Eagles, Gulls Set to Meet in First Round of Calder Cup Playoffs
Apr 21, 2026
For the first round of the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs, the Colorado Eagles will face off against the San Diego Gulls.
Colorado finished the regular season series against San Diego with a 5-1-0-2 record. Point-wise, the Eagles finished the season at second in the Pacific Division with 92 points while the Gulls had 78 points sneaking into the playoffs.
This season, the Eagles have had high-scoring affairs against the Gulls, with five of the eight regular season matchups having five or more goals scored.
“We definitely want to avoid some of the odd-man situations we’ve gotten into. With a D and forward relationship that needs work, making sure we’re finishing on the right side of pucks and in defensive situations. We have to eliminate some of the risk in our game that’s shown up lately,” Eagles head coach Mark Letestu said.
The Eagles enter the playoffs with several new and returning pieces who could impact the series.
Defenseman Alex Gagne recently returned to the lineup after missing time since March 13 and appeared in five of the eight regular-season matchups against the Gulls, posting a plus-4 rating.
Up front, forwards T.J. Hughes and Matt DiMarsico add depth after joining the team late in the season. Hughes recorded his first AHL goal and assist in his first two games after a 57-point season at the University of Michigan, while DiMarsico tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games following a 42-point season at Penn State University.
“You try to put them in spots where they can succeed, like not putting skill players in checking situations and vice versa. You try to put them in spots they’re familiar with, so they can introduce themselves the way they can, and I think we’ve done that, and now have a good baseline with a lot of guys now, and we can put them in our roster where we see they can help us as a team,” Letestu said.
Colorado also recalled defenseman Hank Kempf and forward Cooper Gay from the Utah Grizzlies, with both players recording an assist in the regular season finale.
Despite injuries to goaltender Kyle Keyser to start the playoffs and forwards Nikita Prishchepov and Matt Steinberg, who will not return, Colorado maintains depth throughout its lineup entering the postseason.
“It speaks to the depth of our roster. We have a bunch of guys who can play on any given night, and we’re going to need that going into playoffs, our goal is to make a deep run and win a Calder Cup, and we have to rely on a bunch of different guys and a lot of guys have done a great job stepping up,” Eagles captain Jayson Megna said.
During the regular season series, Colorado saw production from multiple contributors.
Forward Alex Barré-Boulet led all players in the matchup with five goals and nine assists across eight games, highlighting the Eagles’ offensive depth. In total, six Colorado players recorded at least six points in the season series.
San Diego, meanwhile, relied more heavily on key contributors. Defenseman Tristan Luneau led the Gulls with six points (two goals, four assists) against Colorado. San Diego forward Sasha Pastujov lead the team in points with 57 and tied first in assists with 36, and the goal scoring coming from forward Justin Bailey was a team high of 25 with Pastujov right behind him with 21.
“We don’t talk a lot about the other lines or individuals; there’s an expectation in the way you have to defend, no matter what. There has to be some urgency, and you have to be aware when certain players are on the ice with how dangerous they are, but I think it’s a team effort,” Letestu said.
In net, San Diego enters the series with multiple options.
Goaltenders Tomas Suchanek and Calle Clang both saw time against Colorado during the regular season. Suchanek earned two wins in his starts against the Eagles, posting a .898 save percentage and allowing six total goals.
This matchup marks the first time the two teams have met in the Calder Cup Playoffs since the Eagles joined the AHL in the 2018-19 season.
“It’s important to stick to the way we want to play and not get sucked into their style of play. I think when we’re playing our best, we’re tight to our systems and we as a group are all on the same page,” Megna said.
After finishing second in the Pacific Division, Colorado earned home-ice advantage for the series. The first two games will be played at Blue Arena on April 22 and 24 at 7:05 pm MT, with a potential third home game scheduled for April 26 at 3:05 pm MT if necessary.
Colorado will open the series at home, with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m. MT on Wednesday, April 22. Single-game tickets for the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs are on sale now. To purchase tickets or for more information, go to ColoradoEagles.com or call or text (970) 686-SHOT (7468).
