The San Diego Gulls are making moves in the crease.
The club announced today that goaltender Tomas Suchanek has been recalled from the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL), while Vyacheslav Buteyets is heading the other direction, assigned to Tulsa. It’s a swap that speaks to both immediate performance and long-term development - and for San Diego, it’s a chance to take another look at a netminder who’s shown flashes of high-level potential.
Suchanek Returns to the Gulls
Suchanek, 22, has already made a couple of appearances for the Gulls this season, going 0-0-2 with a 1.91 goals-against average (GAA) and a .920 save percentage (SV%). While the sample size is small, the numbers are solid - and they’re a reminder of what he’s capable of when healthy and locked in.
His time in Tulsa this season has been a bit rockier. In 11 games, he posted a 3-7-0 record with a 4.39 GAA and .884 SV%, but those stats don’t tell the full story.
Suchanek is still working his way back after missing the entire 2024-25 season due to a lower-body injury. That kind of layoff can take time to shake off, especially for a young goalie trying to regain rhythm and confidence.
But when you look at his AHL body of work, there’s a lot to like. In 31 career games with San Diego, Suchanek owns a 2.85 GAA, a .911 SV%, and three shutouts - which ties him for third all-time among Gulls goaltenders. And he’s already made history: on December 8, 2023, at just 20 years, seven months, and eight days old, he became the youngest goalie in franchise history to record a shutout, turning aside all 21 shots he faced in Rockford.
Before turning pro, Suchanek built a strong resume in junior hockey. Over three seasons with Tri-City (WHL), he went 39-38-5 with a 3.44 GAA and .906 SV% in 88 games.
But it was his performance on the international stage that really turned heads. At the 2023 World Junior Championship, he helped Czechia to a silver medal, leading all goaltenders in both GAA (1.38) and SV% (.938), and earning a spot on the tournament’s All-Star Team.
He’s also represented his country at the 2022 World Juniors, the 2021 U-18s, and the 2020 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
Now healthy and back in San Diego, the Gulls are giving him another shot to show what he can do at the AHL level.
Buteyets Heads to Tulsa
As Suchanek returns, Vyacheslav Buteyets will head back to Tulsa, where he’s already found success this season. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound netminder has split time between the ECHL and AHL, posting a combined 8-10-0 record in 17 appearances.
He’s gone 1-3-0 with the Gulls this season, but his lone win was memorable - a 39-save effort on November 26, 2025, in Tucson that earned him his first career AHL victory. He also made his NHL debut with Anaheim on December 3, coming in for relief duty against Utah and stopping 10 shots.
In Tulsa, Buteyets has been steady. He’s put up a 7-7-0 record with a 3.00 GAA and .913 SV% in 15 games this season.
Last year, he was a key piece for the Oilers, going 19-13-3 with four shutouts, a 2.82 GAA, and a .905 SV% over 36 games. His four shutouts tied him for fourth among ECHL goalies.
He also got a taste of playoff pressure, appearing in five Kelly Cup Playoff games and finishing with a 2-3-0 record, 3.03 GAA, and .906 SV%.
What It Means
This move is less about a demotion for Buteyets and more about giving Suchanek the opportunity to ramp up at the AHL level. The Gulls are clearly still invested in his development, and with his injury in the rearview mirror, now’s the time to see if he can reclaim the form that once made him one of the most promising young goalies in the system.
For Buteyets, this isn’t a step back - it’s a chance to keep getting reps and stay sharp. He’s shown he can handle the workload in Tulsa, and with NHL experience now under his belt, he remains firmly on the radar.
Both goalies are young, talented, and still carving out their paths. For San Diego, the crease is in good hands - and the competition between these two could push both to another level.