Marquardt joins the Condors ranks – BakersfieldCondors.com

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Bakersfield Condors and Head Coach Matt O’Dette announced today that the team has agreed to terms with LW Matt Marquardt. He joined training camp this morning.

Watch O’Dette and Marquardt on CondorsTV

The North Bay, ON native was selected in the seventh round (#194) of the 2006 NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He comes to Bakersfield with 176 games of AHL experience to his credit with the Providence Bruins, Springfield Falcons, and most recently, the Oklahoma City Barons.

Last season, Marquardt suited up in 63 games for the Barons, amassing five goals and seven assists for 12 points.

In 2009-10, the 6’3″, 229-pound winger appeared in 42 games with the Bruins and nine games with their ECHL affiliate in Reading before his rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers. He played four games with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Springfield before concluding the season in the ECHL with the Stockton Thunder. With Stockton, Marquardt played seven regular season games, recording a goal and an assist. He enjoyed a highly successful playoff run that season, tallying 10 points (6g-4a) in 15 games played as the Thunder lost in the conference finals to the Idaho Steelheads.

Though he was drafted by Columbus, his rights were traded to the Boston Bruins in 2008 and he made his professional debut in the AHL with the Providence Bruins in 2008-09. In his rookie campaign, Marquardt played 71 games with nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. He went on to play in nine post-season games for the Bruins and recorded one goal and one assist for two points as the team reached the conference finals.

Prior to turning pro, Marquardt played three seasons in the QMJHL, reaching the Memorial Cup final in 2005-06 as a rookie with the Moncton Wildcats. The physical forward posted back-to-back 40-goal campaigns to conclude his junior career, in 2007-08 and 2008-09. He was a teammate of former Condors netminder Josh Tordjman in Moncton.

What O’Dette says: “He’s a big, powerful forward who can really skate. For a guy his size, he really moves well. It’s a big addition for us as he’ll help us out offensively. He didn’t get that opportunity to be a go-to-guy offensively at the AHL level, but he’s going to get that chance here and we’re looking forward to it.”

Get Tickets:
The Condors home opener is just 12 days away, when the Colorado Eagles come to town on Saturday, Oct. 15. Game time is 7 p.m. Ticket packages for the 2011-12 season are now on sale, starting at just $48. The Condors will battle the rival Stockton Thunder in Bakersfield in preseason action on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Visit www.BakersfieldCondors.com or call 324-PUCK(7825) for more information.

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