Vancouver Canucks 2016 NHL Draft Profile: C Conner Bleackley

The Vancouver Canucks are preparing for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft — and so are we.

Unfortunately, the 2015-16 season was cut short for the Vancouver Canucks, which means we have a long offseason ahead of us. Canucks GM Jim Benning and his staff will use the time to prepare next season’s roster, and the 2016 NHL Entry Draft will certainly play an important part in that process.

Vancouver started off strong in the fall of 2015 but ended the season with a thud. Thanks to their abysmal 28th rank in the league standings, the Canucks owned seven picks early in each round. That changed after trading the second and fourth-round selections to the Florida Panthers, but who knows what will happen on draft day to get those back. Benning did a great job in his first two years at the job and another successful draft could certainly help boost the rebuild.

Here at The Canuck Way, we will do our best to prepare you for the upcoming event by profiling as many draft-eligible players as we possibly can. Keep in mind that we are not saying these are players the Canucks are targeting. Instead, these are players that we think the Canucks could or should have interest in.

It is time to look at WHL Red Deer Rebels center Conner Bleackley, a 2014 first-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche, who will re-enter the draft after going unsigned.

Name: Conner Bleackley

Position: Center

Shoots: Right

Height, weight: 6’1”, 196

Team/League: Red Deer Rebels, WHL

Stats (from eliteprospects.com): 

G

A

P

PIM

+/-

551333464913

NHL CSS Ranking: Unranked, 35th (North American Skaters) in 2014

Risk, Reward: 2/5, 3/5

NHL-potential: Bottom-Six Forward

Draft Range: Fifth to Seventh Round

Scouting report

"Bleackley does all of the little things right, things that make him stand out. Much like Ryan O’Reilly, he has an exceptional sense of the game, allowing him to shine defensively. While not known for his offensive presence, he has an innate ability to be where the puck is going, giving him that unique trait that translates to points on the board. (Cheryl Bradley, BSN Denver)"

Strengths

When the Colorado Avalanche selected Conner Bleackley with their 23rd-overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, they certainly did not envision things to go the way they did. Bleackley went unsigned, and was traded to the Arizona Coyotes at the 2016 trade deadline. The Coyotes likely never intended to sign him either, and the deal was more about the compensatory second-round pick they get by not signing him. Still, there are reasons why Bleackley was drafted so early two years ago.

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Bleackley is a strong two-way center who excels in the faceoff circle and at both ends of the ice. While skating is one of his major issues, it is good enough to keep up with his hockey sense. Bleackley plays great positionally and is always in the right place at the right time. He finds open ice in the offensive zone and gets into good position defensively.

Though Bleackley is not a particularly physical player, he uses his frame well to protect the puck. His strength and puck skills allow him to keep possession along the boards or truck through traffic in the neutral and offensive zones.

Perhaps his biggest strength in the offensive zone is his shot. Bleackley has a great release for a strong wrist shot, and he uses it whenever he can. While there are many prospects who possess a good shot but need to use it more, Bleackley actually tends to overuse it sometimes.

Furthermore, Bleackley is a leader. He was an assistant captain for Team Pacific at the under-17 World Championship and for Team Canada at the under-18 Worlds. He was named captain of the Red Deer Rebels in only his second full WHL campaign and wore the ‘C’ for two years, but got the captaincy removed for the 2015-16 season — don’t ask me why.

Weaknesses

As mentioned above, Bleackley was never an outstanding skater. He worked hard on his skating, though, and is decent in that regard today. The 20-year-old has good speed but needs to improve his first strides to get more explosive.

Being a two-way forward with a decent frame, Bleackley could also use some more grit and physicality. He rarely finishes checks and only gets physical when it is his absolute last option. Since he uses his body well to protect the puck and is able to lay a hit occasionally, it does not seem impossible for him to develop a physical side in his game.

A big reason why both the Avalanche and Coyotes prefer a new second-round pick over signing Bleackley is the fact that there was no significant improvement following his draft year. Bleackley had 29 goals and 68 points in 71 games in his draft year, but failed to get past the point-per-game mark in both of the following seasons. One reason is his struggle with injuries, but as an overager on a good team, he should have been able to show more anyway.

Final Thoughts

Not being signed by Colorado or Arizona sounds far worse than it is. Bleackley is one of 14 (!) players from the 2014 first round who have not played a single minute in the NHL yet. None of the second-round selections and only five players from the remaining rounds have made the NHL so far. Either one of the clubs could have signed him, and maybe would have, but getting a compensatory pick in the second-round is just more valuable for the Coyotes.

Bleackley is not a first-round talent, and teams know that now. The Coyotes can definitely get a player with more potential out of their second-round pick. However, that does not mean that Bleackley will never make the NHL. He still has the potential to be an effective two-way player with a nose for the net.

With an overager who did not improve his production over the past two seasons, teams will be careful if they consider him at all. But in a rather shallow draft, he may well be worth a pick in the seventh round. At least teams know what they get if they draft him. Bleackley will likely jump into the ECHL or even AHL no matter if he gets redrafted or not.

Next: More 2016 NHL Draft Profiles

Back in 1998, the Ottawa Senators drafted goaltender Mathieu Chouinard 15th overall. The goalie went unsigned, re-entered the draft in 2000, and was drafted again, 45th overall — by the Ottawa Senators. So, you know, anything is possible.