It’s official! Raphael Lavoie has been named as the Bakersfield Condors’ sole representative for this year’s AHL All-Star Classic. The weekend-long event will be held in San Jose this year, with 14 players from each division selected to take part.
Lavoie has been having a phenomenal season
It’s been an excellent season in Bakersfield for Lavoie, who sits third on the team in scoring with 16 points in 20 games. He also brings an edge to his game, putting up 33 penalty minutes this season. A tweener between the AHL and NHL, Lavoie has also featured in seven NHL games this season with the Oilers but is yet to record his first point.
This hasn’t been a great season for the Condors, who sit eighth in the Pacific Division this season. Without some of their star talent from years past, the team has relied on fewer prospects and far more AHL journeymen to keep the season going. Four of the team’s top five scorers this season are over 25, with just Lavoie in the mix as a prospect of note.
Interestingly, Olivier Rodrigue was not selected to participate this season. Through 12 games, the netminder has a 0.924 save percentage, good for third in the league. The Calgary Wranglers’ Dustin Wolf makes a lot of sense as the first-choice netminder, but selecting Matt Villalta of the Tuscon Roadrunners, who has a 0.910 save percentage in 25 games over Rodrigue is a headscratcher.
What to expect from the tournament
The skills competition will take place on Sunday, February 4th while the games will be held on Monday, February 5th. This year’s tournament features a round-robin style, with each team facing the other three in 10-minute games of 3-on-3. The top two teams will face each other in the championships in a six-minute 3-on-3 game.
All the best to Lavoie at the upcoming festivities.
