San Diego Gulls Reassign Smith and Kinal to Tulsa
Published on January 3, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The San Diego Gulls announced today that the American Hockey League (AHL) club has reassigned defensemen Konnor Smith and Roman Kinal to the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL. In addition, defenseman Nikolas Brouillard has returned to the Gulls from his loan to Team Canada (Spengler Cup).
Smith, 21 (11/6/04), has skated in seven games with San Diego in 2025-26, collecting nine penalty minutes (PIM). He has appeared in 16 career AHL contests for the Gulls, scoring his first professional goal in his AHL debut April 6, 2024 vs. Tucson. Smith has netted four goals (4-0=4) in 15 games with Tulsa this season.
The 6-6, 216-pound defenseman was a fourth-round selection (97th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 NHL Draft. The Windsor, Ont. native tallied 26-44=70 points with 229 PIM in 219 career OHL games with Peterborough, Owen Sound and Brampton from 2020-25. Smith helped Peterborough to the OHL Championship in 2022-23, collecting two assists (0-2=2) in 23 playoff contests for the Petes. In five Memorial Cup tournament games, he added an assist (0-1=1).
Kinal, 27 (7/20/98), appeared in three games with San Diego this season, posting a +2 rating. He has skated in seven games with Tulsa this season, earning 1-1=2 points with 16 PIM and a +2 rating. He appeared in 36 games for San Diego in 2024-25, tallying 1-1=2 points with 25 PIM. He scored his first career AHL goal Nov. 23, 2024 vs. Ontario. The 6-2, 190-pound defenseman also recorded 1-7=8 points, six PIM and a +13 rating in 17 games for Tulsa in 2024-25. He skated in six ECHL playoff games for the Oilers, collecting two assists (0-2=2).
The Waterford, Mich. native skated in 22 games with the San Jose Barracuda in 2023-24, earning one assist (0-1=1) and 39 PIM. He also recorded 7-11=18 points with 34 PIM in 45 games for the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL. He made his professional debut in 2022-23, skating in six games for the Barracuda.
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