It was a tough weekend for the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors as they dropped both games in the home-and-home to the Ontario Reign in regulation.

Leaving the weekend without a point gives the Reign an eight-point swing in a tight Pacific Division race. Before the weekend started, the Condors were sitting at 55 points (with a game in hand) and only five back of Ontario at 60, the Reign now sit at 64 points.

It was a very sloppy weekend for the whole team. Missing passes, missing assignments, sticking to the outside while in the offensive zone, and going shorthanded way too many times. The Condors were only able to muster up 21 shots in each game, and the offence was completely stale. There wasn’t much good news this weekend, but at the top of the list was the return of Beau Akey after a four-game absence. Akey took an errant puck to the face towards the end of the Condors’ game versus the Barracuda on January 24th.

As I said in the opener, Saturday’s game marked Akey’s first game back since getting an errant puck to the face on January 24th. Up to that point, the former Barrie Colt was on a roll. It may not show up in the box score, however, the continued development of Akey’s passing ability and confidence has helped him reach another level.

I was terrified that some serious damage was done and that he would miss a lot more time than he did. Finishing the weekend with no points and three shots on net it was a bit of a quiet weekend, but Akey showed the flashes you want to see against a top AHL squad. Starting with the first clip below, the second-rounder shows no fear and makes a breakout pass while under pressure from two Reign forecheckers. His pass under pressure leads to a Damien Carfagna chance on the other end.

It’s a simple play, but the little plays add up. I once heard from someone (who I wish I could name, but I don’t remember) “something good always happens after three consecutive passes.” The above clip reminded me of that quote and it shows the importance of making that first pass. The next clip showcases the right-shot defenders developing skill and strong offensive zone awareness.

The highlight of the clip is after splitting the forwards and playing the puck low, Akey continues to shrink the zone for the Reign (Ontario wants to stretch the ice to break the puck out) and he plays closer to the top of the circles than the blueline. This also allows the high forward control the centre lane while Akey controls the wall. Great job from the young defender. The final clip showcases the confidence on the young defender.

The first year pro jumps the cross ice pass and leads the rush with a clean zone entry. If Akey was able to get a better shot off maybe there was a rebound avaible with bodies crashing the net. Before the unlucky injury, Akey was pushing play in a positive direction and he continues to do the same even though he has the bubble on.

Quinn Hutson and Isaac Howard were relatively quiet this weekend (at least to their standards) finishing with a combined three assists. While Howard continues to score at a strong rate, Quinn Hutson as cooled off a little bit. In his last eleven games, the AHL All-Star has scored one goal and contributed four assists. As you will see below the only point of his weekend came off an excellent release from the slot, sneaks through the goalie, and cleaned up by James Hamblin.

Hutson continues to shoot the puck at a high rate as he is now up to 125 shots through 41 games played and still sitting at a 19.2% shooting percentage. The Condors top right-winger is regressing to the mean after going on an absolute heater. The shots and chances are coming, however the luck just isn’t there at this moment. Below is another clip of a chance generated by Hutson, the exact same release was showcased where he doesn’t stick handle instead he loads right into his shot.

Although Hutson isn’t as noticable as when every thing he shot went in, but he is still generating chances and the worst thing you can do as a defence is tempt your fate by continuing to give him some. The dynamic offensive winger is now getting some work in on the penalty killing unit and getting most of his minutes with Samuel Poulin. In the final clip below, Poulin sets up Quinn Hutson in front for a great chance while shorthanded.

Although the scoring has come down you can see the impact Hutson continues to have offensively and now keeping powerplay units on their toes if he’s out there killing the last 30 seconds of a penalty. The goals will come again and they will probably come in bunches.

Poulin was looked at as a throw in when he was traded to Edmonton alongside Tristan Jarry. However he has become much more than that to the Condors. Everything asked of the 2019 first round selection he does. Poulin has been a massive part of the penalty kill, he has played wing and centre, and you can continuously count on the effort you will get from him on a nightly basis. The second game of the back-to-back was one of Poulin’s better performances as a Condor since his arrival. Below is a clip of his only point on the weekend, however its an excellent backhand pass to Stillman who rifles one home.

The versatile forward showcases his puck protection and passing ability leading to the first goal of the night for the Condors. Poulin’s and Bakersfield’s night started off strong with a goal in the first ten minutes. However what I want to highlight is the work done by Poulin in this game alone. The next clip below is a clip that coaches love.

After stealing the puck and getting a high-danger scoring chance on the kill, the former Penguins prospect works to turn the puck over again and draws a penalty in the process. Even in the Hutson paragraph above there is a clip that is solely built off of Poulin’s penalty killing work. Below is going to be another clip of Hutson and Poulin going to work offensively while being shorthanded; this time it’s Hutson doing the setting up.

Samuel Poulin has been a massive addition and credit to management for getting him as a “throw in.” Poulin may never play a game for the Oilers, but his impact as a Condor helps the younger, more skilled players play the way they want. The first player to get thrown to centre? Poulin. One of the main penalty killers? Poulin. Having a player thats willing to do the dirty work helps the other young kids stay confident in the role they’re in.

Quinn Hutson is playing in the AHL All-Star events this week and the Condors get back to action on Friday the 13th. Matt Tomkins and Connor Ungar continue to be the stars of the team as the offence went a little dry during the weekend. Bakersfield needs to find a way to somehow get more than 21 shots, you won’t win many games like that. I think they need to focus on using the high forward better. Too many times there were four players on the blue line, the routes of the forwards have been a little off and I’m keeping my eye on it to see if its cleared up.