NEWS: Condors, City of Bakersfield Agree To Arena Lease Extension

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Written by: Tony Androckitis, with contribution from on-site reporter Mike Griffith

BAKERSFIELD, CA - While the hockey team was back on the ice Thursday morning coming out of the AHL All-Star break, the Bakersfield Condors and Edmonton Oilers management groups were working overtime with the city of Bakersfield.

The city of Bakersfield and the Bakersfield Condors - the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Oilers - agreed to a five-year lease extension at the Mechanics Bank Arena Thursday, Inside AHL Hockey has learned.

The agreement comes during Bakersfield's 25th season of pro hockey, and up until recently wasn't a guarantee.

"We didn't know where this was going a couple of months ago," Edmonton Oilers assistant general manager and Condors GM Keith Gretzky told InsideAHLHockey.com, who went on to say it was a win-win for all involved.

The team held a press conference at Mechanics Bank Arena, home to the Condors, to make the announcement while the team was practicing on the ice below.

Speculation had continued to pile up that the Edmonton Oilers might look to pull their AHL operations out of Bakersfield and re-locate the team into Canada and closer to Edmonton like their NHL Canadian counterparts.

Both the Vancouver Canucks, and just this season the Calgary Flames, have relocated their AHL clubs closer to home.

The hot takes only continued to escalate this season after Calgary's move to relocate from Stockton and into the Saddledome with the Flames.

But even at his first state of league address as the AHL's President/CEO on Monday, Scott Howson was firm in stating there was no hint of a possibility the Oilers were actively seeking to relocate their AHL franchise.

"Not immediately, no," Howson said when asked about the possibility of there being a seventh AHL team north of the border. "The Oilers are very content and happy in Bakersfield," he added.

The agreement, which kicks in with the start of next fall, will keep the Condors in California through the AHL's 2027-28 season.

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