From the article written last week, the Bakersfield Condors rookies exploded in scoring and playing much better game by game. This week, they have continued their consistent play on offence and they have been lead, offensively, by top defenceman Philip Broberg. But some of the rookies defensive play has stagnated.
The Condors went 3–2–0 in their last five games during the week which isn’t that bad, but their play on defence was questionable as they allowed three or more goals in four of the five games. Olivier Rodrigue also did not play as well as he usually does because he allowed three or more goals in three of the games that he played. Jack Campbell actually had the better week.
Below will be an analysis of each rookie that stood out this week on the Condors.
Forwards
Matvey Petrov has started to bring that offensive flair into the AHL. The Petrov we saw in junior is starting to appear again and it’s forcing Colin Chaulk to give him more ice. In his last five games, Petrov has scored two goals and two assists. He is shooting the puck more and attacking the net a lot more as well. He’s starting to get his nose dirty which is great to see. With the injury to Raphael Lavoie that occurred, unfortunately, Petrov may start to see even more ice and maybe some more powerplay time as well
Xavier Bourgault had a much better week offensively as he registered one goal and two assists in his last five games. There is no question about his hockey sense and awareness. He has it all except for size which is hindering his play at times, but he is not letting that get in his way. He is grinding and attacking the net. He’s getting his nose dirty as well and has started to mature. Do not let his overall points this season deceive you. He is doing so much all over the ice for the Condors. It’s only a matter of time until he goes on a bit of a scoring streak.
Jayden Grubbe did not stick out as much as last week as he did not score a point in his last three games. But he brought his creativity and grinding game to the forefront and did well on the forecheck.
Tyler Tullio has continued his rugged and gritty play for the Condors. He got into one fight during the week and received some penalties for mugging it up with the opposition. He scored a goal and an assist in his five games this week so his forechecking and pestering has been paying off.
This is the kid that has been catching my eye for weeks now. Carter Savoie has scored three points in his last five games and his ice time has been increasing a lot. He’s now starting to become one of the top scorers on the team and, soon, Condors fans can put him in the primary scorer realm just like Raphael Lavoie. His game continues to get better and more consistent. Like I’ve said before, the Oilers have a good one in Savoie.
A very strong week for the Condors best player as Raphael Lavoie registered a two-goal game and scored one assist. He finished it off with three points in five games but got injured in his last game during a fight. X-rays will be done on his hand, but according to sources close to the Condors, the injury is nothing major.
Defence
The second player I’ve had labeled for this week alongside Carter Savoie. Philip Broberg just continues to shine all over the ice and is one of the larger reasons why the Condors have not been blasted out of the arena by the opposition. He scored seven assists in the five games he played this week. His ability to eat up minutes, make smart plays all over the ice, rush the puck, make a great first pass, and create high quality chances are second to none on the Condors. He has found his game and he is ready to take on the NHL full time. I expect the Oilers to call him up in the near future to be the teams #6 defenceman. If they don’t give him a chance and trade him, they will regret it much more than the Michael Kesselring trade.
Mr. Consistency, Max Wanner, scored one goal and one assist this week but went pointless in his last three games. His defensive game did fall off a little bit during this week but he was a minus player in only one game. He is still continuing to jump up in the play which is great to see. Wanner made some great subtle defensive plays that showed just how much progression the 20 year old has shown in his first AHL season. He’s still been consistent this week with a bit of a drop off during one game.
Goaltending
I said in an earlier article that the pace young Olivier Rodrigue was on would not remain forever as it is very hard to sustain for any goaltender. We are seeing it now with Rodrigue, but surprisingly, it isn’t even that bad. He played three games this week and his lowest save percentage was only .897. This is a positive development because, if the worst Rodrigue can play is at a .897 save percentage, then it’s not as bad. Fans do not need to be scared with Rodrigue. He will return to form and will continue to be the Condors #1 goalie. Two average goalies will not bring him down and, if him being bad is only being average, that’s a bonus.
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