Conner Bleackley

Conner Bleackley
Born	February 7, 1996 High River AB, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team	St. Louis Blues Chicago Wolves (AHL)
NHL Draft	23rd overall, 2014 Colorado Avalanche 144th overall, 2016 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	2016–present

Conner Bleackley (born February 7, 1996) is a Canadian ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect within the St. Louis Blues organization of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bleackley was originally selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft,^[1] but was not signed to an entry-level contract, forcing him to re-enter the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, whereupon he was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round, 144th overall.

Playing career

Bleackley was selected by the Red Deer Rebels in the 1st round (21st overall) of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft from AAA Bantam club the Okotoks Oilers.^[2] After playing a further half season of midget hockey with the UFA Bisons of Strathmore in the Alberta Midget Hockey League he made his WHL debut in the 2011–12 season.

In only his second full season with the Red Deer Rebels he was named team captain as a 17-year-old for the 2013–14 season.^[3] Bleackley whilst showing positional versatility broke out offensively with the Rebels, producing a career high 29 goals and 68 points in 71 games. His outstanding play was further rewarded when he was chosen to skate in the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.^[4]

Bleackley draft stock rose and he finished the season rated as a top prospect^[5] who was viewed as a possible first round selection heading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft before he was selected by the Colorado Avalanche.^[6] In Bleackley's first NHL training camp, the Avalanche were critical of his conditioning and promptly returned him to the WHL without an entry-level contract.^[7] In the 2014–15 season, Bleackley continued his scoring pace from previous seasons with 27 goals and 49 points in 51 games. On February 6, Bleackley suffered a strained groin, effectively ruling him out until the post-season in which Red Deer suffered a first-round exit.^[7]

During the off-season in the lead up to the 2015–16 season, Bleackley returned to the Avalanche rookie and training camp with ambition to earn an entry-level contract.^[8] With an improved physical performance, Bleackley was later returned for his final season of junior after competing in a pre-season game with the Avalanche. Prior to the commencement of the WHL season, Bleackley was relinquished of the captaincy by the Rebels, with coach Brent Sutter explaining the intent to focus on reaching his potential.^[9] With a guaranteed berth at the 2016 Memorial Cup, Bleackley struggled in the early stages of the year offensively. Bleackley picked up his offensive production and scored 41 points in 47 games before suffering a broken kneecap against the Everett Silvertips on January 23, 2016.^[10]

With the Avalanche intending not to offer Bleackley a contract, at the trade deadline on February 29, 2016, his right's were included in a trade alongside Alex Tanguay and fellow prospect Kyle Wood to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Mikkel Boedker.^[11] Citing his injury history, the Coyotes also declined to offer Bleackley a contract and instead chose to receive a compensatory second-round draft pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft; Bleackley will be required to re-enter the same draft.^[12]

After his re-selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, on July 2, 2016, Bleackley was finally signed to a three-year, entry-level contract.^[13]

International play

As a 17-year-old he was chosen to compete with the team representing Canada Pacific at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, and as an 18-year-old he help Team Canada capture the bronze medal at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships.^[14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011–12	UFA Bisons	AMHL		26	13	17	30	41		2	0	0	0	0
2011–12	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		16	2	0	2	6		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		66	9	9	18	28		9	2	1	3	0
2013–14	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		71	29	39	68	48		1	0	1	1	0
2014–15	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		51	27	22	49	49		5	1	1	2	4
2015–16	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		55	13	33	46	49		—	—	—	—	—
WHL totals				259	80	103	183	180		15	3	3	6	4

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013	Canada Pacific	U17	5th		5	3	1	4	12
2014	Canada	WJC18			7	1	1	2	4
Junior totals					12	4	2	6	16

Awards and honours

Honours	Year
CHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game (Team Cherry)	2014	[15]
International
World U-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Pacific)	2013	[16]
IIHF World U18 Championship Bronze Medal	2014	[17]

References

1. "Conner Bleackley selected by Avs with No. 23 pick in draft". Denver Post. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
2. "Rebels pick Conner Bleackley". Red Deer Rebels. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
3. "Hockey's Future: Conner Bleackley". HockeysFuture.com. 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
4. "Red Deer Rebels' Conner Bleackley fond of High River roots". Calgary Sun. 2014-01-14. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
5. "Red Deer Rebels' Conner Bleackley readies for NHL Scouting Combine". National Hockey League. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
6. "Conner Bleackley: 2014 NHL Draft Prospect Profile". In Lou We Trust. 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
7. "Avalanche draft pick Bleackley working toward his time in the NHL". Denver Post. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
8. "Prospect Bleackley relishes learning". Colorado Avalanche. 2015-09-18. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
9. "Colorado Avalanche prospect Conner Bleackley stripped of captaincy". bsndenver.com. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
10. "Rebels lose Bleackley to broken kneecap". thecoachessite.com. 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
11. "Alex Tanguay, prospects traded to Arizona for Mikkel Boedker". Denver Post. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
12. "Coyotes' Bleackley to re-enter draft". thescore.com. 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
13. "Blues add depth, agree to terms with 9 players". St. Louis Blues. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
14. "High River's Conner Bleackley Poised and Ready For NHL Draft". HighriverOnline.com. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
15. "Team Orr beats Team Cherry in CHL Top Prospects Game". The Globe and Mail. 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
16. "Rebel paces Pacific into top five". OkotoksWesternWheel.com. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
17. "Canada Claims Bronze at World Under-18 Championships". Okotoksonline.com. 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2014-04-28.

External links

• Conner Bleackley's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
  
• Conner Bleackley's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database