Bleackley re-signs with Mariners

PORTLAND, Maine – Forward Conner Bleackley will be returning for his third season with the Maine Mariners.

A veteran of over 300 professional games, Bleackley hit a milestone with his 100th career ECHL point this past season. The Alberta-born forward did so in dramatic fashion, netting the overtime goal in a 2-1 win over the Trois-Rivieres Lions on Feb. 20th, 2022. With 26 points in 66 games, Bleackley finished ninth on the team in scoring. He also added a goal and an assist in six playoff games.

The Mariners first landed Bleackley in a January 2020 trade with the Idaho Steelheads. He finished out the pre-pandemic portion of 2019-20 strong, with 10 points in 15 games for the Mariners. With Maine not playing in 2020-21, Bleackley joined the Allen Americans, before returning to Portland last season.

Bleackley, 26, was a first-round selection (23rd overall) of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He was then drafted a second time two years later, going in the fifth round to the St. Louis Blues. In addition to 185 ECHL games, he has appeared in 133 in the American Hockey League level, primarily with Blues affiliates in Chicago and San Antonio.