The St. Louis Blues have acquired defensive prospect Konrad Abeltshauser from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional 7th round selection in the 2017 NHL Draft.
The Blues acquire Konrad Abeltshauser (D) from SJ for a conditional 7th round pick in 2016. >> http://t.co/E85suk1J8S pic.twitter.com/rPxMb4PyzW
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 29, 2015
Abeltshauser was the Sharks’ third ranked defensive prospect at Hockey’s Future and THN’s fifth best prospect overall a few months back.
The trade was almost certainly because the Sharks were not going to qualify Abeltshauser, who is a pending RFA. He just finished his second pro season, which saw him moved down to the ECHL’s Allen Americans for a short stint.
The 22-year-old defenseman showed big promise playing for the Hallifax Moosehead in the QMJHL, posting 44 and 54 points in his final two seasons. At the AHL level, the production hasn’t quite translated. He posted 21 points in his rookie year (6-15–21) through 57 games and 19 points (3-16–19) through 50 games last season.
Part of his time in the ECHL may have been about confidence and getting him some extra games, as he skated with the Americans through the playoffs. He was quite productive down there, posting seven points in six regular season games, followed by five goals and 11 assists through 25 postseason performances, en route to a 2015 Kelly Cup Championship.
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