It wasn’t how Tyler Benson and Stuart Skinner wanted their season to end.
The players for the Bakersfield Condors officially stepped into the off-season on Monday when the American Hockey League canceled the regular season and playoffs.
The pair of Oilers prospects were key members of the Condors. Skinner, 21, was drafted 78th overall in 2017. After Shane Starrett was injured early in the season, Skinner became the Condors top goalie.
“I had a lot of fun with it,” said Skinner, who went 16-17-6 with an .892 save percentage. “I think it pushed me to get to that next level of finding my game and finding my consistencies of being an AHL goaltender.”
Benson, 22, was the Condors second-leading scorer with 36 points in 47 games. He made his NHL debut with the Oilers on February 6 and finished his stint with one assist in seven games.
“I learned the pace of play, the condition you need to be in to play at that level. I’m doing the best I can to get as fit as I can so the next time I do step on the ice, I can try to impress,” said Benson, who was the 32nd overall pick in 2016.
As a team, the Condors weren’t able to repeat the success of 2018/19. Many of their best players, like Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, and Kailer Yamamoto wound up with the Oilers. The Condors record was 21-27-8 when the season shut down.
“It was a tougher season for us, especially coming off a season where we were first place in the division,” said Skinner.
“There were a little bit more ups-and-downs this year, a little bit of inconsistencies with our team play. It was a good learning year for us,” said Benson.
Benson is now staying at his parents’ place in Edmonton. Skinner is in Red Deer.
“The Edmonton Oilers training staff have been giving us apps to make sure we’re doing the right exercises all summer,” said Skinner. “I had to buy some weights, got a bench press coming in.”
In an interview on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer on Tuesday, AHL president-elect Scott Howson said he’s hopeful the next AHL season will start on October 9 as planned.
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