Gulls happy with triumphant season, despite earlier than desired exit

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

The Gulls can also say they won a playoff series, beating Fort McMurray 4-2 at home, and then 3-2 on the road.

residential property owners off the hook

Red Deer County council finalizes 2026 tax rates

50m ago

Public hearings

City council recap - April 28, 2026

1h ago

Number of tips has increased

Central Alberta Crime Stoppers elects new board

1h ago

“This felt like our inaugural season; it was the real deal with all the teams. As far as on-field, we were super happy because we showed we were competitive every night, the guys worked hard, embraced the community, and appreciated everything the organization and central alberta did for them,” says Jason Chatwood, GM and head coach. “At the end, the guys weren’t ready to leave yet, which shows it was a pretty special place for them all season.”

Chatwood, a central Alberta boy himself, says the success started from the top down with ownership and everyone behind the scenes taking their jobs very seriously.

He credits strong relationships with post-secondary institutions who’ve sent players to Sylvan Lake, a key strength to fielding formidable teams going forward.

“One hundred per cent, the culture is the biggest piece of it here. For game one versus Okotoks, we had a fan bus make the drive down. It was pretty special,” says Chatwood, adding that the 1,900 in attendance for the finale was electric.

“It’s hard to name one or two guys that were standouts because of how we all did. But we had a no hitter this summer, and we had a guy set the league record for strikeouts. We had guys, statistically speaking, who were in the top tier of a lot of categories.”

Chatwood expects at least a core group of players back for 2023.

Aqil Samuel, Gulls president and COO, says the season was indeed a success, even though a few more games would’ve been nice.

“We had 40,000 fans through over the year, or about 1,300 per home game. We had those 38 wins, plus two more in the playoffs. I think we’ve got lots to be proud of here in Sylvan Lake,” says Samuel, adding that they have more than 500 season ticket holders.

“One of the best things I heard this season was from an older gentleman who said we were the best thing to happen to Sylvan Lake since the lake. But actually, perhaps the best compliments were about the players who interacted so well with fans and kids. The community has really wrapped its arms around the team.”

The bar has been set high, Samuel adds.

“We have a culture of excellence we’re striving toward and we want to win the championship sooner than later. We want to be a brand that all of central Alberta can be proud of.”