CONDORSTOWN, Calif. – The Bakersfield Condors begin their inaugural season in the American Hockey League (AHL) tonight against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Dignity Health Home Ice at Rabobank Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. (5:45 p.m. for season ticket members)

GAME: Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers) v. Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings)

PROMOTION: First 5,000 fans, 5 and older, will receive sunglasses, because our future is so bright you have to wear shades. Presented by Eyewitness News, 101.5 KGFM, and Dignity Health

TIME: 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m. / 5:45 p.m. for season ticket members)

BROADCAST: (AHL Live) | Video (AHL Live) | Radio (98.5 The FOX FM – this weekend only) | MOBILE (iHeartRadio App – 98.5 The FOX FM

HIGH DRAFT PICKS ON CONDORS ROSTER

The Condors feature two, top-7 NHL Draft picks on the roster in C Leon Draisaitl and D Darnell Nurse. Draisaitl, 19, was selected third overall by Edmonton in the 2014 NHL Draft. A year prior, Nurse went seventh overall to Edmonton in the 2013 draft. 16 players on the current roster are NHL Draft picks and 20 are under NHL contract with Edmonton.

BEHIND THE BENCHES

Both teams feature head coaches entering their first full seasons as bench bosses with their organizations and two men certainly familiar with one another. On the Condors side, head coach Gerry Fleming takes the reigns after guiding the Oklahoma City Barons to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs a season ago. Fleming took over the team midway through the season. The man he took over for, Todd Nelson, now leads the Grand Rapids Griffins in his first game behind the bench in the Red Wings organization. Nelson coached parts of five seasons with Fleming in Oklahoma City, before being promoted to interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers for the second half of the 2014-15 season. Nelson joined the Griffins over the summer.

CONDORS NOTES

Bakersfield returns four of the five leading scorers from the 2014-15 Oklahoma City Barons in RW Andrew Miller, RW Matthew Ford, D Brad Hunt, and LW Ryan Hamilton… In addition, G Laurent Brossoit returns between the pipes. He was 2nd among all AHL goaltenders in 2014-15 minutes played with 3,049 over 53 appearances… The roster features an international flair with six players hailing from outside North America… 14 players on the roster have NHL experience

GRIFFINS NOTES

Griffins captain Jeff Hoggan enters his fourth season with the Griffins and is the longest-serving captain in team history… The Griffins are 11-5-2-1 overall in season openers and 12-5-2-0 overall in road openers… Grand Rapids returns 21 players from their 2014-15 squad, including both netminders G Jared Coreau and G Tom McCollum…

TRANSACTIONS

10/5 – C Leon Draisaitl assigned by Edmonton (NHL)

10/5 – G Ben Scrivens assigned by Edmonton (NHL)

10/4 – D Nikita Nikitin assigned by Edmonton (NHL)