Conner Bleackley

Conner Bleackley
Born (1996-02-07) 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
WHL team Red Deer Rebels
NHL Draft 23rd overall, 2014
Colorado Avalanche
Playing career TBD–present

Conner Bleackley (born February 7, 1996) is a Canadian ice hockey player. He is currently playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Red Deer Rebels. Bleackley was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Playing career

Bleackley was selected by the Red Deer Rebels in the 1st round (21st overall) of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft from AAA Bantom 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]

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.[7]

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
WHL totals 204 67 70 137 131 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 3rd 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 [8]
International
World U-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Pacific) 2013 [9]
IIHF World U18 Championship Bronze Medal 2014 [10]

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. ↑ "High River's Conner Bleackley Poised and Ready For NHL Draft". HighriverOnline.com. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  8. ↑ "Team Orr beats Team Cherry in CHL Top Prospects Game". The Globe and Mail. 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  9. ↑ "Rebel paces Pacific into top five". OkotoksWesternWheel.com. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  10. ↑ "Canada Claims Bronze at World Under-18 Championships". Okotoksonline.com. 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2014-04-28.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Nathan MacKinnon		 Colorado Avalanche first round draft pick
2014 		Succeeded by
Mikko Rantanen


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