Hockey Operations Staff Set for Upcoming Season

CONDORSTOWN, Calif. – The  Bakersfield Condors have set their hockey operations staff for the upcoming 2012-13 season. Returning Condors Assistant Coach Kevin Barrett and Athletic Trainer George Bullock Jr. will once again join Head Coach Matt O’Dette behind the bench while John Olver will assist with player recruitment. In addition, the Condors announce that Brian Schmidt will serve as equipment manager.

Barrett embarks on his second campaign with O’Dette in Condorstown. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native played three seasons in Bakersfield during his seven-year professional career and his 477 penalty minutes ranks sixth all-time in Bakersfield Fog/Condors history. For his career, the former 1989 Memorial Cup winner with the Swift Current Broncos played 373 career professional games tallying 47 goals, 149 points, and 1,620 penalty minutes. On the ice, the former defenseman will primarily handle the team’s defensive corps. Off the ice, he will continue to be active in the community with a focus on an annual event he founded, Condors Fighting Cancer Hockey-Thon. The anticipated event has raised $300,000 for breast cancer awareness in its eight-year history. ‘The Bear’ resides in Condorstown with his wife Mikie, and their three children.

“I’m excited for the upcoming season,” said Barrett. “I appreciate the opportunity to once again work with Coach O’Dette in helping our young defense get better and move on to the next level. I’ve learned a lot in the last year and I’m looking forward to building on the success we had at the end of last season.”

Bullock Jr. enters his second season in Condorstown as the team’shead athletic trainer. Employed by TERRIO Therapy-Fitness, Bullock Jr. will oversee all of the Condors’ medical needs, both on and off the ice. The 17-year veteran of professional hockey has worked over 1,000 games across the hockey landscape with stops in Wichita, Bossier-Shreveport, Louisville, Greensboro, Springfield, and Orlando. He received the Central Hockey League’s Athletic Trainer of the Year Award in 2011, the same year he was a part of the team’s President’s Cup Championship team. The Lebanon, New York native received his Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina and his Master’s in Sport Injury Prevention & Management from Springfield College in Massachusetts. He and his wife Sarah live in Condorstown with their two children.

Olver commences his second season with the Condors. As part of his role, Olver assists O’Dette with player recruitment and in matters of player personnel. He was involved with the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) from the beginning and was instrumental in bringing professional hockey to Bakersfield in 1995. He has been in the professional and junior coaching ranks since the late ’70’s and was the bench boss for three Condors rivals in Tacoma, Fresno, and Idaho. Both of his sons, Darin and Mark, play professionally with the latter recently re-signing a two-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche.

A newcomer to the Condors hockey operations staff, Schmidt begins his fifth season as a professional equipment manager. Last season, Schmidt worked in the ECHL for the Chicago Express and has spent time with the Elmira Jackals, Bloomington Prairie Thunder, and the Rockford IceHogs. From Detroit, Mich., Schmidt attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. While in college, he played four seasons for the Wolves’ hockey team. 

Opening Night in Condorstown is just 81 days away, on Sunday, Oct. 14 against the Las Vegas Wranglers. Don’t miss out on the team’s 15th anniversary season by purchasing your ticket plan today, starting at just $8 per month. Ticket plans can be purchased in person at the Condors front office located inside Rabobank Arena or by calling 324-PUCK (7825).