Conference Western Operated 2015–present Arena/Stadium Rabobank Arena Head coach Gerry Fleming | Division Pacific Home arena Rabobank Arena Captain Ryan Hamilton Founded 2015 | |
 | ||
City Bakersfield, California Colors Blue, Orange, Dark Gray, White Location Bakersfield, California, United States Color Blue, Orange, Dark Gray, White Affiliates Edmonton Oilers (National Hockey League), Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) Profiles | ||
The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Rabobank Arena. The AHL franchise is a relocation of the Oklahoma City Barons, which joined four other AHL franchises as the basis to form a new Pacific Division in California.
Contents
The Condors replaced the ECHL team of the same name, which played as a charter member of the West Coast Hockey League from 1995 until 2003 and then in the ECHL from 2003 until the end of the 2014–15 season, after which they moved to Norfolk, Virginia to play as the Norfolk Admirals.
History
On December 18, 2014, the Oklahoma City Barons and Edmonton Oilers mutually agreed to end the Barons' operations after the end of the 2014–15 season, with the Barons management citing financial problems and the Oilers citing a desire to "move on." One month later, on January 29, 2015, the AHL announced that the Oilers would relocate their franchise to Bakersfield as one of five charter members to form the basis of a new Pacific Division beginning in the 2015–16 season. A name-the-team contest was held from January 30 until February 15, 2015. The Condors name was announced as the winner on February 25, 2015. The Condors unveiled their new logo and colors on April 2, 2015.
On December 18, 2015, the Condors participated in the AHL's first outdoor game in California, called the Golden State Hockey Rush, at Raley Field in West Sacramento against the Stockton Heat. The Heat would defeat the Condors 3–2 in front of 9,357 fans. Despite not making the playoffs in their first season, the Condors still contributed to the overall increase in AHL attendance with an average of 5195 per night, an increase of about 1900 spectators compared to the former Barons and similar to the former ECHL Condors.
In the 2016–17 season, the Condors were named as hosts for their second AHL Outdoor Classic game, named the Condorstown Outdoor Classic, against the Ontario Reign held on January 7, 2017, at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium. Despite sometimes heavy rain, the game went on as scheduled and the Condors defeated the Reign 3–2 in overtime.
Current roster
Updated February 1, 2017.