{"id":453291,"date":"2026-09-04T12:12:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T12:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/453291\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T12:12:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T12:12:15","slug":"projecting-the-2026-27-bakersfield-condors-roster-with-oilers-camp-on-the-horizon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/453291\/","title":{"rendered":"Projecting the 2026-27 Bakersfield Condors roster with Oilers camp on the horizon"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are mere days away from seeing the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 training camp roster, but word this week from general manager Stan Bowman suggests few, if any, camp invites or late signings. This allows us to project the team\u2019s NHL roster, made easier recently when the team announced four players<\/a> would miss camp due to injury.<\/p>\n

It also allows us to have an early look at the top farm team and what it may look like in 2026-27. The Bakersfield Condors are a vital part of the Oilers\u2019 Stanley Cup chances in 2026-27, relied on to provide a stable pipeline of useful players when needs arise. Here\u2019s a first-blush look at a team that will be long on checkers and penalty killers, but shy on scorers and playmakers.<\/p>\n

The offensive drivers<\/p>\n

Ike Howard was the impact player on last season\u2019s Condors, scoring over a point per game. He\u2019s likely staying with the big club this fall, meaning Condors coach Colin Chaulk will be looking for additional help.<\/p>\n

Returning scorers include Quinn Hutson (30 goals), Viljami Marjala (43 assists) and puck-moving defenceman Atro Lepp\u00e4nen (38 points in 53 games). Management added a substantial scorer in Eduards Tralmaks (26 goals with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins), and Finnish winger Aku R\u00e4ty, who had a strong offensive season in the Finnish Liiga, was a late-summer addition and could deliver a strong campaign.<\/p>\n

If Howard returns to Bakersfield, expect exceptional results and a short stay before he returns to the NHL. Seth Griffith, who leads the Condors franchise in most offensive categories, will return on an AHL deal. A top line of Tralmaks-Marjala-Hutson looks optimal heading in to camp. Tralmaks and Hutson have a chance to surpass 35 goals this season if they remain on the team. The Condors\u2019 team record for goals in a season is 30, set by Griffith in 2021-22 and tied last season by Hutson.<\/p>\n

Centres<\/p>\n

Centre is going to be a fascinating position to watch. The candidates for Bakersfield all have two-way skills, and the situation will be fluid early. Marjala is the strong favourite for the top line. Here are the candidates for the second, third and fourth lines:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Owen Michaels, college centre who hits pro hockey this fall. Right-handed, quality in a two-way role and at 24 has an advantage over the other younger arrivals. He has a range of skills.<\/p>\n

\u2022 William Nicholl, a fleet-of-foot two-way pivot with offensive skill. Will be in his first pro season. He looked good in a late-season audition with Bakersfield.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Tucker Robertson, a right-handed centre with 140 AHL games on his resume. Signed to an AHL deal. As a hardworking, defence-first centre, he is best suited to a depth line.<\/p>\n

The injuries to Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark mean last year\u2019s top AHL centre, Josh Samanski, should make the Oilers this fall. That leaves the organization vulnerable at this position, with Michaels and Nicholl having no real pro experience. Robertson is a legit AHL player despite not having an NHL deal.<\/p>\n

Chaulk will have to be creative with this group, and Oilers management may need to make an addition at the position during the season.<\/p>\n

Wingers<\/p>\n

Chaulk will be busy finding a second scoring line from the group available to him early in the season. R\u00e4ty scored well in Liiga last season and will battle Griffith for the second-line right wing behind Hutson. That\u2019s a rock-solid depth chart at the position \u2014 all three will move the needle offensively for Bakersfield.<\/p>\n

Max Jones might land the second-line left wing job behind Tralmaks, unless he stays with the Oilers. Jones played better in Edmonton than in Bakersfield a year ago; if he brings the game he showed with the Oilers back to the AHL, he could win the top-line job at the position. Connor Clattenburg is a throwback player who can play agitator and enforcer and chip in with goals. Since the Condors are a team charged with developing young talent, expect Clattenburg to play a significant role.<\/p>\n

James Stefan and Brady Stonehouse are tweeners who could emerge as AHL regulars or spend time with the ECHL Fort Wayne Komets. Both are signed to NHL deals. AHL-only contracts in play include Daniel D\u2019Amato, Ethan Keppen, Simon Tassy, Hunter Johannes (a load at 6 feet 4, 225 pounds) and Josh Davies (who is a centre).<\/p>\n

Defence<\/p>\n

Bakersfield will need to wait and see at this position, as several quality blueliners will need to clear waivers at the end of training camp. If all make it through, defence will be a strength for Chaulk\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

Alec Regula (a righty) and Spencer Stastney (lefty) appear to be vulnerable to demotions this fall and could be lost on waivers. Bowman will want to protect his team from that, so one or both could be traded. They would be top-four defencemen in Bakersfield if they clear.<\/p>\n

Lepp\u00e4nen is the offensive driver, with young Damien Carfagna providing strong two-way play. Both are left defencemen and figure to play heavy minutes in the heart of the game. Riley Stillman is back for another year, but the veteran battled injury and was inconsistent one year ago. Newcomer Tom\u00e1\u0161 Cibulka is a bit of a wild card out of the Czech league and figures to play depth minutes.<\/p>\n

On the right side, Josh Brown returns to play a shutdown role. He could see action in the NHL this season based on comments by management over the summer. Beau Akey is a mobile defenceman with good coverage ability, but the Oilers rarely tout him as a future solution. A righty with his wheels has value, but at a guess, the team may be worried over his lack of size: He\u2019s listed at 6 feet, 173 pounds on the AHL website<\/a>). Samuel Sj\u00f6lund, John Gormley and Zach Bookman are signed to AHL-only deals.<\/p>\n

Goalies<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a crowded crease in Bakersfield. Two talented prospects, Connor Ungar and Samuel Jonsson, need a heavy workload in Bakersfield or Fort Wayne. The club has a veteran AHL starter in Matt Tomkins, another prospect in Nathaniel Day and a new signing from Finland in Eemil Vinni (an 2024 Oilers draft pick on an AHL-only deal).<\/p>\n

A guess would have Tomkins and Ungar in Bakersfield, Jonsson (the better prospect) returning to Fort Wayne, and the rest moving around the ECHL (as Ungar did in 2025-26).<\/p>\n

Projected Condors lineup
\n Left WingCentreRight Wing<\/p>\n

Eduards Tralmaks<\/p>\n

Viljami Marjala<\/p>\n

Quinn Hutson<\/p>\n

Max Jones<\/p>\n

Owen Michaels<\/p>\n

Aku R\u00e4ty<\/p>\n

Connor Clattenburg<\/p>\n

Tucker Robertson<\/p>\n

Daniel D’Amato<\/p>\n

Brady Stonehouse<\/p>\n

William Nicholl<\/p>\n

James Stefan<\/p>\n

Ethan Keppen<\/p>\n

\n Left DefenceGoalRight Defence<\/p>\n

Atro Lepp\u00e4nen<\/p>\n

Matt Tomkins<\/p>\n

Alec Regula<\/p>\n

Damien Carfagna<\/p>\n

Connor Ungar<\/p>\n

Josh Brown<\/p>\n

Riley Stillman<\/p>\n

Beau Akey<\/p>\n

Tom\u00e1\u0161 Cibulka<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We are mere days away from seeing the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 training camp roster, but word this week from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152,2070],"class_list":["post-453291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news","tag-edmonton-oilers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}