HOLTY’S BLOG: A month out

By my count, and admittedly I’m not great at math, there are four blogs left before the Condors hit the ice against Stockton for preseason action on Oct. 8. There is still plenty to do and not enough time to do it, but hey, at least the locker room isn’t under construction like it was this time last year.

I promise this year that I’m going to blog in-season. I know I say this every year and then don’t, but this year I’m going to.

You may only like offseason blogs and that’s fine, but as I’ll remind you, it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want.

Now for the blog…

• Good write-up here on the depth of the Oilers prospect pool heading into this season. It’s above my pay grade, but I think it’s safe to assume you’ll see a majority of the players mentioned either at the start or at some point this season.

 

• That Penticton Young Stars Tournament starts soon right? This weekend in fact. Once again the Condors coaching staff will handle the behind-the-bench duties. Some familiar Condors names of Platzer, Chase, Christoffer, Betker, and more will play alongside some names that you will see in Bakersfield this year and in years to come. You can watch the games on EdmontonOilers.com.

 

• You said last week you don’t care about this World Cup of Hockey, but did you see Leon Draisaitl last night? I still am not enamored with this exhibition tournament, but the one-time Condor scored a hat trick for Team Europe in the final tune-up for the tune-up tournament last night. While I don’t think you can jump to conclusions from this tournament or one exhibition game, Leon is and will continue to be a very good player in the NHL. He’s the first in a long line of guys to play in Bakersfield and have a significant NHL impact in the years following. He and the Europeans open on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Condorstown time.

 

• Saw the promo schedule, which are you most excited about? I see a lot of teams’ promotional schedules and while everyone has their own take on how to get the most people out to games, I like how just about every night in Condorstown, you can meet someone, be entertained by someone, grab a cool giveaway, or enjoy discounted food & beverage. Dana Vollmer, who has 7 more Olympic medals than I do, will be here on Nov. 11. Giveaways include: Christmas stockings, ninja masks, capes, LASIK eye surgery, Nintendo Entertainment Systems, Outdoor Classic Memorial Stadium replicas, and more.

 

• These $5 Frenzy Nights seem interesting … how’s that work? We decided to try these out last year and they were met with overwhelming popularity. Basically we take a normally $20 retail item (Knit Caps, Beach Towels, Youth Jerseys, Hats) and let you purchase up to two per ticket for just $5 each.

 

• Nice article in all Rubber Hockey Magazines hitting rinks around the Western US on the youth hockey tournament coming to the Three-Way Chevrolet Condorstown Winterfest pres. by Mission Bank this winter. If your team or organization wants to get involved in the tournament, click here.

 

• Lock of the week? So I’m in a survivor pool (only pick a team once per season) with two entries. Last week I had Kansas City and Seattle. So yeah, I almost was bounced Week 1. I only pick home teams and it’s not against the spread. Who do I like this week? I think Detroit & Arizona. (Holty Longshot: You can still get 30/1 on the Raiders winning the Super Bowl. That team is very good.)

Until next time Condorstown…

Ryan Holt a.k.a. Holty enters his sixth season as the Condors broadcaster in 2016-17. He has very little time to figure out loonies and toonies before heading back to Canada in a couple weeks. Follow him on Twitter @CondorsHolty for more nonsense or shoot him an e-mail to rholt@bakersfieldcondors.com  with questions, comments, or other blog ideas.