Ducks hire Sommer to coach club’s AHL team in San Diego

Roy Sommer, the winningest coach in American Hockey League history, was named Tuesday as the coach of the Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. He’s the third coach in three seasons for the Gulls, following Joel Bouchard this past season and Kevin Dineen in 202021.

Sommer, 65, spent the past 24 seasons coaching the San Jose Sharks’ AHL teams. He is the AHL’s alltime leader in victories with 808 and games coached with 1,736. He coached many of the Sharks’ top players past and present, including Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl.

“Roy brings invaluable experience behind the bench as the winningest coach in the history of the AHL,” Rob DiMaio, the Ducks’ assistant general manager and Gulls’ general manager, said in a statement. “His strong track record of developing players ready to play in the NHL will help us continue a winning culture in San Diego for the league’s top fans.”

Sommer, an Oakland native, was named the AHL’s coach of the year in 201617. However, the Sharks’ affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, finished this past season with a 20-42-6 record, including a 0-13-2 skid to end 2021-22, and he was fired. The Barracuda’s .338 points percentage was last in the league.

His all-time coaching record in the AHL is 808-721107.

Beauchemin, Sbisa depart Ducks

Francois Beauchemin and Luca Sbisa have left their jobs in the Ducks’ player development department in order to spend more time with their families, the team announced. Beauchemin and Sbisa assisted director of player development Todd Marchant, who left the Ducks at the end of this season.

The Ducks hired Jim Johnson as Marchant’s replacement on Monday.

Beauchemin, a defenseman, played 592 games with the Ducks in three stints. He was a member of their 200607 Stanley Cup championship team. He retired after the 2017-18 season. Sbisa, also a defenseman, played 227 games with the Ducks out of his NHL total of 549.