The San Diego Gulls named their new head coach this week and he’s a winner. Roy Sommer, 65, is the American Hockey League’s all-time leader in wins (808), and games coached (1,736), and he will be adding to those totals from behind the Gulls’ bench as the 2022-23 season approaches.

Sommer’s selection was announced this week by the Anaheim Ducks, the parent NHL club of the Gulls. Sommer will be familiar to Gulls fans since he has been the head coach of the rival San Jose Barracudas since 2015 and served in the parent San Jose Sharks organization for 26 years.

“Roy brings invaluable experience behind the bench as the winningest coach in the history of the AHL,” said Ducks’ assistant general manager and Gulls’ general manager Rob DiMaio. “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.”

Indeed, Sommer has helped more than 150 young players develop the skills needed to advance to the NHL.

“It’s an honor to be chosen as coach of San Diego,” Sommer said. “It’s probably one of the most sought-after positions in minor league hockey and when they told me I got the job, I was fired up.”

“I’ve coached on the East Coast, in middle America, and here on the West Coast,” Sommer added, “And by far, the best fan base in the American Hockey League has been the San Diego Gulls and I really look forward to being behind the bench with you guys and the support you give this organization.”

He was AHL Coach of the Year in 2017-17 after leading the Barracuda to a 43-16-9 record. His Barracudas earned playoff spots in five of the seven seasons since the AHL’s Pacific Division, including the Gulls, was formed in 2015.

Sommer becomes the fourth head coach in seven years following Dallas Eakins, Kevin Dineen, and Joel Bouchard.

Bouchard was let go after the Gulls posted a 28-33-4-3 record last season and made a quick exit from the playoffs.