C Conner Bleackley - Maine Mariners, ECHL (2016, 144th, STL)

[S E P H]

Surprised by the comments made by Sakic. Has Bleackley really been that bad?

I don't think he has, but I think Avs were turned off by his off ice character. He came into camp overweight and sounds like those types issues have persisted in every year since his draft. FYI not saying he was overweight every year, but similar issues which sort of rubs a club off the wrong way.

Even Arizona are saying they would rather have the 53rd pick instead of him. Don't think I agree with that, his talent level is probably going to be better than the player at 53rd. But of course Coyotes get to pick the player they want for their own organizational philosophies.

Bleackley has stagnated offensively and is looking like he should have been a 2nd round pick. Even me as a WHL follower wanted others before Bleackley like Goldobin or Scherbak. He's not a bad player, just hasn't done enough to dedicate his time in improving as an NHL player. Probably still has 3rd line centre potential, but you can find those every year in the free agent pool.

 

[XX]

Even Arizona are saying they would rather have the 53rd pick instead of him. Don't think I agree with that, his talent level is probably going to be better than the player at 53rd. But of course Coyotes get to pick the player they want for their own organizational philosophies.

Dvorak was taken at #58

I trust the Coyotes scouts in this situation. It's better to take a guy with upside than a guy who has years to improve and hasn't.

 

[S E P H]

Dvorak was taken at #58

I trust the Coyotes scouts in this situation. It's better to take a guy with upside than a guy who has years to improve and hasn't.

Please don't think it was a negative comment towards the Coyotes, more that I don't rate 2016 that highly. This draft class has depth from 20ish to 60, but that is because the talent isn't separating itself enough (due to a lack of it). It's still a solid draft, but doesn't come close to 2013 or 2015 IMO.

 

[cgf]

Dvorak was taken at #58

I trust the Coyotes scouts in this situation. It's better to take a guy with upside than a guy who has years to improve and hasn't.

The 58th pick in one draft =/= the 58th pick in another. With how hard this draft is expected to fall off before #50; Bleackley doing better than who ever is taken at #53 is quite likely; even if you find someone that fits your needs better with that pick.

 

[ottawah]

Surprised by the comments made by Sakic. Has Bleackley really been that bad?

Most players take huge leaps in their 3rd/4th year of junior. Bleakley has not. #23 overall picks produce top 6 D men/top 9 forwards 45% of the time. People you pick at that spot are egernally those you want to see improve significantly, and he has not.

Some have said its work ethic. It may be he plautaued at a younger age. In any case I'd say Sakic would think his progression is not as expected, he is well below his peers.

Take McCann taken one spot below, he has an ~50% rise in points per game after his draft year. Bleackleys stayed the same. Thats the difference at this draft level between players who are stepping up to the next level, and those that are stagnating.

 

[BigNumber1Centre]

Will he be signed? If not, where will he be picked in the draft?

 

[Captain Timo]

Will he be signed? If not, where will he be picked in the draft?

Not sure about the whole signing part but I'd be surprised if he got drafted anywhere high. There's a reason he didn't even get a contract, if that's the case.

 

[McMozesmadness]

I loved him in his draft year, he's been through a lot, but there is still a player here.

I'd take him in the second. If I were Phoenix I'd sign him instead of taking 53.

 

[MonyontheMoney]

Never been a fan. Second is much too early IMO for a re entry player that has shown no significant improvement since being drafted the first time. There is a reason he hasn't gotten a contract (if he re-enters) and the difference between draft positions his 2nd time around will be more than 37. I wouldn't take him until the 5th at absolute highest.

 

[tigervixxxen]

I'm glad to see he is having a good showing at the Mem Cup. I believe there were a lot of politics involved in how the Avs handled him and that they made a huge mistake giving up on him but Bleackley has to work hard too from this point forward to make the best of any opportunity he gets. Hope he proves me right.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

One of the best players on the ice last night. I have always liked what he brought to the table, he reminds me of Curtis Lazar. Not sure of his offensive upside, but he will bring other positives to the table.

 

[hbk]

Tone from AZ writers is AZ wants the pick.

They may take him later in draft. Big maybe.

 

[seafoam]

Hope NYI takes him. They need some youth in the minors.

 

[landy92mack29]

 

[izzy]

Better show up in the AHL

looks to be in better shape

 

[fmrdh]

Where did his ability go? 2 goals in 44 AHL games this season.

 

[Avsblitzkrieg]

Where did his ability go? 2 goals in 44 AHL games this season.

Man did the avs miss on this guy

 

[tucker3434]

Where did his ability go? 2 goals in 44 AHL games this season.

He never had a ton of upside. Even at the draft, we knew his ceiling was a defensive 2nd liner with 3rd line being more realistic. That's pretty bland for a 1st rounder. Obviously more offense was expected from him than we've seen. He hasn't translated hardly any of it to the pros.

 

[izzy]

Yeah even though the blues knew it was a bit of a longshot this is pretty disappointing

 

[tigervixxxen]

He scored 29 goals his draft year, he had 25 goals by Christmas of his draft +1 year, he had a great shot, that's where his upside was. I wonder if that wrist injury late last year took his shot away. Avs did their fair share of ruining his confidence and game along with the injuries.

 

[Oberyn]

Thought he was a longshot when we drafted him but man is his production awful.

 

[Epic Neal Time]

I would say his upside is about a step below, say, Anders Lee.


A bleak Lee, if you will.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

This guy has to be one of the worst first round picks in recent memory. He wasn't even good in the AHL. What did the WHL fans think of him in his draft year? Was he a big reach or he didn't develop well after that season?

 

[S E P H]

This guy has to be one of the worst first round picks in recent memory. He wasn't even good in the AHL. What did the WHL fans think of him in his draft year? Was he a big reach or he didn't develop well after that season?

He was a consensus 2nd rounder who was picked at the end of the 1st round. It honestly isn't that big of a reach when you get to the end of the 1st and he was captain of the Rebels during that time too. The problem is that it seemed he had immaturity issues during his junior career and it became transparent after he was drafted. He had run ins with the coach, run ins with teammates, came to Avs camp overweight, and it devolved from there. Some good came out of it though, as this selection was one of the reasons why Avs fired their head scout (who is now a scout for the Flyers).

He was that naturally good at everything, great at nothing sort of player and the more I view these type of players, the more I am ranking these blokes later in the drafts due to Bleackley changing a lot of my mind. A certain amount of good at everything, great at nothing talent can survive for defenders, but it is becoming more apparent that you need some central core skill as a forward. I think he had a good enough talent level to be a pro even if that was a 3rd line two-way centre, but mentally he lost the plot big time and why he's going to be a journey-man ECHLer.