The Bakersfield Condors went 3–2–0 last week and, from their standards, they could have been much better. So let’s do a review of the prospects!
The forwards
Raphael Lavoie had a relatively slow week as he only scored two assists in the five games he played. He was still his usual self in these games but he did not get a goal. There’s no reason for concern with Lavoie after the season he has gone through
Ty Tullio had a bit of a slow week as well by his standards because he scored only one assist in his five games. However, he still brought his rambunctious style and nastiness to the lineup. He had a few chances he would’ve usually put away but it seems like he’s in a bit of a small dry spell. But, this is nothing to be concerned about when it comes to a young prospect
As I explained last week, Xavier Bourgault started his week off great with a goal. But ever since then, he has not scored a goal. He has certainly been getting his chances but, he has been scratched in games as well. Again, this is on the player. But, I feel like Colin Chaulk is putting way too much of an over reliance on veterans and this is not something that is good for development.
With Carter Savoie, I will say the same thing as I did with Bourgault. He has zero points in the five games he played, but he played on the fourth line for the majority of the week. He got one game on the third line, surprisingly, but wasn’t able to score. This is a very important prospect for the Edmonton Oilers, in my opinion. Therefore, with the way he is being handled by the Condors coaching staff is not the best way. I do believe Jeff Jackson will be making changes with their coaching staff.
The defence
Max Wanner had a great game this week as he scored one goal and one assist in the Condors last game. He was absolutely fantastic in that game and he has been great during the whole week. The offensive game of Wanner has started to come out more just like it did in the WHL. This is a player who asserts his game in the league after he gets acclimatized. Do not forget that this is a rookie defenceman that is playing in the AHL and he has not looked out of place for the whole season. That is very impressive! The Oilers have something very good in Wanner and Oiler fans have a great reason to be excited about him. Four goals and 10 assists in the 58 games Wanner has played.
Philip Broberg had another strong week in terms of his overall play. Offensively, Broberg had one goal and one assist in the five games played so it was not as strong as usual in that department. However, the Condors could not ask for a better player on the backend. I do wonder why veteran Cam Dineen gets more power play time than a developing top prospect. Chaulk’s job is to develop the Oiler prospects and not use his veterans to win the Calder Cup.
Goaltending
Olivier Rodrigue had a decent week as he went 1–1–0 this week. He was great in a 6–1 win for the Condors but then also allowed four goals in the next game he has played. Rodrigue has still had a very good season as he has now picked up his 14th win of the season (a new career high). But, slowly but surely, Chaulk has decided to give majority of the games to Jack Campbell. This is not good for development Edmonton!
What is Chaulk doing?
As you can tell from my assessment of the Condors this week, I have spoken quite a bit about Chaulk. In my opinion, he has done a very poor job in developing the Oilers prospects for a while now. The season had started off great with Bourgault having a nice start and Lavoie leading the way. But, slowly, all the reins have now gone to the veterans due to Chaulk caring more about winning and not about development.
Edmonton this is not good news! This isn’t the way to develop your prospects at the professional level. I do hope the Oilers have a discussion this summer about how they will handle this for the next season. Until then, I believe we will be seeing veterans taking a lot more time from the prospects.
