The Bakersfield Condors defeated the Manitoba Moose last night by a score of 5-2. Manitoba went up 2-0, but Bakersfield battled back with five unanswered goals to take the victory.

Why am I talking about this? Because top prospect Jesse Puljujärvi buried his first goal of the AHL season mid-way through the third period in what eventually became the game winner.

Ty Rattie got the puck behind the net and made an excellent no look pass out front that Puljujärvi would bury past Eric Comrie. Puljujärvi fought off coverage from the Moose defender to position himself in front of the net and snapped the pass into the back of the net.

With Kailer Yamamoto at eight games, the discussion as to whether he should be sent back down to the WHL is heating up. Yamamoto has looked very solid for a freshly-drafted rookie in the NHL although he hasn’t scored a goal yet. That said, he hasn’t looked good enough to warrant burning a year of his entry-level contract at this point.

If Yamamoto goes down, should Puljujärvi get called up? He has one goal and three assists through eight games at the AHL level, which isn’t exactly world beating by any stretch, but he has a big body and a nose for the net which could be the spark this team needs.

For the sake of comparison, Leon Draisaitl started the 2015-16 season in the AHL and had two points in six games before getting called up to the Oilers. He never looked back and has since established himself as one of the league’s best offensive weapons.

If not Puljujärvi, who? Joey LaLeggia, the defenceman turned forward, leads the team with five points in eight games. Rattie is close behind him with four points, and Brad Malone looked solid and energetic in his brief call-up earlier in the season.