The Anaheim Ducks have locked in one of the key figures behind their development system, agreeing to a multi-year contract extension with San Diego Gulls General Manager Rick Paterson.
Paterson is heading into his third season running the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate, and the 2026-27 campaign will be his 22nd year in the Anaheim organization. His work in San Diego has already shown up in the standings: the Gulls posted a three-point jump from 2023-24 to 2024-25, then added 12 more points from 2024-25 to 2025-26, which led to their first postseason berth since the 2021-22 season.
“Rick has established an identity in San Diego that reflects our own in Anaheim and built a successful pipeline for development,” said Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek. “We are happy to see him continue to be part of the Anaheim Ducks family, one he has been a part of for more than two decades.”
Paterson brings a long résumé to the job. He has more than 40 years of experience across playing, coaching and scouting, and he has won the Stanley Cup four times. That includes the Ducks’ championship in 2007, plus titles with Tampa Bay in 2004 and Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992.
Before taking over as general manager, Paterson held several roles within the Ducks organization, including Director of Professional Scouting, Director of Player Personnel and Professional Scout. He also spent seven years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2004 as the club’s Chief Professional Scout.
His career in hockey stretches back even further. After his playing days ended, Paterson joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach from 1988-93 and won Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.
He then coached the Penguins’ International Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland from 1993-97 before moving to Tampa Bay as an assistant coach in 1997-98. He stayed in that role until becoming a professional scout before the 1999-00 season.
As a player, Paterson spent 10 years in the Chicago Blackhawks organization from 1978-1988 after being selected in the third round, 46th overall, of the 1978 NHL Entry Draft. He played 430 NHL games and finished with 50-43=93 points, while adding 7-10=17 points in 63 playoff games over eight postseason appearances with Chicago.
Paterson’s hockey roots go back to his days with the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he played from 1973-78 and put up 128-237=365 points in 342 games. In his final season there, he broke out with 58-80=138 points in 71 games.
He was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2002 and later earned a place in the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame in Ontario on May 4, 2012. He also won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 1978 World Junior Championships.
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Ducks Prospect Coulson Pitre Is Reaching A Critical Crossroads
Coulson Pitres second pro season was always going to be about finding traction, but the path never really settled for the Ducks prospect. Injuries slowed his start, and his year became a grind between Tulsa in the ECHL and San Diego in the AHL, with the kind of lower-line usage that leaves little room to build momentum. For a player drafted in 2023 and still trying to prove he can translate his game to the next level, that sort of stop-and-start season can be just as revealing as a big scoring stretch.
The next step matters even more now because Pitre has one year left on his entry-level deal and is expected to spend next season in the minors again. That puts the focus squarely on opportunity as much as performance, since he needs more consistent ice time and a stronger foothold in San Diego to keep his development on track. The Ducks have also added more competition around the Gulls roster, which only raises the pressure on Pitre to make his case quickly. [Read more 🡒]