Please forgive me for referencing the God awful Kardashians…
The Bakersfield Condors 2016-17 AHL season has officially begun, and the group features a 1-2-0 record that doesn’t say wow like the parent club, but there are a lot of good things to come from the opening three games of the season. Alex Thomas wrote a little bit about the Condors a few days back if you want to hear his analysis.
Nick Ellis spent the first two games in the crease in favour of Eetu Laurikainen while Laurent Brossoit picked up backup duties for the parent club. Jujhar Khaira scored three goals centring the Condors’ top line, and Griffin Reinhart found a mean streak.
While the numbers tell us the biggest part of the story, what may be more interesting to Oiler fans is the lineup decisions.
CURRENT DEPTH CHART
Ryan Hamilton – Jujhar Khaira – Taylor Beck
Joey Benik – Kyle Platzer – Jaedon Descheneau
Scott Allen – Jere Sallinen – Patrick Russell
Mitch Moroz – Kris Newbury – Braden Christoffer
ex: Greg Chase, Josh Currie
Griffin Reinhart – Jordan Oesterle
Dillon Simpson – David Musil
Mark Fraser – Joey Laleggia
ex: Ben Betker
Laurent Brossoit
Nick Ellis
CONDORS 4 MOOSE 1
The Condors began their season with two games in Manitoba to play the Jet’s affiliate the Manitoba Moose. The Condors won the first game 4-1 with two goals from Jujhar Khaira, while Scott Allen and Joey Benik also chipped in. Nick Ellis turned aside 30 shots for his first professional win. Taylor Beck added a pair of assists playing on the top line, including a nifty spinorama play.
It should be noted that 2011 31st overall pick David Musil sat out the opening game as a healthy scratch. Musil is a good defensive defenseman but it looks as if the organization doesn’t think he has the foot speed to play in the NHL. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Oilers found a trading partner to take Musil on.
With Jonas Gustavsson’s injury, the Oilers had to recall Laurent Brossoit to backup Cam Talbot, and that left the Condor’s without their starting goalie. Nick Ellis got the call ahead of Eetu Laurikainen and their deployment in either the ECHL or AHL will be worth keeping an eye on.
CONDORS 4 MOOSE 5
The Condors weren’t able to make it two in a row against the Moose. Prior to the game, the Condors signed AHL veteran Kris Newbury, and Newbury drew in as the fourth line centre in favour of Josh Currie.
Joey Benik got the Condors on the board first but Manitoba scored the next two goals. Matt Benning scored his first professional goal while being on loan from the big club to keep him fresh. Jere Sallinen gave the Condors a 3-2 lead on a scramble play. After Sallinen scored he was roughed up by Moose forward Scott Kosmachuk and Griffin Reinhart took exception and pummelled Kosmachuk showing the mean streak that will likely be his ticket back to the NHL. Manitoba would score three consecutive goals including an empty net to put the game out of reach. Jujhar Khaira chipped in his third goal of the season to cut it to one, but the Condors wouldn’t find the equalizer.
Nick Ellis was sharp again even though he allowed four goals, stopping 32 of 36 shots fired his way.
CONDORS 1 ROADRUNNERS 2
Prior to the opening game in Bakersfield, the Condors found out they would be without Jujhar Khaira as the leading scorer for the club was announced he would be day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Kris Newbury would take his place on the top line and Josh Currie would draw in on the fourth line. Matt Benning was once again recalled by the big club and David Musil would take his place on the second pairing alongside Dillon Simpson.
After the Coyotes affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners (btw, great name for the farm club) scored the first goal, Edmonton native Scott Allen would score his second on an individual effort to tie it up.
The Roadrunners would score their second and that was all they would need to wrap the game up. Laurent Brossoit got into his first game and stopped 23 of 25 shots in his first non-exhibition game of the season.
WEEK ONE STATISTICS
Jujhar Khaira 2GP 3-1-4
Scott Allen 3GP 2-1-3
Taylor Beck 3GP 0-3-3
Matt Benning 2GP 1-1-2
Joey Benik 3GP 2-0-2
Ryan Hamilton 3GP 0-2-2
Patrick Russell 3GP 0-2-2
David Musil 1GP 0-1-1
Jere Sallinen 3GP 1-0-1
Joey Laleggia 3GP 0-1-1
Jaedon Descheneau 3GP 0-1-1
Kyle Platzer 3GP 0-1-1
Kris Newbury 2GP 0-0-0
Josh Currie 2GP 0-0-0
Mark Fraser 3GP 0-0-0
Mitch Moroz 3GP 0-0-0
Griffin Reinhart 3GP 0-0-0
Dillon Simpson 3GP 0-0-0
Jordan Oesterle 3GP 0-0-0
Braden Christoffer 3GP 0-0-0
Nick Ellis 2GP 1W 2.53 .925
Laurent Brossoit 1GP 0W 2.05 .920
TRIN’S THOUGHTS
-Jujhar Khaira is a beast and I think he has fire in his eyes after being sent down earlier in the preseason than many expected. Khaira will see some time in the NHL this year and if he keeps scoring like this in the minors, he will be able to produce offence in the NHL eventually.
-I predicted Taylor Beck would surprise in camp and he didn’t necessarily do so, but he’s a good candidate for a call-up. Beck lost out to Tyler Pitlick but they do play similar styles. Should injuries continue to be a factor, Beck will get his chance.
–While David Musil isn’t getting the treatment from the organization based on his deployment, it’s encouraging to see Kyle Platzer playing on the second line. Platzer has improved in every season since his draft year and he looked really good in preseason. There’s a strong two-way player there and if Platzer can score 40+ points, he’ll be well on track to become an NHL player two years down the road.
-The Condors employ a lot of players without NHL contracts. Scott Allen, Ryan Hamilton, Jaedon Descheneau, Kris Newbury, and Joey Benik are all players with AHL-only deals playing prominent minutes. With Greg Chase sitting as a healthy scratch you’d have to be slightly concerned. The good thing is these players will help make the Condors a better AHL team and prompt them for a playoff run to get the youngsters playing meaningful games as well.
-Griffin Reinhart found a mean streak and for all I have read and heard, he seems to understand what he needs to do in Bakersfield to get back on track as an NHL prospect. Reinhart will likely be playing top-pairing minutes in Bakersfield until at least January barring any major injury issues. This is a good thing. Reinhart will need to dominate this league to quiet the naysayers but I’ll go on record saying he has a good chance to do so.
-Nick Ellis could be a find. While it is early, one should know that AHL hockey is quite a step above college hockey and not many collegiate goaltenders make a smooth transition (see Ottawa Senator’s Matt O’Connor). Ellis obviously earned the trust of the coaching staff in the absence of Laurent Brossoit. Now the thing to decide is what’s better for his development…Backing up Laurent Brossoit in the AHL? Or starting in the ECHL for the Norfolk Admirals?
LOOKING AHEAD
The Condors will play back to back games against the San Jose Barracuda in San Jose on Friday and Saturday.
We’ll check in with you next Tuesday for another edition of keeping up with the Condors!
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