The San Diego Gulls are bringing back a favorite character from their city’s hockey history for a new third jersey marking their 10th anniversary.
The American Hockey League affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks unveiled the jersey last week and will wear them for the first time at their home opener against the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday, October 18. Front and center on the sweaters is a new version of Sandy the Gull, the mascot of the first iteration of the Gulls, which played in the Western Hockey League (not affiliated with the major junior hockey league with the same name operating today) from 1996 to 1974.
Sandy the Gull is depicted skating through the middle of a black roundel with blue circles on the inside and outside. “SAN DIEGO” is written at the top and “GULLS” at the bottom, with orange arcs connecting the lettering.
Blue and black stripes are separated by a narrower white stripe as they run around the waist and sleeves. The collar is blue with white laces at the front. The shoulder yoke is black with a white outline, and the Gulls’ current primary logo appears on both shoulders.
Names and numbers on the back and sleeves are set in a white block font with blue outlines.
The Gulls’ primary set includes a white and a black jersey, both with black shoulders outlined in blue, orange forearms and orange, white and blue stripes up the sides. Both have an “SD” logo on the right shoulder and a Ducks logo on the left. In recent seasons, they’ve also worn a blue alternate jersey with “GULLS” written in orange and arched across the front.
All three of the Gulls’ jerseys for the 2025-26 season will feature the Gulls’ 10th anniversary logo on the left chest.
Despite this being only the AHL iteration’s 10th anniversary, they are the fifth hockey team in San Diego to use the Gulls nickname. The WHL team was the first (1966-1974), followed by teams in the International Hockey League (1990-1995), the West Coast Hockey League and ECHL (1995-2006), and a junior team that now plays in the United States Premier Hockey League. The junior squad started as the San Diego Surf in 2001, changed their name to the Gulls in 2008, and then became the San Diego Sabers in 2015 to make way for the AHL team.
