Checking the Condors’ Cupboards
By Scott Zerr
8 years ago
Craig Button, one the top draft gurus in the game, recently said the Edmonton Oilers’ cupboard was “pretty bare” when it comes to any promising prospects. He’s not wrong. And that hurts not only at the NHL level but it could make things pretty painful at the developmental AHL level for the Bakersfield Condors as well.
The Condors were left with very little in terms of high-end prospects by the time the AHL season wound down for them last week as they missed the playoffs by two points and .015 winning percentage. Early in the season, the Condors were stripped of their top talent – Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, and Iiro Pakarinen – and by the time the stretch drive for a playoff spot came about, the rest of prospect pool was pretty well drained. Laurent Brossoit, Jordan Oesterle, and Griffin Reinhart were all scooped up by the Oilers for an extended period, leaving the Condors’ nest barren.
“It will all play itself out over the course of the summer. Ultimately, that’s our goal, to prepare these guys to play in NHL and we had pretty much a majority of our guys play in the NHL and contribute and perform up there.” – Condors head coach Gerry Fleming (Bakersfield Californian)
Prospect Pool
The depth is barely enough to cover the floor.
The Oilers/Condors can’t make use of four reasonably strong prospects on defence. Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear and John Marino are all from 2015 draft and are ticketed for more seasoning in junior and college, and Ziyat Paigin has another year left on his current contract in Russia. Another potential blue liner is William Lagesson, a fourth-rounder from 2014, but it’s unnecessary to push him to depart UMass-Amherst after his freshman season.
The remaining college and junior picks from ’13 and ’14 are virtually all write-offs. Goaltenders Keven Bouchard (Moncton-QMJHL) and Zach Nagelvoort (Michigan-NCAA) were both bizarre choices on draft day and have proven to be mistakes with ugly numbers. Three forwards – Evan Campbell (sixth-rounder, UMass-Lowell), Aiden Muir (fourth-rounder, Western Michigan), Tyler Vessel (sixth-rounder, Nebraska-Omaha) – were ultra-longshots when picked and have shown nothing close to being a steal. None expect to be in the hunt next season or likely ever with the Condors.
Two intriguing prospects in the system spent some time between Bakersfield and ECHL Norfolk.
Braden Christoffer started the year as a real revelation, first in the prospects tournament in Kelowna and then in Bakersfield during training camp. He earned a spot and kicked things off well, but then hit the wall especially in terms of numbers on the scoresheet. He was sent down to rediscover his touch and potted 13 goals in 24 games, and was rewarded with a recall to the Condors to wrap up the season.
He should be a Condor full-time next season.
“He’s the type of player every coach would love to have. What you see is what you get. He’s a leader when it comes to work ethic. He plays with a physical edge. He has no fear, he has no fear, and finishes every check.” – Norfolk Admirals head coach Eric Veilleux
You don’t have to read between the lines to know the story on Greg Chase. He seems to be both a hidden gem and frustrating figure at the same time. He could still be a real steal as a seventh-rounder but there’s work to do, much of it is probably between the ears. Next training camp, there’s sure to be a tussle for the bottom-six spots in Bakersfield, and a focused Chase could be in the mix and potentially overtake someone such as Mitch Moroz.
“Obviously he can play very well offensively, he did that the whole year for us. The key for him is to be consistent in his efforts. He still has some work to do without the puck but he did get better at it during the year. He did a bit of agitating, but everything needs to be control. In his case, it’s about when to do it and when not to do it, that you are needed on the ice more than in the box.” – Veilleux
Minor-League Veterans:
The Oilers/Condors have five in this category: Rob Klinkhammer, Brad Hunt, Ryan Hamilton, Matthew Ford, and Phil McRae. For starters, all signs point to Ford retiring and Hunt is a good bet to be moving on. He’s a MacTavish guy which automatically puts him on the bubble under the Chiarelli regime, and the Oilers have a younger version of an all-offence, treacherous-defence blue liner in Joey LaLeggia. Klinkhammer proved to be a great resource for the Condors, and would be a valuable call-up in the Oilers’ bottom six. Hamilton is a highly serviceable captain and contributor. An interesting case can be made for Phil McRae, a former second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, who was signed this past off-season and now has around 250 games at the AHL level. McRae missed a large chunk of the season when he caught Valley Fever, but reappeared late in the season, and had arguably his best game in the home-ice finale with two goals and a fight. He’s sharp on special teams, and with the Oilers lack of prospects, he’s a fit for another year at least.
RFA’s (dollar figures shown are NHL pay rates)
This is a very intriguing lot. Falling into the ‘definitely should be re-signed’ are defencemen David Musil ($833,000) and Jordan Oesterle ($792,000).
Goaltender Niklas Lundstrom ($698,000), acquired in the trade of Anders Nilsson to St. Louis, should be told to seek work elsewhere. He’s not an AHL-calibre goalie and he’s unnecessary even for ECHL Norfolk. Zach Boychuk ($600,000), acquired via the loan swap with Carolina/Charlotte for Andrew Miller, should also be sent off. His money can be spent elsewhere.
That leaves three, all forwards. Kale Kessy ($655,000) showed a decent level of improvement. He’ll never be an NHLer but he could wind up being a minor-league cog. Luke Gazdic ($850,000) finished the year in the Rexall Place press box after a decent stint in Bakersfield. With the emergence of players like Zack Kassian and Adam Cracknell, Gazdic might be in store for more time with the Condors or an exit from the organization. And then there’s hard-luck story Tyler Pitlick ($761,000).
Pitlick’s case, of course, is severely damaged by his inability to stay healthy. When he’s been able to go, he’s been very good, but it’s been so rare that it seriously impacts his value. Gazdic is an enforcer which is still a necessary commodity in the AHL especially in the Pacific Division where the Condors are playing their California opposition 12 times a year. There’s some redundancy here with Kessy and Mitch Moroz, but Gazdic is a cut above and Moroz is teetering on the precipice of being a lost cause. Development, and the protection of developing players, are factors here. Since the Oilers/Condors don’t have many prospects in the system that could take spots in Bakersfield, there’s probably room for Kessy, Gazdic, and Pitlick but you’d have to assume that Pitlick’s tenure has finally come to an end.
With those players, and many others in mind, here’s some hunches and guesses on what’s to come for the Condors next season …
2015-16 Condors Final Game Roster:
Goaltenders
Brossoit
Rimmer
Defence
Oesterle – Reinhart
Simpson – Musil
Nurse – LaLeggia
Forwards
Boychuk – Khaira – Slepyshev
Hunt – Yakimov – Ford
Roy – Currie – McRae
Christoffer – Platzer – Kessy
2016-17 Condors Roster Prediction:
Goaltenders
Brossoit
Ellis
Defence
Simpson – Oesterle
LaLeggia – Reinhart
Betker – Musil
Pageau
Forwards
Klinkhammer – Hamilton – Winquist
Salinen – McRae – Slepyshev
Roy – Currie – Christoffer/Chase
Gazdic/Moroz – Platzer – Kessy
- This potential roster could change in significant ways should the Oilers land a notable or two from the NCAA and major junior free-agent lists.
- Eetu Laurikainen will be re-assigned to Finland rather than go to ECHL Norfolk.
- Bogdan Yakimov pulls the chute (again) on his time in the AHL. He goes back to Russia for good.
- Finn Jere Salinen comes over from the KHL.
- Josh Currie and Josh Winquist, both of whom made huge leaps over the past two seasons, are kept onboard. Watch for them to emerge over the next season or two into leaders and getting the torch passed to them from the likes of Hamilton and McRae.
Salute the Skipper
If ever a coach deserves an Unsung Hero award, it should be handed to Norfolk Admirals bench boss Eric Veilleux whose roster this season went through 62 players including seven goaltenders. Veilleux expects to return to the Oilers’ Double-A affiliate after a 30-37-0-5 campaign.
“I found out what the East Coast League is really like. It was a great experience but it was a lot of work. The coaches I know told me what it was going to be like but you never really know until you experience it live.” – Veilleux
If the Oilers/Condors decide not to bring a few players back or the players choose greener grass, Veilleux has a couple of players in mind for potential promotion. Boston College grad Steven Whitney is certainly smallish (5-foot-7, 165 pounds) but he put up 55 points. Former Spruce Grove Saints left winger missed the end of the season due to injury but still had 37 points and the 25-year-old Alaska-Anchorage product is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds.
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