This afternoon, the Bakersfield Condors announced that they have signed right-winger Liam Folkes to a two-year American Hockey League (AHL) contract beginning with the 2020-21 season.

Folkes, a 24-year-old right winger from Scarborough, Ontario, spent four years with Penn State where he put up 48 goals and 55 assists through 137 NCAA games. This two-year deal will give Folkes a chance to turn pro after working through four years in the Big-10 division. Before landing at Penn State, the 5’9″ Folkes played for the Brockville Braves of the CCHL for two seasons, scoring 63 goals and 55 assists for 118 points in 109 games. While with Belleville, Folkes was named as the team MVP for the 2014-15 season after registering 72 points (37G, 35A) in 60 games.

If there’s one thing we learned from the 2019-20 Bakersfield Condors, it’s that they’re sorely lacking in the skilled forward department and hopefully, adding Folkes into the mix will help improve the depth on the farm. While he did have a down year with the Lions this past season, Folkes had been improving his scoring totals year over year, which should help down on the farm. At the very least, this is a low-risk signing for the Condors that should create further competition on the right side, something the team will definitely need as prospects such as @Kailer Yamamoto graduate to the NHL level.