San Diego Seals 2026–27 Outlook

Gary Groob

Gary Groob has been involved with Lacrosse for the majority of his life, whether playing, coaching, or covering the sport for the media. An avid fan, with a real drive about helping to "grow the game", Gary became part of podcasts about the game in 2010. Through the podcasts, Mr. Groob was given an opportunity to write about lacrosse, and the rest as they say, is history. Through many miles (flying and driving) Gary has made inroads with the National Lacrosse League, Major Series Lacrosse, Ontario Series Lacrosse, the Ontario Lacrosse Association, CUFLA, as well as the Arena Lacrosse League, covering the leagues, their teams, and players, working for, and in concert with all of them. In the year 2019, Mr. Groob was made the media person for the Arena Lacrosse League, voted onto the board of directors of the Brampton Excelsiors Lacrosse Club, as well as being made administrator of the Lacrosse page "Global Lacrosse" with a membership of 14,000+ members in over 90 Countries. Gary was also made an administrator of Lacrosse History Past Present and Future in 2022 with a membership of 19,000+. Gary also has been the media person for Ontario Series Lacrosse (Senior B) since 2023. Mr. Groob also covers the Green Gaels for their excursions to Prague at the Ales Hrebesky tournament since 2022. In 2024, when Major Series Lacrosse was in need of a media person, Gary stepped in as their interim media person. His tasks were running their social media, as well as their website until a full time person was found to fill the role. In 2025 Gary was voted onto the Board of Directors for Ontario Series Lacrosse. Mr. Groob hosts a weekly lacrosse interview show formerly on Spanglish Sports World, and ZingoTV channel 250, now on StreamPunkEnt.com, Youtube, as well as Spotify. Groob also hosts a lacrosse talk show and podcast for All Lacrosse All The Time seen live Sunday nights at 8pm (ET), and archived on the All Lacrosse All The Time YouTube page, as well as Spotify. Gary also wrote a weekly lacrosse editorial column for La Portada Canada News both in print and online for three years from 2021-2024. In 2025, Mr. Groob joined the ownership ranks, becoming a minority owner of StreamPunk Entertainment, ensuring Lacrosse will always have voice in media. Gary was voted onto the board of directors as the social media director for Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) in November of 2025. In 2026 Mr. Groob was nominated for the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, made a voting member of the NLL media, was put as a voting member in the Ales Hrebesky Tournament awards, and was nominated for the Tom Borelli Award as media person of the year for the NLL. In the spring of 2026 Gary was made Director of Social Media for the MSL, and the Director of Communications for CUFLA. Mr. Groob's other sports interests include Hockey, Football, Boxing, Wrestling, and Baseball, competing competitively in Boxing and Wrestling for many years.

November 3, 2026

San Diego Seals 2026–27 Outlook

2025–2026 Record: 8–10, seventh place in the regular season. Defeated Colorado in the quarterfinals before losing their semifinal series to Toronto, 2–1.

New Faces

Brennan O’Neill, Jake Saunders, Gregory Elijah-Brown, Phil Caputo, Clark Walter, Dylan Hutchison, Trent Robertson, Luca Accardo, Liam Kammar, Michael Weisshaar.

Entry Draft selections: Aidan Maguire, Lucas Dudemaine, Bowie Horsman, Greyson Beggs, Owen Wills.

Key Losses

James Barclay, who signed with the Oshawa FireWolves.

Offense

The Seals have added some size and scoring ability…enter Brennan O’Neill! The big left-hander gives San Diego another dangerous option with the ball. Add veteran Phil Caputo and the acquisition of Clark Walter, and there should be plenty of competition for playing time.

Wes Berg and Tre Leclaire remain important pieces of this offense, finishing last season with 74 and 71 points respectively. With Ben McIntosh, Connor Robinson, Dylan Watson and Noah Armitage also in the mix, the Seals have several ways to attack opposing defenses. Robinson’s return is important after a 22-goal, 57-point season.

The biggest question is consistency. San Diego scored 185 goals last season, tied for 11th in the league. The additions should help, but getting this group working together will be important. There is enough talent here to make opposing goalies very uncomfortable.

Defense/Transition

With Danny Logan, Eli Gobrecht, Graydon Bradley, Patrick Shoemay, Zack Deaken and Matt Wright, the Seals have a strong defensive foundation. This group showed last season that it could keep games close when the offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

Jake Saunders adds another defensive option, while Dylan Hutchison and Trent Robertson bring more size and depth. First-round pick Aidan Maguire will also be looking to make his presence felt. Losing Barclay leaves a spot to fill, but there should be plenty of competition for those defensive minutes.

Transition starts with Zach Currier. The reigning NLL Transition Player of the Year gives San Diego a player who can defend, win loose balls and create offense. With Trent DiCicco, Cam Acchione and Ari Steenhuis also available to push the ball, teams will need to be sharp getting back.

At the faceoff dot, Trevor Baptiste remains a major advantage. He led the league with 327 faceoff wins and a 75 percent success rate last season. Giving this offense that many extra possessions could be a big part of San Diego’s success again this year.

Goaltending

Chris Origlieri gives the Seals a young goalie with plenty of ability. He finished last season with a 10.18 goals-against average and a .782 save percentage, helping San Diego stay competitive through some difficult stretches. His health will be important after injury interrupted his playoff run.

Cam Dunkerley showed he could answer the call when needed. His 36-save performance in San Diego’s 11–6 semifinal win over Toronto helped force a deciding third game. With Dunkerley re-signed, the Seals have an experienced option if Origlieri needs relief.

Overall

Coming within one win of the NLL Finals should give this group plenty of motivation. The Seals showed how dangerous they could be in the playoffs, but an 8–10 regular season also leaves room for improvement.

The biggest questions surround the offense. Can O’Neill take another step forward with his new team? Will the additions help San Diego turn more of Baptiste’s faceoff wins and Currier’s loose balls into goals? Can the Seals put together a more consistent effort throughout the season?

San Diego has to be considered a playoff contender heading into the year. With a strong defensive foundation, capable goaltending and more offensive options, the pieces are there for another run. However, in a league where every team has improved, putting it all together will be a tall order. We shall wait and see.

All Lacrosse All The Time continues to preview NLL teams as they head into the 2026–2027 season.