By nearly every measure, the San Diego Seals have been among the most successful franchises in the 14-team National Lacrosse League.In four seasons under general manager/head coach Patrick Merrill, the Seals have posted a regular season record of 53-31. They have made the playoffs all four seasons.
The one thing missing? A championship.
On Sunday, the Seals open their 17-game regular season against No. 1 overall pick Brennan O’Neal and the Philadelphia Wings at Pechanga Arena. San Diegos goal is clear: put together another successful regular season and take another run at a championship.
Several key players, including forward and team captain Wes Berg, return from last season’s 14-win squad, which was eliminated by Albany in the NLL semifinals. Faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste and goalkeeper Chris Origlieri should again be among the Seals best players.
The team had a busy offseason, acquiring veteran forwards Rob Hellyer and Ben McIntosh, two-time transition player of the year Zach Currier and defensemen Zack Deaken.
An infusion of young talent arrived in the draft: forward Trent DiCicco plus defensemen Jacob Power and Robbie Turpin.
Forward Curtis Dickson was traded to Calgary in the deal that landed Currier, forward Dan Dobbie departed via free agency to Calgary and leading scorer Austin Staats (50 goals last season) was suspended after he was arrested and charged with assault in August.
Finding a way to replace Staats’ production will be key, Hellyer (272 career goals, 500 assists) and McIntosh (312 goals, 274 assists) are proven NLL performers and should make that process easier.
Deaken, who was acquired from Ottawa in a trade for Jacob Dunbar, brings a nice mix of talent and experience to the defensive corps while Origlieri was second in the NLL with 13 regular season wins last season.
“We’re thrilled with what we’ve been able to do in free agency,” Merrill said. “To sign experienced and talented guys like Rob Helleyer and Ben McIntosh. And while it’s tough parting ways with a player like Jacob (Dunbar), it’s great to be able to bring in one of the league’s top young defensemen in Zach Deaken.”
The Seals have enjoyed one of the best home atmospheres in the NLL and Sunday’s game should provide festive vibes. The first 1,500 fans will receive a Baptiste bobblehead, a selection of beers will be going for $5 and the high energy game presentation will include pregame and halftime performances.
The game will air on ESPN2, as the NLL’s television deal will see more games carried nationally this season than ever before and several Seals should be in the mix to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic games.
“It’s so exciting to get out there and get the season going,” said Berg, who scored 41 goals with 67 assists last season and signed a three-year extension during the offseason. “We have a lot of new players so it may take a little time to get that chemistry going, learn each other’s tendencies and that kind of thing but we have a lot of experience as well so it should come together pretty quickly. I know our crowd is going to be amped up and really ready to make some noise so, definitely nice to get rolling.”