With the Edmonton Oilers going all in to win a Stanley Cup, where does that leave the Bakersfield Condors? Can they provide enough prospects to make a difference, or is the farm system depleted?
It’s hard not to think about the Bakersfield Condors without the context of the Edmonton Oilers. In the American Hockey League, there are three types of teams. The teams who want to win first and develop in the process. The teams that feel out the season where if they win, they’ll make a push for a Calder Cup and if they aren’t, they’ll only focus on development. Then there are the teams that are only focused on development.
Considering the Oilers are in win-now mode, where it’s a Stanley Cup title or a bust season, they are looking at their AHL team to either find a prospect or two to help them now or trade them to add more talent to the NHL team. It points to a rough season for the Condors.
Last season, interestingly, was a good one for the Condors. They made the playoffs and were a middle-of-the-pack team in the Pacific Division. So, they can build off of it and take another step forward if things go right.
Stats From 2025-26:
Record: 37-23-11-1 (5th in Pacific Division, 7th in Western Conference & 12th in AHL)
Offense: 3.38 goals per game (3rd in AHL)
Defense: 3.27 goals against per game (25th in AHL)
The Burning Question: Is The Offensive Success Sustainable?
The Condors relied on their offense to win games last season. They averaged 3.38 goals per game and would run up the score most nights. They would live and die with the high-flying offense, as they’d score plenty of goals while squandering a lot the other way as well.
The problem is that this is a new-look Condors team. They lost Sam Poulin, James Hamblin, and Cam Dineen in free agency. All three veterans were integral to the culture and key to the offense. Can the offense keep it up? It’s unlikely.
The problem is that this is a new-look team. Can the offense keep it up? It’s unlikely. It also doesn’t help that they lost Sam Poulin, James Hamblin, and Cam Dineen in free agency, three veterans who were key to the offense.
It’s worth adding that the defense was awful, a side effect of their system. The Condors will want to tighten things up a bit and improve their structure on the defensive end to look like a better team this season.
The Condors, like a lot of teams in the Pacific Division, play a fast-paced, offensive-minded system. It won’t result in success on the ice, especially in the Calder Cup Playoffs, and it’s not preparing the prospects for the NHL, where the games are tighter and tougher.
Why The Condors Are Optimistic
If there’s one reason to be optimistic, it’s the duo of young skaters Isaac Howard and Quinn Hutson. They look to build off of strong rookie seasons and remain two of the best players in the AHL, if they aren’t on the NHL team that is.
Hutson was an older rookie by AHL standards, making his debut at 24. That said, he looked unfazed by the new league with 30 goals and 33 assists while being the constant driver of the offense. If he’s not on the Oilers, he’ll be the steady scoring presence for the Condors.
The same is true about Howard. He scored 24 goals and added 26 assists, proving to the Condors and the Oilers that he’s a well-rounded player who can impact the game in multiple ways. His skill and upside make him a more intriguing prospect for the Oilers, someone they might want in the bottom six.
The big move the Condors can still make is re-signing Seth Griffith, the 33-year-old forward who led the team with 67 points. Bringing him back would go a long way for the Condors but as of now, he remains a free agent for any AHL team to pick up.
The good news is that they made a late summer pickup by signing Tucker Robertson (minutes before this preview was published). Robertson is a skilled winger who scored 13 goals and added 15 assists to the Lehigh Valley Phantom offense, making him a valuable middle-six forward. He's someone who can add a spark in Bakersfield and another layer of scoring.
Prospects To Watch
There aren’t many, to be blunt. It’s what happens when the Oilers go all-in and try to win the Cup yet come up short. They traded away draft picks and prospects over the years to add veterans, and it shows now with a depleted farm system.
The two big names are Howard and Hutson. Either both will be on the NHL team by midseason, both will carry the Condors, or both will be traded at the deadline for more veterans. The best-case scenario is that they inject youth into an aging Oilers team.
Some fans wonder about Devon Levi. Is he a prospect, and will he play in the AHL? The reality is that the Oilers acquired him with the intention of playing him in the NHL. Yes, they have three goaltenders at the moment but he’s the low-risk, high-reward bet that they are making.
