Bakersfield Condors

The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Mechanics Bank Arena. The AHL franchise is a relocation of the Oklahoma City Barons, which joined four other AHL franchises in 2015 as the basis to form a new Pacific Division in California.

For the former ECHL and West Coast Hockey League team, see Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015).
Bakersfield Condors
2020–21 AHL season
CityBakersfield, California
LeagueAmerican Hockey League (AHL)
DivisionPacific
Founded1984
Home arenaMechanics Bank Arena
ColorsBlue, orange, dark gray, white
       
Owner(s)Oilers Entertainment Group
Daryl Katz
General managerKeith Gretzky
Head coachJay Woodcroft
CaptainKeegan Lowe
MediaThe Bakersfield Californian
Prime Ticket
Fox Sports 970
AHL.TV (Internet)
AffiliatesEdmonton Oilers (NHL)
Wichita Thunder (ECHL)
Franchise history
1984–1988Nova Scotia Oilers
1988–1996Cape Breton Oilers
1996–2003Hamilton Bulldogs
2003–2004Toronto Roadrunners
2004–2005Edmonton Road Runners
2010–2015Oklahoma City Barons
2015–presentBakersfield Condors
Championships
Division Championships1 (2018–19)

The Condors replaced the ECHL team of the same name, which played as a charter member of the West Coast Hockey League from 1995 until 2003 and then in the ECHL from 2003 until the end of the 2014–15 season, after which they moved to Norfolk, Virginia, to play as the Norfolk Admirals.

History

On December 18, 2014, the Oklahoma City Barons and Edmonton Oilers mutually agreed to end the Barons' operations after the end of the 2014–15 season, with the Barons management citing financial problems and the Oilers citing a desire to "move on."[1] One month later, on January 29, 2015, the AHL announced that the Oilers would relocate their franchise to Bakersfield as one of five charter members to form the basis of a new Pacific Division beginning in the 2015–16 season.[2] A name-the-team contest was held from January 30 until February 15, 2015. The Condors name was announced as the winner on February 25, 2015.[3] The Condors unveiled their new logo and colors on April 2, 2015.[4]

On December 18, 2015, the Condors participated in the AHL's first outdoor game in California, called the Golden State Hockey Rush, at Raley Field in West Sacramento against the Stockton Heat. The Heat would defeat the Condors 3–2 in front of 9,357 fans.[5] Despite not making the playoffs in their first season, the Condors still contributed to the overall increase in AHL attendance[6] with an average of 5195 per night,[7] an increase of about 1900 spectators compared to the former Barons[8] and similar to the former ECHL Condors.[9]

In the 2016–17 season, the Condors were named as hosts for their second AHL Outdoor Classic game, named the Condorstown Outdoor Classic, against the Ontario Reign held on January 7, 2017, at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium.[10] Despite sometimes heavy rain, the game went on as scheduled and the Condors defeated the Reign 3–2 in overtime.

During the 2018–19 season, the Condors tied the second-longest AHL winning streak at 17 games from January 12 to February 25, 2019.[11] The Condors finished in first place in Pacific Division in the regular season before they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the San Diego Gulls.

Season-by-season results
Regular season Playoffs
SeasonGPWLOTLSOLPtsPCTGFGAStandingYear1st round2nd round3rd roundFinals
2015–166831287271.5222122225th, Pacific2016Did not qualify
2016–176833295172.5292001885th, Pacific2017Did not qualify
2017–186831279172.5291882067th, Pacific2018Did not qualify
2018–196842213289.6542421821st, Pacific2019W, 3–1, COLL, 2–4, SD——
2019–205621275350.4461622026th, Pacific2020Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Players

Current roster

Updated February 7, 2021.[12]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
16 Tyler Benson (A) LW L 22 2017 Edmonton, Alberta Oilers
14 Devin Brosseau C L 25 2020 St. Lambert, Quebec Condors
28 Blake Christensen LW L 25 2020 Coral Springs, Florida Condors
27 Adam Cracknell RW R 35 2021 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Oilers
6 Vincent Desharnais D R 24 2019 Laval, Quebec Condors
9 Luke Esposito C/LW L 27 2018 Greenwich, Connecticut Condors
36 Liam Folkes C R 24 2020 Scarborough, Ontario Condors
5 Joe Gambardella C L 27 2017 Staten Island, New York Oilers
4 Kevin Gravel D L 28 2021 Kingsford, Michigan Condors
39 Seth Griffith C R 28 2021 Wallaceburg, Ontario Oilers
11 James Hamblin LW L 21 2020 Edmonton, Alberta Condors
24 Janis Jaks D R 25 2020 Riga, Latvia Condors
2 Yanni Kaldis D R 25 2020 St. Laurent, Quebec Condors
21 Theodor Lennstrom D L 26 2021 Stockholm, Sweden Oilers
17 Brad Malone (C) LW L 31 2017 Chatham, New Brunswick Condors
20 Cooper Marody C R 24 2018 Brighton, Michigan Oilers
29 Ryan McLeod C L 21 2019 Mississauga, Ontario Oilers
25 Graham McPhee LW L 22 2020 Bethesda, Maryland Condors
3 Markus Niemelainen D L 22 2021 Kuopio, Finland Oilers
22 Alan Quine C L 27 2021 Belleville, Ontario Oilers
1 Angus Redmond (PTO) G L 25 2021 Langley, British Columbia Condors
33 Olivier Rodrigue G L 20 2021 Chicoutimi, Quebec Oilers
7 Ostap Safin RW L 21 2018 Praha, Czech Republic Oilers
34 Stuart Skinner G L 22 2018 Edmonton, Alberta Oilers
8 Ryan Stanton (A) D L 31 2020 St. Albert, Alberta Condors
10 Jakob Stukel LW L 23 2019 Surrey, British Columbia Condors

Notable alumni

List of Bakersfield Condors alumni who played more than 100 games in Bakersfield and 100 or more games in the National Hockey League.

References
  1. "OKC Barons To Cease Operations At End Of Current Season". news9.com. December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  2. "Bakersfield will join the American Hockey League in 2015-16". Bakersfield Condors. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  3. Griffith, Mike (February 25, 2015). "Condors team name remains the same". Bakersfield Californian. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  4. "AHL CONDORS LOGO UNVEILING APRIL 2 AT 12 P.M." Bakersfield Condors. March 27, 2015.
  5. "Grant, Kylington and Shore Lead Heat to 3-2 Win at Raley Field". Stockton Heat. December 19, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  6. "AHL teams establish all-time attendance record". AHL. April 18, 2016.
  7. "Bakersfield Condors Yearly Attendance". HockeyDB. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  8. "OKC Barons Yearly Attendance". HockeyDB. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  9. "ECHL Bakersfield Condors Yearly Attendance". HockeyDB. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  10. "Condors bringing outdoor hockey to Memorial Stadium". Bakersfield.com. August 23, 2016.
  11. "Bakersfield Condors winning streak ends at 17 games; Lose 1-0 to Iowa Wild". KGET-TV. March 1, 2019.
  12. "Bakersfield Condors Team roster". Bakersfield Condors. 2021-01-12. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
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