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Tagged: Bakersfield Condors

28Sep

Vladimir Nikiforov(9) Quad City Mallards

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It’s a bit of a thinker why 4th year pro Vladimir Nikiforov(9) decided to sign to play with Brooklyn Aviators of the 2nd year Federal Hockey League (FHL) for the 2011/2012 season.

In 10 games, he’s put up a mighty 9 goals and 11 assists; not bad for a pint-sized 5’8″ 170 lbs forward.

Last season he had a pretty ragtag year playing with three different ECHL teams but never able to getting into a scoring groove. In two previous seasons, he posted some impressive numbers with Utah Grizzlies.

He was recently recalled to help Central Hockey League‘s last place Bloomington Blaze and did just that. In his first game with the team, they won against the league’s best team, Allen Americans and he put up an assist.

It’s quite possible that he may have just found his new team for this season.

12/1: Nikiforov scores a natural hat-trick for the Blaze in the last place team’s beating of first place in the Central Hockey League, Evansville IceMen. In two games, he has 5 points. There was just no way he is going back to the single A level.

12/5: Nikiforov is named Central Hockey League’s Oakley Player of the Week with his 5 goals and 1 assist in his league debut.

Original story: 11/29-11

He would finish the season with Bloomington Blaze scoring 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points in 51 games.

For 2012/2013 he moved on to join the Russian KHL development sort of league VHL signing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl-2.

He played a full 45 game season along with 5 games in the postseason but only connected for 10 goals and 6 assists.

Maybe his experience overseas led him back or whatever but for 2013/2014 he decided to return to the former Central Hockey League to skate with Quad City Mallards.

He skated 63 games and managed to regain his scoring mojo setting a new assist mark at 31.

To follow up another good season in North America he decided it was once again time to split for a different shore and he inked a term in Germany’s DEL3 with Blue Devils Wieden but blew up the score sheet with 6 goals and 11 assists in 10 games and he sacked that deal and was off to Poland suiting up for Orlik Opole.

He lasted there 13 games, two months and left netting 8 goals and 7 helpers.

Next it was off to England’s EIHL to play out the season with Coventry Blaze and his 1 goal and 3 assists in 7 games was like the wind had been taken out of his sails from all the traveling.

Going into his 8th pro season, the soon-to-be 28-year old returns to Quad City Mallards but moves up a level of hockey to the ECHL, where he last played games in 2011.

Our money’s on him producing big.

13Sep

Collin Bowman(10) Colorado Eagles

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Undrafted 2nd year defenseman Collin Bowman(20) had a strong rookie season with home state team Colorado Eagles.

In 69 ECHL games he scored 11 goals and 23 assists (tied for first in points), while adding another pair of tallies and 3 helpers in 6 Kelly Cup Playoff contests. He also had over 100 penalty minutes in his first year.

Traded in the off-season to San Francisco Bulls, the 6’3″ 215 lbs. blue liner quickly signed a 2-way AHL contract with Worcester Sharks and appeared in their training camp before being reassigned back down to start his sophomore campaign.

He didn’t exactly put up the same kind of numbers with his offensively challenged new squad and recently had his playing rights swapped (with the blessing from the parent club) to Bakersfield Condors.

The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes’ Drayson Bowman has skated 3 times with his new team and although he’s only bolstered his 2nd year totals by an assist, he has been a part of a pair of victories and one shootout loss on their current 4-game unbeaten streak.

Given the opportunity in the higher league, the 22-year old has all the qualities of becoming an impact player as he continues to develop.

He was a member of the 2009 WHL Championship Kelowna Rockets.

Original story: 1/20-14

His sophomore season with Bakersfield would end with point totals slightly under his first campaign but in extended postseason play he scored a pair of goals and added 5 assists in 16 games through to the Western Conference Finals before an exit.

For 2014/2015, he decided to go back to a familiar place, returning to Colorado.

In 20 less regular season games (48) than his initial two seasons he achieved new high marks for goals with 15 goals and 38 points and for a blue liner had a monstrous +28 rating. He would also raise his fight total to 6 after no battles the previous year and 5 in 2012/2013.

The low game total was only because he was loaned to Iowa Wild for the last two months and would appear in 21 AHL games getting 2 tallies, 6 helpers and remarkably kept his game at a 0 plus/minus on the last place squad.

As the 24-year old enters his 4th season he’ll keep it close to home and skate his third year with Colorado Eagles.

It would be a surprise to see the All-Star d-man play the full tilt in the ECHL without another extended call-up.

31Aug

Joel Broda (19)

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4th year center Joel Broda(6) is playing his first season as an unrestricted free agent after his 3-year entry level contract with Minnesota Wild was not qualified.

He signed a one-year minor league deal with Bakersfield Condors for 2013/2014, returning to the team he skated with on reassignment from Houston Aeros during his rookie season.

He played 124 AHL games through three seasons with the Aeros scoring 21 goals and 17 assists.

The 6′ 203 lbs. forward was an Oklahoma City Barons‘ training camp invite and impressed enough to score a call-up for 8 games near the start of the season, potting a goal and an assist quickly but then cooled off before being returned a month later.

He would get right to it in the ECHL, where he struck for 19 goals and 16 assists in 35 games.

His explosion on the score sheet gained him notice from Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who signed him to a pto and out of the gate he’s fitting right in with team chemistry.

Again, he scored early in his recall netting a pair of tallies and a helper in his first three contests.

Originally a Washington Capitals‘ 5th round pick in the 2008 draft (#144 overall), he had a notable junior hockey career scoring a league leading 53 goals in 2008/2009 and winning the WHL Championship with Calgary Hitmen in the following campaign.

The 24-year plays a speedy skating style, knows how to get himself into the open spaces on the ice for scoring chances and generally unloads a ton of shots on net.

Original story: 2/26-14

His time with Bridgeport Sound Tigers would finish with the 2 goals and 4 assists in 17 games.

Released from his pto near the end of the regular season, he rejoined Bakersfield Condors as team captain for their playoff run, which last 16 games through the Kelly Cup Western Conference Finals.

Once again, he exploded on the score sheet potting 8 goals and 4 assists with a +5 rating in 16 playoff games.

His 2013/2014 performance was enough to put him on the radar of Hershey Bears, who signed him to an AHL contract roughly a month before training camps started.

Through 53 contests, he would have a somewhat rough campaign in Chocolatetown falling out of favor as he was mostly a healthy scratch down the stretch and throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs.

It was obvious his 7 goals and 3 assists fell far short of the mark.

For his 6th pro season he’s decided to take his game elsewhere, signing a one-year deal with HC Bolzano Foxes of Erte Banke Eishockey Liga.

The now 25-year old that will turn 26 a month into the new season should easily be able to duplicate the kind of numbers he put in the ECHL overseas.

22Jun

Art Bidlevskii(27) Kallinge/Ronneby

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Undrafted 2nd year defenseman Art Bidlevskii(27) has decided to stay put with Bakersfield Condors for the 2013/2014 season.

He played 10 games with the team at the end of his rookie year after being dished at the trade deadline by South Carolina Stingrays, where he was released to and signed after attending Providence Bruins‘ training camp on a tryout.

The 6’ 198 lbs. blue liner started his pro career in the AHL signed to an ato by Bridgeport Sound Tigers after 5 years of juniors with Prince George Cougars.

He plays a style of hockey that seems like he constantly has a chip on his shoulder and is not afraid to drop the mitts. He had 9 dust ups last season and a 2nd career high 14 in his final WHL season with another four more scuffles in his first 10 pro games. He’s regularly in the triple digit club for penalty minutes.

The 22-year old has never been known for his point totals; last season 2 goals, 3 assists in 54 ECHL games but could work his way up with a strong defensive zone game and maybe a few more marks on the score sheet.

Original story: 8/8-13

Literally right before the 2013/2014 season started he got traded to Ontario Reign. He stayed with the team for 26 ECHL games before sort of unceremoniously getting traded to Gwinnett Gladiators, where he finished out the season scoring a career high one goal and 8 assists with a +8 rating. He also had 8 fighting majors.

With an offer to come back to Gwinnett for another season, he took it but ended up getting injured early in the campaign and only managed to appear in 13 games getting three assists.

For 2015/2016 the now 24-year old has decided to take his game overseas signing a one-year deal with Kallinge/Ronneby IF of Sweden’s Hockeyettan.

11Jun

Dan Sexton (23)

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In the 2nd year of his deal, Dan Sexton(42) was swapped out in minor trade with Tampa Bay Lightning that sent him right back to their new affiliate Syracuse Crunch, where he helped them go all the way to the 2013 AHL Calder Cup Finals.

He was offered a qualifying offer for 2013/2014 but decided it was time to move on signing a one-year deal with TPS of Finland’s SM-liiga.

After contributing almost a point-per-game production he sought to be released and received an offer to skate for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in the KHL for the remainder of the season.

He would re-sign to stay on for a complete campaign and led the team in all scoring categories for 2014/2015 with 19 goals and 28 assists, 47 points in 49 games.

The now 28-year old will continue where he is for 2015/2016 and could really be finding his scoring stride overseas and potentially pursue a return home to North American pro hockey.

03Jun

Alexandre Bolduc(49) Phoenix Coyotes

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6’1″ 197 lbs., grisly 7th year center, Alexandre Bolduc(49) found himself without a team after basically skating his first six seasons pro in Vancouver Canucks‘ system mostly with their AHL affiliate, the famed Manitoba Moose, a team he skated 232 games with.

It didn’t last long though, as Arizona Coyotes picked up his unrestricted free agency status with a one-year two-way deal. He’s mostly skated with Portland Pirates putting up 3 goals and 11 assists in 19 games.

He’s played 46 NHL games and scored a pair of goals and three assists. He was originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 4th round pick in the 2003 draft (#127 overall) but never signed with them.

He technically signed as a rookie with ECHL Bakersfield Condors but skated more games in the AHL. For the next season he inked a two-way AHL contract with the Moose, then a one-way deal with Manitoba before scoring a contract with the Canucks for 2008/2009.

An upper body (um, shoulder) injury kept him sidelined for most of this season but he’s come back strong.

Original story 3/25-12

After inking for a second year in the Coyotes‘ system as captain of their farm team, he moved on circling back to skate for the team that selected him out of junior hockey, St. Louis Blues.

He spent the entire 2013/2014 season on reassignment with Chicago Wolves.

The following campaign he would again be signed by Arizona and once more take the lead of affiliate Portland Pirates.

He ended up having a career second best 23 goals and highs of 29 assists and 52 points to lead the team in 62 AHL games.

For his 11th pro season the 29-year old leaves North American hockey for his first run at the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk.

30Jan

The AHL moves west

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At 3:30pm ET AHL president Dave Andrews announced the creation on a Pacific Division that will play in the Western Conference of the league starting 2015/2016.

The cities effectively losing teams are Oklahoma City Barons, which happened earlier this season, Norfolk Admirals, Glens Falls/Adirondack Flames after only one run, Worcester Sharks and rivals Manchester Monarchs.

Picking up teams will be soon to be former ECHL franchises Ontario (Los Angeles), Bakersfield (Edmonton) and Stockton (Calgary). San Diego (Anaheim) will be a new city for triple A hockey although did at one time have a Gulls, and San Jose‘s farm club will play out of the same building as the Sharks; and will likely be renamed.

It’s fairly well-thought that Manchester, Adirondack and Norfolk make announcement to join the double A league and there’s rumors racing around Worcester is exploring the options and would have the best chance at success by resurrecting the Ice Cats, while Oklahoma City may get back into the fold under their old successful Blazers‘ banner after a year on the sidelines.

This move was 100% inevitable and can easily make fiscal sense. Those west coast teams draw fairly well with their fan base of hockey lovers.

On the plus side for Eastern Conference folks, chances are Utica, Rochester, Charlotte, Hamilton and even possible Toronto enter in their rivalry picture.

The big news is the top level of minor league hockey in California has arrived.

21Nov

Brendan Brooks(27) Bakersfield Condors

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Undrafted 17th year right wing Brendan Brooks(27) has never skated an NHL game but has managed to play in 8 different pro leagues, including 4 with North American teams and across 5 different countries.

The somewhat small-ish 5’10” 185 lbs. forward even had a formidable campaign last season appearing in only 21 games with Valerenga scoring 16 goals and 11 assists.

It was his second stint in Norway GET-ligaen. He had two of his most productive offensive years with 2014 champs Stavenger Oilers.

The 35-year old has scored 20+ goals six times in his career.

His latest stop, signing with Bakersfield Condors brings him full circle.

After only his second season of OHL junior hockey he played a single ECHL game in 1998 for Mississippi Sea Wolves.

He would then officially turn pro with Quad City Mallards of the UHL and stick with them for a couple of years.

Among the impressive resume of stops he even had one appearance along the way in the old IHL with Cincinnati Cyclones.

He worked his way up the ladder and spent four seasons in the AHL most notably for two with Worcester Ice Cats before splitting overseas.

It’s possible that he’s chosen to play closer to home, because he could be eying the next phase of his hockey lifetime.

25Sep

Ty Rimmer(39) Oklahoma City Barons

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Undrafted rookie goaltender Ty Rimmer(39) signs his first pro deal, a one-year AHL contract with Oklahoma City Barons for the 2013/2014 season.

He’ll have some tough competition during training camp to stay with the team and could very well find himself reassigned to their new ECHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors to start his first campaign.

The 6’1″ 180 lbs. net minder played a ton of games in three WHL seasons for a variety of teams, posting a 2011/2012 league best 2.43 GAA and .922 SV% with Tri-City Americans.

He followed that up with continued impressive numbers in the playoffs and in the next year shattered the single season saves record at 2,106 for Lethbridge Hurricanes.

After completing his final run of junior hockey, he signed an ato to join Manchester Monarchs for the remainder of last season.

He appeared in one game, taking the loss with a 4.12 GAA and .900 SV%.

The 21-year old definitely knows he has a lot to prove now that he’s playing hockey with the big boys and a year in double A might be the best start for the young goalie.

29Aug

Chris Collins(21) Bakersfield Condors

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8th year undrafted left wing Chris Collins(21) has bounced around a lot in his pro career.

He will don the jersey of his 10th team when the 2013/2014 campaign starts and he puts on a Bakersfield Condors‘ sweater.

The mini 5’8″ 186 lbs. forward finished up 2012/2013 with Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins appearing in 20 regular season and 13 playoff games. He scored a combined 3 goals and 6 assists but also left them with a -8 rating. It was his second stint with the organization. His AHL totals are 44-51 in 226 appearances.

He’s appeared in 144 contests overseas, mostly in the top German DEL and has really excelled on the bigger ice surfaces posting 51 markers and 66 helpers.

The 29-year old is also prolific in the ECHL, where he’ll once again skate in the upcoming season, so we expect him to help a team that has struggled the past couple of seasons as a leader in the locker room and on the score sheet. It’s possible that he could be selected as their captain.

He was a Hobey Baker Award finalist in his last year with Boston College Eagles, when he put up 1.5 points per game. His outstanding performance led to an NHL contract with Boston Bruins but skated only with their affiliates.

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