Confirmed with Link: Bakersfield the Oilers New AHL Affiliate Starting in '15-16!

[Hoodaha]

It's official:

Bakersfield will be the Oilers new AHL affiliate next season.
http://www.bakersfieldcondors.com/news/bakersfield-will-join-the-american-hockey-league-in-2015-16/

The Board has approved the following:
The Anaheim Ducks will purchase the Norfolk Admirals AHL franchise and will relocate it from Norfolk, Va., to San Diego, Calif.
The AHL franchise owned by the Calgary Flames will relocate from Glens Falls, N.Y., to Stockton, Calif.
The AHL franchise owned by the Edmonton Oilers will relocate from Oklahoma City, Okla., toBakersfield, Calif.
The AHL franchise owned by the Los Angeles Kings will relocate from Manchester, N.H., to Ontario, Calif.
The AHL franchise owned by the San Jose Sharks will relocate from Worcester, Mass., to San Jose, Calif.

Click to read more...

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Congrats i guess.

 

[SPIRIT]

This is fantastic for our development.

"You might have to play in the frozen North... but you'll develop in California! "

 

[Mr Positive]

I checked where that was on google maps and I saw they had a borough called "Oildale"

 

[CanadianSuperPromise]

On the plus side for players: it's California!


on the downside: it's Bakersfield...

 

[McGoMcD]

I drove through it once, gorgeous town.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I drove through it once, gorgeous town.

Same Here.

All I remember from Bakersfield is a Valero Gas Station with more knives in glass cases than you can shake a stick at.

 

[Hoodaha]

I checked where that was on google maps and I saw they had a borough called "Oildale"

Oildale isn't an area you're likely to want to see. That said, Bakersfield is actually a big oil town, with one of the largest oilfields in the US.

 

[Jumptheshark]

On the plus side for players: it's California!


on the downside: it's Bakersfield...

requeast in from Hall, Nuge, Eberle and Schutz to play there next year

 

[Hoodaha]

This is fantastic for our development.

"You might have to play in the frozen North... but you'll develop in California! "

At the press conference, they said that they expect the Oilers AHL guys to get 20 to 25 more practices in per year with the new California setup. That's big for development.

As a Condors fan, I've got to say that I am incredibly excited to be able to see AHL hockey...5 teams = lots of road trips too.

 

[Rafters]

At the press conference, they said that they expect the Oilers AHL guys to get 20 to 25 more practices in per year with the new California setup. That's big for development.

As a Condors fan, I've got to say that I am incredibly excited to be able to see AHL hockey...5 teams = lots of road trips too.

20-25 more practices and also more time in the weight room as well

 

[Hoodaha]

20-25 more practices and also more time in the weight room as well

Yes, for sure. That's a big part of developement for some of the younger guys. Should be easier for scouts to make a swing through California to see multiple NHL and AHL games too.

 

[40oz]

I really hope the AHL does great in Cali.

Also, I'd like the team to still be called the Condors.

 

[Hoodaha]

I really hope the AHL does great in Cali.

Also, I'd like the team to still be called the Condors.

Yes, it'd be a shame to drop so many years of work on the Condors brand. I think that the AHL will do well here. The sport is growing and I think that the markets that the chose will be good ones (though San Jose is a bit of a wildcard, so we'll have to see how that goes).

 

[stratedge]

Non-hockey question: why are the city limits in Bakersfield so gnarly? They have, like, islands of non-Bakersfield within Bakersfield?

 

[Hoodaha]

Non-hockey question: why are the city limits in Bakersfield so gnarly? They have, like, islands of non-Bakersfield within Bakersfield?

Lots of annexing and fighting with the county. Bakersfield has grown a lot in recent years. In 10 years, 100,000 more people - which means taking in more territory.

From Wikipedia:

Census Pop. %±

1880 801 —
1890 2,626 227.8%
1900 4,836 84.2%
1910 12,727 163.2%
1920 18,638 46.4%
1930 26,015 39.6%
1940 29,252 12.4%
1950 34,784 18.9%
1960 56,848 63.4%
1970 69,515 22.3%
1980 105,611 51.9%
1990 174,820 65.5%
2000 247,057 41.3%
2010 347,483 40.6%

 

[Bank Shot]

This is fantastic for our development.

"You might have to play in the frozen North... but you'll develop in California! "

I dunno. Have you ever been to Bakersfield?

That place is an armpit.

On the plus side, it will make Edmonton look great to the prospects.

 

[OilTastic]

This is fantastic for our development.

"You might have to play in the frozen North... but you'll develop in California! "

^agree with @Bank Shot, we're talking Bakersfield here, not Beverly Hills....

 

[OilTastic]

I really hope the AHL does great in Cali.

Also, I'd like the team to still be called the Condors.

^the radio wags seemed to think that they still will be.

 

[Approved Variety]

Nothing wrong with Bakersfield, jesus. Are you tools just addicted to whining about something?

This will be fantastic for the development of our guys. Not only that, but the most noteworthy part of that press conference is when Kevin Lowe said the Oilers organization will be emulating the development policies and systems of the Detroit Red Wings. Not sure why no one is talking about that, as it's a big deal. MacT coming out to say "the NHL is not a development league" was not him showing that he doesn't have very good memory of his own actions, it was to announce that he'd been ordered to change his policies.

 

[Diamondillium]

Nothing wrong with Bakersfield, jesus. Are you tools just addicted to whining about something?

This will be fantastic for the development of our guys. Not only that, but the most noteworthy part of that press conference is when Kevin Lowe said the Oilers organization will be emulating the development policies and systems of the Detroit Red Wings. Not sure why no one is talking about that, as it's a big deal. MacT coming out to say "the NHL is not a development league" was not him showing that he doesn't have very good memory of his own actions, it was to announce that he'd been ordered to change his policies.

Nobody is talking about it because they have said in the past that they are modeling the franchise around the Detroit Red Wings and it ended up with what we've seen for the last few years.

 

[CornKicker]

I dunno. Have you ever been to Bakersfield?

That place is an armpit.

On the plus side, it will make Edmonton look great to the prospects.

could be worse man, at least it isnt stockton

 

[joestevens29]

I know nothing about Bakersfield, but if it is a dump is that really an issue? Wouldn't it result in the players spending more time on hockey and less time worrying about what they can do with their spare time?

 

[Approved Variety]

I know nothing about Bakersfield, but if it is a dump is that really an issue? Wouldn't it result in the players spending more time on hockey and less time worrying about what they can do with their spare time?

I'd rather go to Bakersfield than Oklahoma, and so would you.

 

[sepHF]

Non-hockey question: why are the city limits in Bakersfield so gnarly? They have, like, islands of non-Bakersfield within Bakersfield?

Good question. I wonder what town / city those little islands belong to?

Seems random.