San Diego Sabers

     Owner(s)Tomas KapustaGeneral managerTomas KapustaHead coachDomenic DiCicco^[1]Franchise history2001–2008San Diego Surf2008–2015San Diego Gulls2015–presentSan Diego Sabers

The San Diego Sabers are a junior ice hockey team and are a member of United States Premier Hockey League. The team is based in Carlsbad, California, and plays at the Carlsbad Icetown. The team was the fourth team to be known as the San Diego Gulls from 2008 to 2015 until it gave up the nickname to the American Hockey League San Diego Gulls before the 2015–16 season.

History

The franchise was founded in 2001 as the San Diego Surf. At the time, the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) was a Tier III Junior B league before later transitioning to a Junior A in 2007.^[2] It played as the Surf from 2001 until 2008 when the team took the name San Diego Gulls, the name of three former hockey franchises in San Diego.^[3][4][5]

Prior to the 2011–12 season, the WSHL and all its team members, including the Gulls, became Amateur Athletic Union sanctioned instead of USA Hockey, the first Junior A hockey league to make that transition.

In February 2015, it was announced that the team has changed its name to San Diego Sabers for the 2015–16 season as the San Diego Gulls name would be used by the new San Diego AHL team.^[6]

In 2017, the Sabers were sold to former Czech national team and Olympian Tomas Kapusta.^[7]

In 2020, the Sabers left the WSHL and joined another independent junior hockey league, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL), in the Premier Division.^[8] The team also relocated from Iceplex Escondido in Escondido, California, to Carlsbad Icetown in Carlsbad, California.^[9]

Season-by-season records

Season	GP	W	L	OTW	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
2010–11	46	23	22	—	1	47	141	151	—	4th of 8, Western 7th of 13, WSHL	Lost div. semifinals, 0–2 vs. Idaho Jr. Steelheads
2011–12	46	24	17	—	5	53	181	132	851	2nd of 6, Western 7th of 16, WSHL	Lost div. semifinals, 0–2 vs. Valencia Flyers
2012–13	46	24	18	—	4	52	173	131	620	4th of 6, Western 10th of 22, WSHL	Lost div. semifinals, 0–2 vs. Valencia Flyers
2013–14	46	8	35	—	3	19	142	226	837	6th of 6, Western 21st of 24, WSHL	Did not qualify
2014–15	46	15	29	—	2	32	146	208	998	6th of 8, Western 22nd of 28, WSHL	Won div. quarterfinals, 2–1 vs. Long Beach Bombers Lost div. semifinals, 0–2 vs. Fresno Monsters
2015–16	52	9	40	—	3	21	110	275	1015	8th of 8, Western 27th of 29, WSHL	Did not qualify
2016–17	52	24	25	—	3	51	189	213	832	6th of 8, Western 17th of 27, WSHL	Lost div. quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Ontario Avalanche
2017–18	51	5	42	—	4	14	112	312	558	6th of 6, Western 21st of 23, WSHL	Lost div. quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Fresno Monsters
2018–19	51	17	27	4	3	62[a]	187	228	965	3rd of 5, Western 13th of 23, WSHL	Lost div. semifinals, 0–2 vs. Fresno Monsters
2019–20	51	31	18	1	1	96[a]	180	145	777	2nd of 5, Western 8th of 20, WSHL	Playoffs cancelled
2020–21	43	3	39	—	1	7	81	269	1096	4th of 5, Pacific 60th of 62, USPHL-Premier	Lost div. semifinal game, 2–6 vs. Fresno Monsters
2021–22	44	17	23	—	4	38	154	187	712	4th of 6, Pacific 46th of 65, USPHL-Premier	Did not qualify for post season play
2022-23	46	33	11	1	2	68	212	124	948	4th of 7, Pacific 17th of 69, USPHL-Premier	Lost div. Semifinal, 0-1-1 vs. Fresno Monsters
2023-24	46	15	31	1	0	3	212	248	943	6th of 7, Pacific 17th of 69, USPHL-Premier	Did not qualify for post season play

Previous Logos

Alumni

The Sabers have had a number of alumni move on to college ice hockey, higher levels of junior ice hockey, and professional ice hockey.^[10][11]

• David Brito — San Diego Gulls (ECHL), US National Inline Hockey Team
• Ted Lauer (2014–15) — Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Illinois, NCAA Division III
• Cameron Todd (2014–15) — NACKA HK Team A, Sweden

References

External links

• Official San Diego Sabers Website
• Official WSHL Website