A Visit To The Edmonton Oilers Farm Team

The AHL season has not been good for the Oilers farm team the Bakersfield Condors. They got off to a slow start and were sitting dead last in the division for the longest time. Then in the new year, things started looking up, and they made some headway up the standings. At the time of this writing, the Condors sit seventh in the AHL’s Pacific Division. As of late, they’ve been almost as hot as the parent club, going 7-3-0 in their last 10, second best in the Pacific Division next to the division-leading Calgary Wranglers (patooey).

According to the AHL playoff format that was approved last year, seven teams in the Pacific will qualify for the playoffs, and four of those spots are locked up already. This means that the Condors may qualify for the playoffs yet, but it will come down to the wire. They’re currently 11 points back of fourth-place Colorado Eagles, so they definitely have some ground to make up. They have nine games remaining so a potential 18 points are up for grabs. We’ll see whether they make it or not. In the Jay Woodcroft era in Bakersfield, the Condors saw a lot of success in the playoffs, even winning an AHL championship and multiple division titles.

Whether the Condors make the playoffs or not, it’s worth looking at players who might be candidates for at least a call-up next year.

I’ll start with the man in the picture, RW Raphael Lavoie. The second-round pick of the Oilers in 2019, Lavoie currently ranks as the only 20-goal scorer on the Condors with 22 – 22-18-40 on the season in 52 games. Lavoie got called up briefly this season but never got into a game. He’s made remarkable progress in three seasons in Bakersfield, finishing with rising numbers in all categories – goals, assists, points, PIMs, and +/-.

Could be a future top-six forward per his scouting report.