The San Diego Gulls, the top farm team for the Ducks, have some bright prospects and an intense rivalry with the Ontario Reign, the affiliate of the Kings in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Forward Nick Ritchie and defenseman Brandon Montour represented San Diego in the 2016 AHL All-Star Game.

Ritchie has scored 15 goals in 30 AHL games with the Gulls, with eight of the goals coming on the power play. Ritchie was called up to the NHL and played 11 games for the Ducks, playing several games before his 20th birthday.

“Nick got off to a really good start,” said Bob Ferguson, the general manager of the Gulls. “He’s a big kid (6-foot-3, 232 pounds) who is really strong and has a good set of hands. He does a good job, and not only on offense.”

Montour played 14 games with Norfolk, which was the Ducks’ top farm team during the 2014-15 season. He has scored six goals, and his 26 assists are tied for fifth in the AHL. Montour is tied for third in points among AHL rookies.

“There isn’t much of a learning curve for Brandon considering he played only one-and-a-half seasons in junior hockey and half a season in college,” Ferguson said. “He sees the ice well and has a good ability to move the puck.”

While Ontario leads the Gulls in the standings, San Diego has had the better of things in the head-to-head matchup with four wins in the seven games.

The rivalry has been intense, but it has little to do with the Kings vs. Ducks theme. There have been fighting penalties assessed in six of the seven games. San Diego leads the AHL in penalty minutes and Ontario is in third.

“It really started with the first game against San Diego where there were some fights and some aggressive play,” said Reign forward Justin Auger.

Ferguson said the Gulls have been a streaky team. San Diego started the season going 9-2. Their record entering Friday night’s game is 19-18-1-1, which ties them for fifth place the Pacific Division with a .513 percentage. The Gulls have played two fewer games than third-place San Jose and nine fewer than second-place Texas.

“There are three things which play an important impact in the AHL,” Ferguson said. “Number one are injuries, two are call ups (to the NHL) and three is travel.”

The Gulls have also played an important role in player development for the Ducks. John Gibson played for San Diego before his recall and attaining the starting role for the Ducks. He has a 12-7-2 record with a 1.92 goals against average.

Defenseman Shea Theodore also well played for the Ducks, scoring two goals and four assists during a 13-game stint. Four players 22 or younger look like bright prospects in the organization.

Making their point(s)

Entering Friday night’s game against the San Jose Barracuda, Ontario has a .700 winning percentage to hold a comfortable lead in the Pacific Division.

The official AHL measurement is by percentage. Teams get two points for a win and one for a loss in overtime or a shootout. Divide the number of points by the number of games multiplied by two.

Hockey purists may object because the NHL has always measures teams by points earned for victories and ties after three periods. Math professors may object because it isn’t a pure percentage since in overtime, a total of three points are awarded.