Gulls Find Another Scorer, Dump Phoenix

SAN DIEGO —  The Gulls, who hadn’t played in six days, looked well rested as they wiped out a three-game losing streak at home with a 8-3 victory over the Phoenix Roadrunners before 4,968 at the San Diego Sports Arena Friday.

While his team rested, Gulls Coach Don Waddell must have been sleeping with his International Hockey League rule book.

In a creative maneuver, Waddell, who doubles as vice president and general manager, obtained young scorer Ray Whitney on Friday. Whitney, a 19-year-old rookie, introduced himself to San Diego hours later by setting up one goal and scoring another that buried Phoenix in the third period.

Whitney, who scored 141 goals, had 207 assists in three years of junior hockey and was drafted by the NHL expansion San Jose Sharks in June, received a contract to play the rest of the year for the Gulls from Waddell.

Whitney--a center who turned down the Sharks after they made him the first selection of the second round, 23rd overall--signed Waddell’s contract.

Whitney is considered a steal. Waddell had to find a loophole to swipe him.

“I know the agent (Mike Barnett),” Waddell said. “The agent said he would be better off with a free-agent team, that he could play more.”

With the Gulls leading, 4-2, early in the third period, Whitney stole the puck, was double-teamed against the boards and fired a behind-the-back center pass that led to a goal by Denny Lambert. Three minutes and 12 seconds later, Whitney scored to make it 6-2.

Whitney finished with one goal and one assist in his debut. He was overshadowed by others, but his performance was probably a foreshadowing of goals and assists to come.

The eight goals was the most ever for the Gulls in one game. Lambert and center Len Hachborn each had two goals and an assist. Brent Sapergia also scored twice, while Dmitri Kvartalnov had a goal and three assists. The victory helped the Gulls (10-10-0, 20 points) gain ground on both Kansas City (31 points) and Peoria (25). Both lost Friday.

Whitney, a native of Edmonton, Canada, who started playing junior hockey at 16, did not sign with San Jose, in part, because he is not allowed to play in the NHL until he turns 20. After leading the Spokane Chiefs to the Memorial Cup, awarded to the best team in junior hockey, with 67 goals, 118 assists and a league high 185 points, Whitney opted not to return to juniors.

Instead, he signed a two-year contract on July 30 with the Cologne of the German League. His salary: $170,000 (U.S. funds) per year, tax free. He broke that contract after Cologne failed to pay him for the first two months and he found the environment not to his liking. He joined the Canadian Olympic team, but was released after five games.

If a draftee does not sign with the NHL team, he is expected to return to juniors. Because of his age, Whitney had little choice. Not only is he excluded from the big leagues, he is restricted from playing for any minor league club with an NHL affiliation.

Enter the unaffiliated Gulls.

“I have a smart agent, I think,” Whitney said. “He looked around to see where else I could go. He knew Mr. Waddell, and this is the only team in the IHL without an NHL affiliate.”

The Gulls already have two top scorers in Hachborn, league leader in assists (22), and Kvartalnov, the co-IHL leader in goals (17).