Mike Griffith: There's plenty going on with Condors
| Tuesday, Jul 28 2009 09:58 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jul 29 2009 11:02 PM
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No. 51 Jason Bannister
"Tell me something good about the Condors," pleaded a season-ticket holder Tuesday morning.
Alas, I had nothing for him -- good, bad or in between.
Nada. Zilch. Diddly-squat. Zip.
You get the idea.
Talk about the dog days of summer.
Kevin Bartl, vice president of communications for the Condors, has surely tired of my numerous phone calls and e-mails seeking any information (as well as an updated media guide) but hey, that's my job.
To date, the Condors have signed six players, four of them rookies. Fourth-year player Erick Lizon (6-foot, 4-inches) is first true "tough guy" signing the Condors have had in a couple of years. Of the rookies, defenseman Pierre-Luc Lessard, an offensive-defenseman who was a fourth-round pick by Ottawa in 2006, might have the most upside.
By this time last year, the Condors has nine players under contract, including an impact player -- Dave Bonk.
As for an affiliation, it's expected that the Condors will be the ECHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks once again, but there has been no official announcement of that deal.
So we wait. And wait. And dream of cold ice rinks while enduring triple-digit heat.
Condors coach Marty Raymond, avoiding 100-degree days by working in cold ice rinks at a youth camp in Minnesota, said many ECHL teams are being patient when it comes to signing players.
"I'm talking to a lot of coaches and everyone is being a little more patient," he said. "We've got a core group of guys, work-ethic type guys. We haven't signed any first-line players or a top D-man, but we're working on."
The reason for patience, Raymond says, is the belt-tightening most teams, including the Condors, are undergoing.
For example, a young single player (who can be put into a three-bedroom apartment with two other players), costs less to house than an older married player, who must have his own place.
"We're going to be younger, but so are a lot of other teams," Raymond said.
Another factor playing into a lack of signing is the affiliation. If the Condors and Ducks remain birds of a feather for another year, the Condors could end up with some top-notch talent. The Ducks no longer have an American Hockey League affiliation of their own and may end up having to spread their AHL-level players throughout numerous organizations. That might leave a couple of pretty good players, who would normally be in the AHL, spending time in Bakersfield.
In retrospect, there's plenty going on with the Condors.
We'll just have to wait a while longer to discover how it all plays out.
These are Mike Griffith's opinions, and not necessarily The Californian's. Call him at 395-7390 or write mgriffith@ bakersfield.com.
