The Bakersfield Condors continue to play about 0.500 hockey this season, and currently boast an 11–10–3–1 record through the first 25 games of the season. This puts them in eighth in the Pacific Division, one spot outside of the playoff picture.
How has the team looked?
The biggest piece of good news for the Condors is that scoring has not been an issue at all. The team has scored at least two goals in each game in December, and only had less than two goals in four contests all season.
While no regular skater is at a point-per-game this year, the Condors have gotten really good production from up and down the lineup. Captain Seth Griffith has led the team in scoring with eight goals and 18 points in 24 games. Now 31, Griffith is leading by example on the scoresheet and has been an incredible present in the organization since he joined in 2020.
Just behind him is Matthew Savoie, who is up to 16 points on the year. The former Buffalo Sabres prospect is coming off of a 71-point season in the WHL, in which he had 2.09 points-per-game in 34 games. For reference, Taylor Hall had 2.05 points-per-game in his 19-year-old season. Savoie is likely to earn a call-up to the big club in the new year.
Noah Philp and Drake Caggiula are just behind with 13 points each. Philp is likely also in the call-up conversation, and a few more points could see him earn another look in the Oilers’ bottom six.
Surprisingly Matvei Petrov is tied for the team lead in goals with eight as well. Now in his second AHL season, the former North Bay Battalions winger is two points away from breaking his point total from last season and is on pace to finish with 36 points. Not bad for a former sixth round selection.
The Condors also recently acquired Jacob Perrault from the Montreal Canadiens’ system, and he has five points in six games. This is a far cry from his previous production, which saw him spend more time in the ECHL with Trois-Rivieres than the AHL with Laval. Hopefully this is a breakout year for the former first round pick.
The challenge for the Condors has been keeping the puck out of their net. They have allowed at least five goals against in four of the seven games they have played this season, but somehow Olivier Rodrigue and Collin Delia are both above a 0.900 save percentage. The former has held the starters net this season, playing 15 of the team’s 25 games and holding a 0.923 save percentage in that time. However, Delia has been decent as well with 10 starts on the year and a 0.900 save percentage. The former is the only one with a shutout on the season though.
What to expect for the balance of the season?
Heading down the stretch, the Condors are going to be in a fight for one of the last two playoff spots in the Pacific Division with the Abbotsford Canucks and Coachella Valley Firebirds. Bakersfield is at 26 points, while Abbotsford and Coachella are at 29 and 30 respectively. However, the Condors have played two fewer games than Abootsfold and three fewer than Coachella, which gives them a good chance to be able to catch their rivals.
The biggest risk is organizational depth if there are injuries or call-ups. With Savoie almost certainly being called-up to Edmonton, that’s a massive loss for the team who desperately will need scoring to close out the season.
Both Abbotsford and Coachella Valley have deep squads with a lot of prospects who could make an impact as the season wears on, and the Condors will really need to dig in if they want to earn one of the two available spots.
Assuming they sneak into the playoffs, the Condors will almost certainly face one of the San Jose Barracuda, Ontario Reign, or Tucson Roadrunners, who are all over a 0.600 win percentage on the season. The latter two are both on six game winning streaks and are going to be tough to beat in a playoff round.
However, what really matters for the Condors this season isn’t so much playoff success but prospect progression. If Petrov, Savoie, Max Wanner, James Hamblin, Roby Jarventie, and more can take a step this year, the season will be a success regardless of how they finish the season.
