These are the Bakersfield Condors forwards from 2017-18. The estimated icetime comes via friend of the blog Eric Rodgers, who used an innovative tool involving goals-for and against laid against total even-strength minutes.
Among players who dressed for 40+ games, the leaders in estimated time-on-ice per game were Ty Rattie (he was 24 and on the way to 64 games with Connor McDavid before heading to Europe); Josh Currie (he was 24 as well, and would see his first NHL look in 2018-19); and Joey Lalgeggia (he was 25 and moving from defense to forward during this season).
The true prospects on the list were mostly used as odd sizes and roll ends. Jesse Puljujarvi played most of the 2017-18 season in the NHL, but when he was in Bakersfield his center was Brad Malone. Veteran, safe center who did not have the offensive flair at the AHL level of Currie.
The other name who caught my eye here (none of these guys made it) is Tyler Vesel. He was an interesting draft pick by the Oilers and I do think he had a nice range of skills.
This edition of the Condors, in 2017-18, lacked the kind of prospect pool one could get excited about as a fan or observer.
The 2025-26 Condors appear to be a far more interesting group. Even if we assume Matt Savoie, Ike Howard and David Tomasek spend the entire season in the NHL, there’s a mountain of intrigue in Bakersfield.
Among the group age 20-23, it would behoove the coaching staff to give feature roles to names like Roby Jarventie, Josh Samanski, Quinn Hutson, Viljami Marjala, Matvey Petrov, Connor Clattenburg, Beau Akey and Damien Carfagna. They can’t all play big minutes I know, but there is talent in Bakersfield.
Stan Bowman has added about one dozen interesting prospects to the Condors talent pool. The organization is still only halfway home. If the coaching staff is overplaying Seth Griffith and fading Quinn Hutson, what the hell good is that?
On the Lowdown today, we’ll have Bagged Milk from Oilers Nation and Declanations will preview the Elks-Roughriders game. Plenty of Oilers and Jays, noon to 2pm on Sports 1440.
Tony Androckitis*
Don’t know why he would pick the Oilers. The leftorium is alive and fully stocked at the NHL level. Now, there is room at the AHL level so maybe he thinks a couple of years in the AHL can get him an NHL contract somewhere.
Anyways, thanks for sharing this and hope he contributes to the Condors.
Each of Kulak, Walman and Ekholm are UFAs at the end of this season (and Walman likely to play RD for much of it).
I think Walman is a lock to be back but the other two aren’t at this point.
He could end up being the 2nd best Mats Lindgren to play for the Oilers!
Wasn’t he traded for Tommy Salo?
Nice!
Scott Wheeler wrote a pretty comprehensive profile of Mats, Son of Mats leading up to the 2022 draft:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3301510/2022/05/14/mats-lindgren-2022-nhl-draft/
Chuck Mangione and George Kooymans (Golden Earring) also left us today.
Vanilla Queen is a favourite of mine.
Love “Candy’s Going Bad.”
You know you’re doing something when you release an album with Radar Love . . . and it might be the worst song on the record.
Tied for the best Dutch band of all-time with Shocking Blue. Both are so underrated especially Shocking Blue who I myself was in infatuated with Mariska Veres voice and dare I say on this blog Looks.
I liked Nirvana’s version of Love Buzz better.
Grunge rock was right in my wheelhouse.
Focus is up there too IMO. “Hocus Pocus” is like a lunatic Sabbath. Impressive musicianship.
I was going to mention them as that tune is hypnotic.
Awww. Chuck Mangione? The man who for a short time made the Flugelhorn relevant in popular music! I also remember a very good album from his keyboardist brother Gap Mangione that I wore out back in the day…
The song “Feels so Good” has been playing on a continuous loop in my head for 47 years.
lots of wet hands on the wheel this week
Byrds at their best and then Golden Earing took a swing at Eight Miles High . . . rock perfection.
Chuck Mangione had a great sound – “Give it All You Got” was one of his best songs.Takes me back to a less complicated time. Am saddened by his passing.
I’d like to throw Alex Regula’s name in there.
I don’t have the eyes on him that I did on Jarventie but I think he’s one other player that could impact the NHL lineup this season.
I presume he plays well ahead of Beau Akey to start – Akey will likely struggle early like most 20-year old d-man do making the jump from junior to AHL.
There is a waivers risk with Regula but, at the same time, he hasn’t played in the NHL in 3 years, his last two full seasons were AHL and he missed all of last season – its tough to see any NHL team keeping that player on their NHL roster.
Regula is 24. I wrote “among the group age 20-23” for that reason. Waiver article soon.
Depending on the first half of there Bakersfield play Regula-Jarventie will get a legit audition probably after Christmas. I’m also going with my longshot Mr.Clattenburg to get called up to give pospisil and his kind a tuning in.
I think Clattenburg has a better chance of playing in the ECHL this season than the NHL.
He can skate at NHL level let’s give him a half a year and see how fast he adjusts to the AHL.
If Clattenburg can stick in the AHL all year that would be a major accomplishment for him. The jump to the AHL is huge.
Reja’s expectations of this rookie seem more wild than his requirement for Howard to be a Calder candidate without firing the management and scouting group.
How old was Kane-Toews when they won their first Cup. The days of no expectations for J.P-Yamamoto-Lavoie-Holloway-Brobeg are thankfully over. Bowman is going to put 2 high skilled pedigree ready for the NHL hot dog players in a position to succeed. If they flop it’s on the Players-Coach-Scouting Staff-Schwartz fault. I just threw in Schwartz because he’s a good fall guy.
There are expectations, reasonable expectations.
What’s reasonable for Howard-Savoie-Frederic-Podkolzin I have Howard 27 Savoie 19 Frederic 18 Podkolzin 14
That’s not crazy (although 27 goals would exceed reasonable expectations) but the requirement for that performance from Howard or the entire pro scouting staff and management should be fired – that’s the issue.
If he’s a dud someone needs to go results matter. It’s a dog eat dog business but it pays well and the job is interesting.
Its wild that one would require a 21 year old rookie to put up near 30G to not be a dud.
Its wild that you ignore general development path of non-elite players. I would suggest that management, coaching, ownership and his teammates are building in some time for the player to develop.
I hope he does score 20 plus, its not out of the question.
I’m not firing any pro scouts or Bowman if he needs AHL time (which I doubt at this point).
It’s obvious you believe in nepotism with your continuous defending of Schwartz over the years.
You’re Rejarded
The jump is big, but what makes it so? Physical maturity, skating, defensive play. He has those things now, so his chances are better than most non high end skill guys to settle in
The question is can he score enough to play in the big leagues.
He needs a lot of time, A LOT. The skill part of his game needs work, he has a lot of physical tools to work with, but he needs to work on a lot of things.
He won’t make the NHL during his ELC, don’t fool yourself into thinking he is not a long-term project.
The said the same thing about Rempe whose been a rock star around the league for 2 years and he only 23. You don’t see too many hi-lights of anyone fuking with Panarin who’s goal scoring has increased significantly at the age of 33 since Rempe debuted.
OK, note, Matt Rempe didn’t play a game in the NHL until four years post draft and after two full seasons in the AHL.
THERE YOU GO!
I haven’t seen him play much but, from. those that have that I trust, such as Curlock, well, his puck skill are not even at a good junior level, let alone AHL let alone NHL.
Its tough to imagine him not being a few years away, if he every plays.
There are lots and lots and lots of better skaters than Clattenburg that can’t play in the NHL.
I’m going to give the 20 year old the benefit of some development time.
Why that’s mighty nice of you on this Judgement Day. This kid is willing to learn, Hollands gone I believe it took a year to get rid of the waste and they now have somewhat of a develop path for every prospect like back in the Chicago days when Bowman was churning out supporting cast players like a B-230 Xerox machine.
I’m going to guess the number of 20 year old rookies drafted in the late rounds that played for those Hawks teams equals zero.
How old was pick 245 Byfuglien pick 214 Brouwer pick 41 Bickell pick 32 Bolland pick 108 Hjalmarsson when they made there NHL debut. If you enjoy watching your prospects rot on a vine and never get a look see I hear the Ontario Reign is the team to watch.
Ask yourself this question why would the Oilers sign the former Captain of OHL team to a 3 year ELC if they think as little of him as you do?
What?
They drafted him and signed him before they lost his rights.
Just like Grubbe and Petrov and, well, countless others.
You sign draft picks that you want to keep and allow them to develop in the org – normal course.
That’s a weird comment, with respect.
You don’t give wingers ELC contract with expectations of ECHL unless your a goalie. If healthy Clattenburg will be a regular and fan favourite in Bakersfield. This kid has moxie I’ve always cheered for the underdogs.
You sign depth picks to ELCs with the plan to develop them in the minor leagues, generally.
What’s the percentage of picks #160 or later getting a ELC immediately (same year) after getting drafted?
Considering he was drafted well past his first year of eligibility and was about to turn 20 not long after signing that deal…..
I have no idea what do you think is the percentage of players in the nasty ECHL that have entry level contracts?
This has nothing to do with anything – you clearly missed the point of the ECHL reference – it was simply to be used to emphasize how far away Clattenburg is from the NHL in all reasonable likelihood.
Him signing his ELC a couple of months before turning 20 is simply business as a player passed over and older when drafted.
I’m cheering for a 5th rounder as a Oiler fan I don’t see the logic in cheering against him. You may not like the player type but this kid is going to be a Oiler one day
I am definitely not cheering against him – I think it would be amazing if he could impact the NHL lineup this season – I just don’t think its in the realistic realm of possibility.
I never once implied or expressed that I didn’t like the player type.
Its been years and years and years of you taking challenges to your opinion and making wild inferences that have no basis in the discussion.
How in the world does me nothing this prospect is ready to play in the NHL this season lead to “cheering against him” and “not liking the player type”? Wild stuff.
The Oilers clearly like his potential, just like you do. Keep in mind, he was drafted when he was 19 years old and he is a 5th round pick.
How many overage 5th rounders have played in the NHL, do you figure?
Not many but just from memory and I know I’m missing a few we’ve had some luck with scruffy blue collar gentleman in Buchberger round 9 #188 I think Stortini was round 3 #94 or how about the only analyst on Sportsnet who doesn’t secretly hate the Oilers Gadzic round 6 #172. We also had non drafted Glencross who should of been a Oiler for a decade.
Off the top of my head, Vinny D was drafted as a 20 Y.O. In the 7th round. He played 3 more NCAA seasons before he turned pro. Then played 3 pro seasons until he was signed by the Oilers. He played his first NHL game when he was 26.
But he was a huge RH Dman, so not the same situation as Clattenburg. But this is extremely rare , nonetheless.
Interesting note re: Samanski.
Dallas Eakins was on Oilers Now yesterday (a great listen).
He’s been coaching in Manheim and saw Samanski play – he actually made calls to the Oilers (and I guess a few other teams) to provide a scouting report and pump the kids tires a bit.
Eakins says he’s a classic “late bloomer” but he’s got legit NHL ability.
Says, while he knows that every prospects needs to “get stronger”, it really rings true for this kid – if he can commit hard to training and get stronger, Eakins is high on him.
For what that’s worth.
He must swarm really well.
At 23 he’s in a good spot to add bulk (if he can) since he’s at an age where the growing is done and he can fill it out. As a tall kid, and playing in a less physically demanding league it makes sense he needs to bulk up.
Human nature I suppose, but I’m still surprised when you see bubble players not pushing for every inch/pound/ to put themselves over the top, or players with an important “fixable” flaw in their game. Saw a now former Canuck bubble D last summer, and all i could think of was why isn’t this guy spending more time in the gym (he was clearly not a fan of leg day!). Loved EK91 when he was here, but how many years does it take to get better on the boards in your own end?
It’s Dallas Eakins folks.
He broke Yakupov and we’re supposed to believe he understands talent?
I’d bet Jarventie and him are auditioning for the same role. Jarventie has proven he can handle the reduced time and space (from a hockey IQ standpoint, not physical), Samanski will have to adjust quick or wait till Jarv is hurt again.
He almost destroyed Dubnyk. We have 1>3 Cups if we had peak Devan the last 3 years.
Yak came broken. Just like JP doesn’t have the head for pro hockey. Yak didn’t light up the KHL either. It takes more than innate talent in any sport, at the top of it
Yes, its Dallas Eakins who has 16 seasons as a head coach in the AHL or NHL.
I think he knows a thing or two about hockey no matter his performance as a rookie NHL head coach in Edmonton.
Exactly! Fack that guy.
The first name to looks at is Roby Jarventie.
I have heard accounts that he loves Bakersfield and org, is healthy and ready and fully committed.
I can’t verify any of that but what I can verify is what I saw i his two games last year which blew away my expectations.
If he is fully healthy and stays healthy, this kid could be in the NHL before 2026.
When he was sent down the prior season (immediately after being on the roster for 40 days to burn a year of service towards USA – presumably as “required” by his Agent to get him to sign and come over as an 18 year old), he was exceptional.
28 points in 39 games as a young 18 year old, the youngest player by far in the league, remains under-talked about to this day.
This kid was a real talent early in his career.
JP was a man amongst children at the prospect tournament (against CGY, WPG, VAN, WPG (?)). Unsure if it was confidence, mishandling, his bad hips, or what.
Laine is a bust as well. Dubois a disappointment. Weak cohort that year
Laine can still fire the puck from the PP spot. I can see why they didn’t pick Tkachuk as his Dad hated the Oilers.
— Keep waiting as the ref counts down from 10 for the Hulkamanics revive Hogan. As his fans cheer : Just need a small finger twitch … then a leg spasm…
— As we get older 71 doesn’t seem that old to me now for someone dying.
— Back when wrestling wasn’t “fake” it’s probably hard for some to imagine how big wrestling was : on television once a week. Hogan indeed the star
RIP Hulkster.
It’s going to be a heckuva Saturday night in Hades with Ozzy and the Hulkster now headlining the show. Crazy week – RIP fellas
Bowman is settling in, last year was a valuation year, now it’s his hockey team. His idea of supporting cast seems to differ from Hollands vision maybe it’s good Holland tied up so much money because it forces Bowman to find value contracts. Bowman is gambling and trusting his hires he put in place and going the youth route over the burnt out veterans signings. Savoie-Howard-Jarventie-Frederic is our future if these 4 are collectively anywhere between not bad to wonderful we are Stanley Cup bound again.
I would add Bouchard (and even Podz) in there – both younger than Frederic and no doubt Bouchard is a key to a Stanley.
I still include McDavid and Drai as key parts of the future.
Savoie and Howard having impact rookie seasons is something that will go a long ways.
Well hopefully the dominoes start falling and we start the season with a above 900 starter I also hope with every fibre in my body we never hear the word reset or recalibration again.
The Oilers have done a “re-set” of sorts this off-season and I expect them to be very bit as much of a contender as last season.
Ah, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. Side 2, Track 1, IIRC.
With today’s ruling, it looks like five kids were given a break.
A new Alice Cooper album coming out in a few weeks with his original band (sans Glen Buxton). It is produced by Bob Ezrin.
That’s a fairly bleak list for an organization just coming out of a decade of sucking. I agree that our current list has several names that are more interesting, with real competition for several spots on the roster. I think Bowman has done well to restock the shelves considering he had no picks and very few quality prospects to work with.
In part because the kids with talent were in the NHL – generally too early.
Also, they traded some useful pieces after drafting them. Reid Schaefer showed great progress before his injury.
He looks to be the Frederic type that we invested so heavily in.
Wow, all players Not Guilty in Hockey Canada trial. This is going to have serious reverberations throughout the hockey world today.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/london/article/all-players-now-in-court-in-world-junior-sex-assault-trial-follow-the-latest-here/
If the NHL goes the usual route, there will be a league investigation.
I believe that is the prudent way to go.
What will an investigation reveal that is not included in the 8 week trial transcript? I suggest its time to move on with all our lives, once the full verdict is delivered by the Judge.
There had better be.
Players have been out a year and a half. I don’t think the league wants responsibility for any of it.
Why?
What is the NHL going to find out that the police, prosecutors & Judge haven’t found, not to mention the NHL launched its own investigation into this in 2022.
As for judging these boys remember.
Messier
Anderson
MacTavish
Kassian
Keith
Bowman
Perry
khabibulin
Fuhr
Oilers have a long history of second chances, why shouldn’t the league be the same?
Seems odd to compare a lot of people on this list to the world junior case. Grouping sexual assault with people who had substance abuse issues is a weird choice.
And MacTavish served his time in prison.
As for the NHL it’s not about whether they will find “new evidence” or anything like that. They are the league that these players could play in, they have an image to be concerned about and will have to figure out how to navigate that. Just because a legal verdict was reached, does not mean the NHL will let the players get right back into things as if nothing happened.
Premature announcement. No verdict yet announced. This at 10:35am Pacific time.
ps. Judge’s ruling is very limited, hinges on “consent.” It does not address moral or community values or responsibilities.
My question to readers here, if your son or nephew or the kid you’re coaching were in that room, what would you say to him?
The law is a strange and beautiful thing. Categories of guilt and innocence, and of consent, are shaped by argument and by precedent.
There is also a moral code, an ethic of family, a way of being with our daughters, sisters, nieces, the girl next door. Hockey, like so many organized sports, has allowed situations like this to blossom (the difference here is that a young woman is speaking up against the code of “boys will be boys” that protects and sustains what is “rape culture,” however credible or incredible her testimony). Some readers will “know” what happened in that room is wrong, whether it’s deemed criminal or not. Even the young men knew it was wrong, hence their clumsy attempts to make it OK with the “consent video.” Whether the complainant is credible or not, that was not an OK situation, for anyone involved. If one of my sons were in that room, the judge’s verdict is immaterial. He would know, and I would know, that he was in the wrong.
This is a profoundly important issue. I have daughters and granddaughters, as well as sons. The “boys will be boys” excuse does not cut it. Neither do legal arguments that hinge on limited notions of “consent.”
— well said. Beyond reasonable doubt vs how we raise our kids to never be in such a situation or intervene if ever there is a vast gulf.
The step to put someone in prison carries the highest burden and in this case an informed judge did not believe that was met.
That does not fully absolve them from society. You do not have to support a team or league that supports those players if, in your informed opinion, they do not reflect the values you wish in society. I have my opinions and believe alot of misinformation ruled the day. I believe there were 2 mistrials as well. Money talks the loudest, just reality.
The choice is yours.
I agree their parents did a shit job raising them. I can say I wouldn’t have done it in their position but I was raised in a different time. I can’t really relate with that generation other than to tell them to get off of my lawn.
Former Philly goalie become an Oiler by mid August?
Bowman needs to be a Adult and do his job which is the G.M of the Edmonton Oilers and not a Social-Medua Influencer . Bowman and everyone outside of this rose-coloured particle blog knows we’ve needed a upgrade in Net for the past year and a half.
Show some effing respect for those that contribute to this community and also to Stan Bowman and the potential that, maybe, just maybe, Stan Bowman, reinstated in to the league about a year ago after being ineligible for multiple years in connection with a sexual assault matter, may not want to go anywhere near players just off trial for sexual assaults no matter how “not guilty” (behind a reasonable doubt based on the evidence) they may be.
As an aside, that goalie that was on trial has a career save percentage of 0.01% higher than Stuart Skinner.
Bowman fell on the sword for his owner and the league in a certain time period anyone that thinks otherwise hasn’t followed this uncomfortable adult case. This is just my opinion as you are entitled to your opinion. Also has the community of lifetime Oiler fans made you the new spokesperson?
They have been found not guilty. While the behavior by all parties, including the young lady involved, was shocking and ouside of the norms most of us have shared, without the lack of consent there was nothing illegal – only massively distasteful and shocking. I would hope that any road back to professional careers for these young men includes some effort to ensure they complete some remedial training and counselling for them to adress the underlying behavior that led to this, as a MINIMUM. I would think any team willing to take them on as players needs to do more than lip service to ensure that they do not become millstones to the leauge’s conduct standards. They deserve a second chance, but they have to earn it through their ongoing behavior and actions.
As for the young lady involved, she will not escape unscathed from this debacle either. She will require possible therapy and counselling as well, I imagine. I cannot imagine how difficul this might be for her, the afereffects could dog her for a very very long time.
What an unholy mess. Time for all involved to find ways forward and to learn from this shocking experience.
The judge basically said she was full of crap … this case never should have gone to trial.
It’s not hard to figure out why she hsd a lengthy conversation with the bouncer who was well aware who these young lads were.
Yes.
And as I’ve said elsewhere, there may not be legal criminality here, but there no “innocents” here. Those who advocate for “moving forward” as if there were no moral issues to deal with are not serving our larger hockey community, the men and women who play in and/or support it, or the young men and women who are fans. Sex, celebrity, power, privilege, consent – it’s a knot to be untangled, not ignored.
It’s not ignored. They faced time in jail, had I’m sure lots of very uncomfortable conversations with family members, lost significant income, spent a year and a half suspended and have to convince a team to take them on even for a lot less money than they were looking at making 2 years ago.
To put the legal context here into perspective, they are equally as morally exonerated and vindicated as Jian Ghomeshi, Bill Cosby and OJ Simpson in regard to their respective criminal prosecutions. Which isn’t to say they are the same as those people, but is to say that this acquittal doesn’t answer any broad questions about their culpability, character or decency from a non criminal perspective.
Which brings us to why a further civil investigation would be warranted. amongst other things, all of the evidence could be considered including the excluded text messages that apparently contradict the players’ story and corroborate EM’s evidence, the evidence of witnesses that she was crying in the room, and god knows what else that we haven’t been privy to.
If and when that happens and they get a clean or forgivable finding, then fair enough. But in the meantime (and so long as they are unwilling and unwelcoming of a candid and truly broad review) some things hopefully outweigh getting a better goalie on the cheap.
“The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,” the NHL said in a statement to Global News.
“We will be reviewing and considering the judge’s findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the League.”
https://globalnews.ca/news/11303361/world-junior-players-nhl-trial-sex-assault/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other