By Josh Bennett
Sports Editor
A hot ticket in town for all ages has always been the Bakersfield Condors hockey club. Coming off the heels of a crushing loss to the Alaska Aces in the ECHL Western Conference Finals, the Condors will try to improve upon their best season in franchise history, and will attempt to get over that hump and qualify for the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.
With its success last year, some players and former head coach Troy Mann have moved onto higher level clubs to further prove their worth. Leading the Condors, which has a favorable sized return from the team last season, along with many new faces, this season is new head coach J.F. Houle, who is fresh off an over four year stint coaching in the QMJHL. Houle was also drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round of the NHL Entry Draft in 1993, and spent five seasons playing in the AHL and ECHL.
I had the opportunity to pass along some questions for Coach Houle regarding the upcoming season.
Q: How does it feel to be coaching in one of the leagues you played in?
Houle: It’s great to get my professional start in the ECHL. I am familiar with the league from my playing career and am excited to get going this year. The ECHL is a league that has been on the rise and some really good players have come from the league. The level of play is high and should be even better this year
Q: Will there be any difficulties for you in coaching some older and more experienced players, rather than the college and junior levels you have coached previously?
Houle: There will definitely be an adjustment for sure. The pro game is much different than college and junior. The schedule is different for the players, and the players are at different levels of maturity. But at the end of the day, hockey is hockey and I am excited to get my start here in Bakersfield.
Q: I know the roster isn’t fully completed yet, but can you comment on your roster so far and how it may shape when the season begins?
Houle: We’re going to be a fast team with a good amount of returning players from the very successful season last year. It’s important to have that nucleus. I like my teams to be creative in the offensive zone, but very structured defensively and aggressive.
Q: What are some goals you have for the Condors going into this season? Is there anything you would like to achieve?
Houle: We want to build on the success the team had last season. With the support of the Edmonton Oilers that will be possible and our goal is to put the best product on the ice as possible every night.
Q: How do you feel about the hockey culture in California and other “non-traditional” markets? Is it going in the right direction and will it become a successful hotbed for teams and players in the future?
Houle: Hockey in California is fantastic. With the success of teams like the Kings, Ducks, and Sharks in recent years, it is great to see hockey taking off in California. My son is playing on the local Dragons teams and it’s awesome to see how many kids here in Bakersfield are interested in the game and playing the sport.
Condorstown will be abuzz when the team opens up its regular season on Friday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Oct. 18 at Rabobank Arena when they host their bitter rivals, and a team they defeated in the Kelly Cup Playoffs last season, the Stockton Thunder. Both games begin at 7pm.
