking just the second 40-win season in franchise history. SJB finished sixth in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Western Conference before advancing to the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Gulls finished directly behind San Jose in the Pacific, posting a 33-27-8-4 record for 78 points and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.

FAMILIAR FOE: Saturday marks the first of eight meetings between the Barracuda and Gulls this season and the first of two this weekend. The Barracuda went 5-3-0-0 against the Gulls a year ago, with three of the eight meetings requiring overtime or a shootout. San Jose won all three. The teams split four games at Tech CU Arena. All-time, the Cuda are 37-37-8-5 in 87 meetings against the Ducks’ top affiliate, including 21-17-4-2 at home.

ABOUT THE BARRACUDA: The Barracuda enter 2026-27 with a mix of returning players, prospects and veteran additions. Newly named captain Jimmy Huntington headlines a returning group that includes last year’s leading scorer Filip Bystedt, along with Ethan Cardwell, Mattias Hävelid and Anthony Vincent. Newcomers include veteran forwards Tye Felhaber and Andre Gasseau, defensemen Roland McKeown and Libor Hájek, and goaltenders Eric Comrie and Ilya Samsonov. Additionally, top prospects Carson Wetsch and Erik Pohlkamp are set to begin their pro careers. Health permitting, the Barracuda should eventually receive several players currently with the Sharks, including Alex Barre-Boulet, Cam Lund and Patrick Giles.

GULL SETTING: San Diego opens 2026-27 with a 27-player roster featuring 10 Anaheim draft picks. Captain Ryan Carpenter and Matthew Phillips headline the returning group, while newcomers include James Hamblin, Sean Farrell, Jett Woo, Corey Schueneman and Laurent Brossoit. Carpenter, Woo and Brossoit are former Barracuda, with Woo and Brossoit skating for SJB last season. The roster also includes former first-round picks Nathan Gaucher, Roger McQueen and Stian Solberg. Dave Manson takes over as head coach after serving as a Gulls assistant last season.

AYE AYE, CAPTAIN: The San Jose Barracuda named forward Jimmy Huntington team captain for the 2026-27 season. Huntington, 27, served as an alternate captain last season and becomes the seventh captain in franchise history. In his first year with San Jose, the Laval, Quebec native posted a career-high 48 points (15 goals, 33 assists) in 71 games, finishing tied for second on the team in scoring and earning the Barracuda’s Fan Favorite award. Huntington has recorded 165 points in 315 career AHL games and won the 2024 Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears.

FIL IT UP: Sharks’ 2022 first-round pick Filip Bystedt is back with the Barracuda to begin the 2026-27 campaign after leading the team last season in points (60), assists (38), game-winning goals (6) and overtime goals (2), while finishing second in goals (22). The 22-year-old center was particularly productive against San Diego, collecting seven points (one goal, six assists) in seven meetings. Bystedt enters his third professional season in North America.

CUDA GRADUATES: The Barracuda-to-Sharks pipeline continues in 2026-27, with Igor Chernyshov, Luca Cagnoni and Nolan Allan all earning spots on the Sharks’ opening roster after spending significant time with the Barracuda last season. Chernyshov produced 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 41 AHL games, while Cagnoni totaled 43 points (eight goals, 35 assists) in 67 contests. Both made an immediate impact in the Sharks’ season-opening win on Thursday, with Cagnoni recording two points (one goal, one assist), including his first NHL goal in overtime. Zack Ostapchuk, who also spent time with the Barracuda last season, is on the Sharks’ opening roster.

POWERING UP: San Jose finished last season with one of the AHL’s most productive power plays, converting at 24.3% (66-for-272). The Cuda were even better at Tech CU Arena, operating at 26.2% on home ice. San Diego finished at 19.5% on the power play while posting an 83.5% penalty kill. In the season series, SJB went 3-for-25 (12%) on the power play, while San Diego finished 3-for-27 (11.1%).

VETS IN NET: The Barracuda open the season with an experienced tandem of Eric Comrie and Ilya Samsonov, who have combined for more than 300 NHL appearances. Comrie joined the Sharks organization as a free agent this summer and brings more than 100 games of NHL experience. Samsonov, a former first-round pick of Washington, has spent parts of seven seasons in the NHL with the Capitals, Maple Leafs and Golden Knights. The duo gives San Jose one of the most NHL-experienced goaltending tandems in the AHL.