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Kevin Connauton, D |
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Shoots: L |
Height: 6’2 |
Weight: 198 |
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Born: 1990-2-23 |
Hometown: Edmonton, AB |
Drafted 2009 by Vancouver Canucks, 83rd Overall |
Observations:
November 2014 – Connauton was waived by the Stars and picked up by the Blue Jackets. Kevin never got a real chance to show his skills in Dallas, where Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski were consistently ahead of him. Hopefully that changes on the injury ridden Blue Jackets, but that is far from a guarantee. He still had a lot of offensive upside, but if this doesn't work out he may not get many more chances. Austin Wallace
February 2014 – Having not appeared on the Stars' active roster since recording a minus-2 rating in the 4-1 loss in Nashville on Jan. 20, Connauton returns to the NHL lineup in favor of defenseman Aaron Rome tonight in Anaheim. After being listed a healthy scratch for five consecutive contests by head coach Lindy Ruff, he faces a streaking Ducks' team who currently holds a league leading 22-2-2 record at the Honda Center this season. The 23-year old looks to provide additional speed and puck moving abilities to the team's third defensive pairing alongside veteran Sergei Gonchar, meanwhile, potentially going head to head against two of the league's elite goal scorers such as Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. In his last three appearances for Dallas this season, Connauton's posted two assists, including his first career NHL point streak dating from Jan. 14 – Jan. 16. Clayton Bailey
January 2014 – Registering two assists and a team leading six shots on goal, Connauton was the only Stars defenseman to finish with a positive plus/minus rating in the 6-4 loss to Montreal on Jan 2. Despite adding a much needed spark to the Stars' blue line, while suiting up in consecutive games for Dallas dating back to Dec. 14, it's difficult to predict the future of the team's defensive pairings after having allowed a total of 18 goals through the first three games in the month of January. As veterans Sergei Gonchar (concussion) and Trevor Daley (ankle) make their return to the lineup, Connauton's average of just over 16 minutes of ice-time per game could see a slight decrease pending his performance moving forward. The 23-year old has racked up five points (one goal, four assists) through 17 career NHL appearances with Dallas this season. Clayton Bailey
December 2013 – Connauton tallied his first career NHL goal in the Stars' 6-2 road loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 16. Since being recalled from the Texas Stars (AHL) last month, the 23-year old has recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in his first nine NHL appearances, logging in an average of 15:22 of ice time per game. Connauton will continue to see a significant role increase after the Stars have suffered key injuries on the backend to veterans Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas. While Daley is expected to return to the lineup within the next two months, Connauton's emergence of late still bodes well for his chances of staying on the NHL roster for the remainder of the season Clayton Bailey
November 2013 – Stars general manager Jim Nill announced the team has recalled Connauton back to Dallas from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars (AHL). He's appeared in six games with Texas this season, registering one assist, 20 shots on goal and 23 penalty minutes. While Nill appears persistent to allow Connauton to see more playing time in the near future, the Stars' three consecutive wins and having lost just one regulation game in the month of November bodes against his immediate NHL value. Clayton Bailey
November 2013 – Connauton posted a plus-2 overall rating and logged just over 16 minutes of ice-time in his NHL debut on Thursday, Oct. 24 against the Calgary Flames. He's since been sent down to the Texas Stars (AHL) for conditioning where he's recorded one assist and a total of five shots on goal in two games this season. Clayton Bailey
June 2013 – The Dallas Stars have inked Connauton to a three year deal. It's a two-way deal in year one, and becomes a one-way deal in the remaining two years. Stars beat writer Mike Heika reports via twitter, quote: "Just talked to Jim Nill re: Kevin Connauton's new contract. Because he requires waivers, Stars expect him to play in NHL next year" . Of special note for his owners in salary cap leagues, the terms are three years, $2,050,000, or an annual cap hit of $683,333. This makes him quite the bargain and gives his owners loads of flexibility and cap space to go along with his promising skill set. Rex Doty
June 2013 – Connauton says the move from the Canucks system to the Stars was like hitting the reset button. He used the fresh start to make his mark in Texas. In nine regular season games after the trade he had six points. He then led all Stars in scoring in the playoffs with five points in nine games before the Stars were eliminated by the Barons. Connauton has a good chance of making his NHL debut in the 2013-14 season. Rex Doty
April 2013 – The Canucks have dealt Kevin Connauton to the Dallas Stars, along with a 2nd round draft pick, for centreman Derek Roy. Connauton enters an organization in need of defensive help so his fantasy value likely increases slightly. Connauton is a fantastic skater with a howitzer of a shot. He needs to improve in the defensive zone but the change of scenery could be exactly what he needs to take that next step. Brendan Ross
April 2012 – Kevin is future power play ‘trigger’ defenseman. He boasts a top end slap shot that regularly approaches and exceeds 100 MPH. He has scored 25 goals in his first couple of pro seasons, if your pool awards extra points for goals, take note. Chris Tanev has received most of the call ups the last two seasons for Vancouver, but Connauton has much higher productive and game-breaking ability. The main issue keeping Kevin out of the NHL is his defensive zone coverage. He is very free ranging and smooth skating, much like a young Mike Green, he needs to be more consistent and stronger at reading/preventing plays in his own zone. Kevin will likely play another AHL season next year but should see call ups as needed. Depending on his growth, he should be regular in 2013-14. Jason Banks
Blessed with excellent puck skills and a relatively large frame, Connauton has top-end offensive upside. Limited pro success with Dallas and Vancouver hasn't hurt his upside, but he is a very high-risk prospect at this point.
Footage:
All Connauton… All the time! A complete package of all the skills he possesses.
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