Condors add assist coach to growing roster

BAKERSFIELD , Calif. – Matt O’Dette has been busy in his first season as the new skipper of the Bakersfield Condors, signing twelve players to the roster to date.    A veteran, five rookies, two players with Kelly Cup experience, two native Californian’s and two returning players make up the current roster.    In addition, as the brand new coach, he has an assistant coach to help him in his endeavors, Kevin Barrett.
Forward Michael Gergen and Defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer are the only two returning players so far.    Gergen, came to the Condors early last season as a result of a trade from the Grizzlies, and posted eight goals and 15 assists in 43 games. 
Burgdoerfer returns for his second full season with the Condors.    The 6’2” blueliner played in 68 games last season, earning 16 points (2 goals, 14 assists) and 50 penalty minutes, leading the team with plus-20.
Benson was the first off-season player signed by O’Dette. With the retirement of veteran Andrew Ianiero at the close of the season, Hans Benson is the latest veteran signee.    Benson, 27, has 358 professional games to his credit with ECHL, CHL and AHL.    He has a total of 80 points (26 goals, 54 assists) and 1,461 penalty minutes in his career.    A Menlo Park California native, Benson knows firsthand how to get the Kelly Cup, having been a member of the Cincinnati Cyclones 2009-10 Championship team. 
One of Benson’s teammates in the 2009-10 season, Ian McKenzie will also call Bakersfield home.    The twenty-four year old, 6’5”, 235 pound, right-winger skated in 55 games (4 goals, 9 assists) with the Gwinnett Gladiators last season, and has 52 AHL and 119 ECHL career games under his belt.    This will be McKenzie’s fourth professional season.
On the blue-line, Alain Goulet and Jimmy Martin, both 23-years old, bring impressive, yet differing resumes.    Goulet split last season between the ECHL Reading and AHL Providence Bruins. In 43 games with the Royals, he posted 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) and eight points in 16 games with the Bruins.    Goulet will start his third season as a pro with the Condors.
Martin will skate in his first full professional season with the Condors. The St. Louis, Missouri native played four years in the Ivey leagues at Yale.    His 138 Yale career games tied him for the most games with the team.    He led the team’s defense in goals, assists and points, and was the team captain.    He’s even smart, having made the all-academic team two times during his time there.    Following the college season last year, Martin played in three games with the Reading Royals.
There are four other rookies making their debuts with the Condors so far, including Kevin Lohry, Mathew Sisca, Parker Stanfield and Michael Gurtler.
Gurtler returns after finishing the season with Bakersfield, following four years at Mercyhurst College.    Gurtler, a 24-year old left-wing scored double-digit goals in three of four years at college.
Another player with Ivey League credentials includes Lohry, a graduate from Princeton.    The 23-year old Sioux City, Iowa native, scored 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 32 games his senior year.
Sisca spent the last four years in the OHL, splitting last season between the Guelph Storm and the Saginaw Spirit.    Last season, in 58 games, he scored 12 goals and 30 assists, with 36 penalty minutes. Sisca’s older brother, Daniel played with the former Phoenix Roadrunners from 2007-2009.
Stanfield, an Anaheim Hills, California Native, rounds out the rookies on the roster. He played last season with the WHL Everett Silvertips, with 30 points in 60 games (12 goals, 18 assists) and 52 penalty minutes.
Forward Jason Williams, 25, split last season between the Arizona Sundogs and the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the CHL. Playing in 69 games, he scored 15 goals, and 18 assists.    He’s a 2010 Colgate University graduate from Plattsburgh, New York.
And finally right-wing Keegan Dansereau, a 23-year old will enter his third professional season after playing last year in Sweden.    He led his league in goals with 32 and was fourth with 57 points overall, after 37 games.    He split his rookie season between the Elmira Jackels and the AHL Binghamton Senators.    Prior to his professional career, he played four seasons with the WHL Calgary Hitmen and two seasons with the Swift Current Broncos.
Now, as with the standard in the ECHL, some of last year’s players have moved on to a new continent such as Adam Naglich ( Croatia), Pascal Morency ( Croatia), and goaltender Josh Tordjman ( Germany). While last year’s tough guy, Erick Lizon has signed with the Wichita Thunder of the CHL.
In the coming months, O’Dette will continue to add to the roster in efforts to earn the Condors their third straight Pacific Division Championship.    Since the Condors do not have an affiliate, he will be responsible for filling all their roster positions.  
And, last but not least, the newest addition to the Condors is assistant coach, Kevin Barrett.    This is Barrett’s first assistant coach position.   Barrett was a defenseman in Bakersfield during the 1996-97 season for the Fog, then the Condors from 1998 – 2000.   He ranks sixth all-time Bakersfield history with 477 penalty minutes.     
Since giving up playing professional hockey, he was active in the Bakersfield community, founding the annual Condors Fighting Cancer Hockey-thon in 2004-05.   After seven seasons, he raised over $270,000 towards the cause.   He served as the color commentator on Condors radio and television from 2001 – 2005, not to mention remaining active in youth hockey in Bakersfield as well as his hometown Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Condors will face the Stockton Thunder in two pre-season games, one in Stockton on October 7 and the second at home on October 8. The season opener against the newest ECHL team, Colorado Eagles will be on October 15 at home. Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com