Bakersfield sets training camp roster

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Bakersfield Condors announced today that the team has invited 28 players to its training camp, which begins on Friday, Sept. 30 at the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center. The first practice is slated to begin at 10 a.m.

To view the entire training camp roster, click here.

The team is pleased to announce that F Jesse Gimblett, F Thomas Frazee, and G Matt Keetley have agreed to terms with the club and will be in camp when it opens tomorrow. Gimblett spent last season with the Stockton Thunder and the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. Frazee is a rookie who played for both Regina and Kamloops in the WHL, while Keetley is coming off an NHL contract with the Calgary Flames having played in the AHL with the Abbotsford Heat in 2010-11.

Gimblett, 26, played 43 games with Stockton last season and tallied 13 goals. From Vancouver, British Columbia, Frazee played 313 games in the WHL. His best season was in 2010-11 when he recorded 72 points  in 70 games played. Keetley was a fifth-round pick (#158 overall) of the  Flames in 2005 and has 91 games of AHL experience over the past four seasons. He played for the Victoria Salmon Kings in 2009-10 and played in five playoff games against Bakersfield.

“There are plenty of new faces this year,” said Head Coach Matt O’Dette. “There will be guys who are hungry to start their pro careers and other guys who will have something to prove as they look to get back to the AHL. We’ll have 10 guys in camp with AHL experience and that rubbing off on the younger guys will be a good thing.”

In addition to Gimblett and Frazee, 14 other forwards will look to make their mark at camp. The group includes Hans Benson, Clayton Cumiskey, Keegan Dansereau, Michael Gergen, Josh Gilliam, Michael Gurtler, Malcolm Gwilliam, Kevin Lohry, Ian McKenzie, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Joe Schweiger, Mathew Sisca, Parker Stanfield, and Jason Williams. Benson is currently in an AHL camp with the Portland Pirates. Gillam, Gwilliam, and Schweiger are in Bakersfield on a tryout.

The defensive corps features nine players and includes Erik Burgdoerfer, Alain Goulet, Trevor Hunt, Dan Lawson, Joe Loprieno, Jimmy Martin, Eric Tallent, Keith Wynn, and Jonathan Zion. Lawson (Connecticut Whale) and Loprieno (Chicago Wolves) are currently in AHL camps. Hunt, Tallent, and Wynn are in camp on a tryout.

Three goaltenders will settle in between the pipes at camp. In addition to Keetley, Bryan Pitton and Manny Martinez will attend camp. Martinez, a Bakersfield native, is in camp on a tryout.

To view the entire training camp schedule, click here.

Fans can get their first look at the 2011-12 squad on Saturday, October 1st from noon-2:30 p.m. during the team’s annual Open House and Family Day at the Bakersfield Ice Sports Center. The event features a team scrimmage from noon-1:30 p.m. followed by a public skate with the players from 1:30-2:30 p.m. To see the entire Open House schedule, click here.

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