Citing state restrictions on indoor events at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, the San Diego Gulls organization, an American Hockey League team, has announced it will play the remainder of the 2020-21 season at FivePoint Arena in Irvine.
In a statement on Monday, April 5, the team announced that it would finish the season at FivePoint Arena without fans. There are about 20 games left in the 2020-21 season, which is scheduled out until May.
An update on the state's guidelines and our 2020-2021 season.
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) April 5, 2021
“While we eagerly anticipate welcoming our great fans back to Pechanga Arena, the recent updated state guidelines regarding indoor events will not provide ASM Global the necessary time to prepare the arena for normal business operations for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. As a result, the Gulls will finish the 2020-21 AHL season at FivePoint Arena in Irvine, Calif.
Our top priority is to continue to provide a safe and healthy environment for our players, staff and working personnel. In order to maintain a secure atmosphere for all organizations involved, we will finish the 2020-21 season without fans at FivePoint Arena. As the cornerstone of the Gulls organization, we thank America’s Finest Fans for their continued support and look forward to welcoming fans back to Gulls games at Pechanga Arena in the fall.”
The American Hockey League is a professional developmental league for hockey players transitioning into the National Hockey League.
On Monday, the Gulls, which is the AHL affiliate team of the Anaheim Ducks, also announced that they acquired Anaheim Ducks player Trevor Zegras.
Welcome back, @tzegras11!
The @AnaheimDucks decided to begin Trevor's transition to the center position, and he'll begin with our squad before returning to the Ducks in the near future.
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) April 5, 2021
The Gulls said they welcomed Zegras as he transitions into a new position.
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