The Bakersfield Condors are officially on a roll.

They beat the Calgary Wranglers Friday and Saturday by a combined score of 6-1, making it nine straight games with a point for the young roster. With their recent hot streak, the Condors have moved themselves into second place in terms of goals scored, with 132. The only team ahead of them, the Belleville Senators, have played four more games and are only four goals ahead of Bakersfield.

What has been more impressive during their run is the team defence and the commitment to playing an honest game. It helps that their goaltending has been nothing short of stellar. The Condors have only allowed eight goals in the eleven games played so far in January.

With the 5-1 win on Friday, Connor Ungar remains unbeaten at 6-0-0. The undrafted pro boasts a 1.32 goals against average and a .955 save percentage. Matt Tomkins registered his second shutout of the season with a massive performance in the 1-0 win on Sunday. The first year Condor now has an 11-5-4 record with a 3.10 goals against average and 0.901 save percentage. However, since the calendar flipped to 2026, Tomkins has a 0.941 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average in four games.

Everything is running on high right now for Bakersfield.

I believe the Oilers should be extremely happy with the growth the rookie Condor has shown throughout the year. With four points in eight games since the new year hit, Beau Akey has been a massive bright spot on a team that is on a tear. You could go as far as saying that he has been the Condors’ best defenceman in 2026. The passing and taking care of the puck is what continues to pop out time and time again. There are no wasted puck touches when it comes to Akey. If he has a chance to make a pass, he’ll take that chance. Our first clip below shows a good explanation of what I mean.

There are defenceman at the NHL level who would pick up the puck like the former Barrie Colt and just dump it into the corner, however the continued growth and confidence in his playmaking ability allows Akey to float a beautiful backhand sauce on the tape of Quinn Hutson. Under pressure the former second-rounder still manages to make plays. This next clip is probably my favourite of the weekend.

Akey is all over the winger shutting down the wall and winning the puck battle. But it doesn’t stop there as Akey slings a pass to Viljami Marjala while being surrounded by three Wranglers.

The clip is a perfect execution from all players involved as well. Akey does his job by shutting down the outside lane/wall, Marjala (centre) is above the other centre, and Damien Carfagna is watching the clear out and high guy. But the star of the video is Akey under pressure.

The rookie defenceman is also starting to show some more offensive zone movement than at the start of the year. In the next two clips it shows off the flashes of the offence Akey brings with him.

It is nothing overly fancy, but it’s extremely effective and it helps create offence even though nothing came out of it in the videos. Beau Akey has been excellent as of late and the steps he has taken has helped the Condors ascend to the upper portion of the Pacific division. As I said earlier the Oilers organization should be all smiles with Akey’s year so far.

I’m a little surprised that Roby Järventie hasn’t been called up yet as his play in the AHL says he is ready for at least fourth line minutes. However, it seems like the organization prefers Max Jones in the fourth line role compared to the younger, higher-ceiling Järventie and that is fair considering you want the big Finn to continue to round out his game.

The former Ottawa Senators first round draft pick picked up only a goal on the weekend which puts his totals to 12 goals and 12 assists in 31 games played. Järventie continues to be a dual-threat offensive player down in the AHL and he showed off some of his offensive prowess in our first clip.

The left-shot winger’s only goal of the weekend is a thing of beauty as he picks off the defender’s breakout pass and dangles the goalie before slotting it five-hole. Järventie’s hand-eye allows him to pick off passes on the forecheck, but his brain allows him to perfectly time the opposing teams routes and baiting out the pass like a prime Ed Reed. It’s the extra defensive effort I’m starting to notice more of in Järventie game and our next clip puts that on full display.

In a scoreless tied game with ten seconds left the Condors powerforward gets down to block a shot, gets back up, and then pokes the puck off the Wranglers stick to send the game to overtime. That play won’t go unnoticed with the upper management. If Järventie continues to not only flash his offensive potential, but make defensive plays like the one above he will only force the Oilers hand into a trial call-up. In the final two clips I just want to highlight that Järventie is getting the chances, but needs to find a way to start finishing these off because he has the skill to do so.

Like many Condor players right now Järventie is playing some of his best hockey of the season and I do believe he is on the cusp of a call up, but he could spend the whole year in Bakersfield playing top line minutes and continuing to develop. I project him to be ready for some NHL work next year and I think the Oilers can count on him to provide some great minutes in a depth role.

Viljami Marjala is the third Condor to hit 30 points this season following Quinn Hutson and Seth Griffith. The former Buffalo Sabre draft pick has been impressive all season long with his craftiness and awareness both on puck and off puck. Only with an assist on the weekend, Marjala had more effect on the game than the point totals say. The Finnish centre isn’t a burner, but he’s great at using the width of the ice to avoid checks and once eyes are on him Marjala is able to find the open man for a shot. This is exactly what happens in our first clip below.

Like most of the other Condors we have outlined its not a fancy play, but its an effective one. Gaining the zone with entry and between the dots leads to more shots. Marjala is always processing while having the puck and a lot of the time his moves aren’t predetermined, instead he takes what you give him and that is on full display in the clip below.

Staying on the same topic as taking what the defence gives, the former fifth-round pick is excellent at utilizing give and go’s to move around the ice and free up space. This is a very translatable trait that will help Marjala if he ever gets a shot in the NHL, due to his foot speed being average at best he will need to use his brain and little speed bursts off-puck to make his offensive game work. The final clip below showcases a good example of this.

I enjoy Marjala’s game, but I am worried that the foot speed and skating mechanics will hold him back. On the other side of the spectrum, the Finnish centre is extremely crafty, a proactive thinker, and a very aware player overall. It makes me think he can make it work as a depth forward, but only time will tell.

The Condors play Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday this week. Its a back-to-back at home against the Colorado Eagles and then they hit the road to play the San Jose Barracuda. With how Bakersfield is playing the back-to-back at home against the Eagles will be a massive litmus test as the Eagles sit at the top of the Pacific division four points ahead of the Condors with a game in hand.