Ducks extend McIlvane after Gulls clinch first playoff berth since 2022

Anaheim turned San Diego’s long climb into a vote of confidence, giving Gulls head coach Matt McIlvane a multi-year extension just days after the club clinched its first Calder Cup Playoff berth since 2021-22. The Gulls secured the Pacific Division’s final spot with a 7-3 win over Bakersfield and Tucson’s overtime loss to Colorado, then stood at 33-24-8-4 with three games left, good for the fifth playoff appearance in franchise history.

The move goes beyond a routine contract update. It links the Ducks’ NHL rebuild to the bench in San Diego, where McIlvane has become a central piece of Anaheim’s development structure. General manager Pat Verbeek said McIlvane “has been an integral part in the development and growth of our players and prospects in San Diego,” underscoring how much the organization values continuity between the parent club and its AHL affiliate.

The results back up that view. San Diego’s 33 wins and 17 road wins were the most since 2018-19, when the Gulls finished with 36 wins and 18 road victories. Their .559 points percentage was their best mark since 2019-20, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Under McIlvane, the club’s standings points climbed in every season of his tenure, from 43 to 63, then to 66, and finally to 78 with three games remaining in 2025-26. That progression matters in an organization that has been looking for proof that prospect growth can translate into real standings gains.

McIlvane’s impact has stretched well beyond San Diego’s record. Since he was hired in April 2023, 13 players have appeared for both the Ducks and Gulls, including Jansen Harkins, Drew Helleson, Tyson Hinds, Ville Husso, Ian Moore, Tim Washe and Olen Zellweger. Six of those 13 made their NHL debuts during McIlvane’s tenure, evidence that the AHL side has been more than a holding pattern for Anaheim’s young talent.

The 42-year-old native of Naperville, Illinois, arrives with a winning pedigree of his own. Before coming to Anaheim, McIlvane won five league championships in Europe over 10 seasons, including back-to-back titles as head coach of EC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and three straight championships as an assistant with EHC Red Bull München in Germany. Anaheim extended Verbeek’s contract one week earlier, and the back-to-back decisions signal a front office and AHL staff being built to move together.