Gulls Re-Sign Leading Scorer From Last Season

The Gulls re-signed leading scorer Larry Floyd to a one-year contract on Wednesday. Terms were not announced, but it includes incentives tied to the success of the team, General Manager Don Waddell said.

Floyd, the International Hockey League team’s most valuable player, scored a team-high 78 points--including 24 goals--in 73 games for San Diego. His 54 assists ranked eighth in the league.

“Obviously, re-signing Larry was a top priority for us,” Waddell said. “Larry was not only our most valuable player, but he was our most consistent player as well.”

Floyd, 30, a 5-foot-8, 165-pound center-left wing, began his career in 1982-83 with the New Jersey Devils. He has played for Maine, Utica and Cape Breton in the American Hockey League and for Phoenix and San Diego in the IHL.

The Gulls, fifth in the Western Division last year, begin play the first weekend in October.

Waddell also said he is close to signing Dave Korol, the team’s top defenseman a year ago and will likely sign just four to five players before training camp opens in mid-September.

“We’ll make guys earn their spots this year,” said Waddell, who signed eight players before training camp last season.

Waddell is still looking for a coach to replace Mike O’Connell. He hopes to name a successor in the next few weeks.

“I’ve got a pretty good list of candidates,” Waddell said.

He is also talking to three NHL franchises, the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadians and Edmonton Oilers, about a cooperative agreement similar to the relationship the Gulls had with Detroit last season.

Sources indicated that as many as 15 Gulls could be tied to NHL franchises this year.