RODRIGUEZ & ASSOCIATES GAME PREVIEW

The Bakersfield Condors and San Jose Barracuda begin a home-and-home preseason series tonight at 6:30 p.m. Both teams will head up The 5 tomorrow for a 5 p.m. puck drop at TechCU Arena.

EXPECTED LINEUP

With a sizeable contingent of players still remaining in training camp with the Edmonton Oilers, the Condors are expected to roll out this lineup tonight:

Jack Kopacka – Mitch Hults – Tucker Robertson
Daniel D’Amato – Hunter Johannes – Simon Tassy
Rhett Pitlick – Patrick Guzzo – Ethan Keppen
Brady Stonehouse – Cody Morgan – Riley Wallack

Samuel Sjolund – Zach Bookman
Jonny Tychonick – Jack Matier
John Gormley – Luke Prokop

Samuel Jonsson
Nathan Day

BOTH GOALIES TO GET A LOOK

Jonsson will start tonight before giving way to Nathan Day for the second half of the game. Both spent last season with Fort Wayne in the ECHL. Jonsson was 21-8-2 with a 2.38 GAA and .910 save percentage with five shutouts. Day went 22-9-8 with a 2.76 GAA and a .893 save percentage with three shutouts.

FAMILIAR FACE

Daniel D’Amato is the most tenured Condor of the group having played the past two seasons in the orange and blue. He has 18 goals and 38 points with Bakersfield in addition to being one of the team’s most effective penalty killers.

BRONCO CONNECTION

A pair of Western Michigan alums will be paired on the team’s blue line in the form of Samuel Sjolund and Zach Bookman. Sjolund had 29 points in 39 games last season while Bookman had 18 points in 38 games before turning pro with Fort Wayne at the tail end of the season.

IT ALL COUNTS NEXT WEEK

Bakersfield opens the 2026-27 regular season with a pair of games in Henderson next Saturday (October 3) and Sunday (October 4). Following two more road games the next weekend in Calgary to complete a four-game road trip, the Wranglers come to Condorstwon on Saturday, October 17 for the Condors home opener. (Click here for tickets)