Cliff Abrecht

Cliff Abrecht
Born	(1963-05-14) May 14, 1963 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Defenseman
Shot	Left
Played for	PrincetonSt. Catharines SaintsNewmarket SaintsBaltimore SkipjacksMilwaukee Admirals
NHL draft	168th, 1983Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1982–1988

Clifford H. Abrecht is a Canadian retired ice hockey defenseman who was an All-American for Princeton.^[1]

Career

Abrecht began attending Princeton University in the fall of 1982. The Tigers weren't very good in those years but, despite the team's lack of success, Abrecht played well enough to get selected in the NHL Draft.^[2] He was a solid player for Princeton over his first three seasons but Abrecht had a tremendous finale. While serving as team captain, Abrecht set new program records for defensemen with 15 goals, 26 assists and 41 points.^[3] He also became the program's all-time leader for goals, assists and points by a defenseman (he was surpassed in assists in 2019). He did all of that in just 30 games and was named an All-American, the first for the program in 33 years. However, because the Tigers finished 9th in the ECAC Hockey standings, they weren't even allowed to participate in the conference tournament. Abrecht signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs after the season, playing 1 game for the St. Catharines Saints.

The next season, Abrecht moved to Newmarket along with the team and played the entire season in the AHL, posting modest numbers on a team that finished dead-last in the league. His second full professional season went much better though he ended up splitting time between AAA and AA hockey. Rather than continue his career, Abrecht retired after the 1988 season.

Having earned a bachelor's in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Abrecht received an MBA from Babson College in 1990 and began his second career. By the 21st century, Abrecht had risen to the position of Vice President in the Merck Millipore company and continues to work as an executive in the field as of 2021.^[4]

Personal life

Abrecht's daughter, Charlotte, played college hockey at Holy Cross, graduating in 2020.^[5]

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1982–83	Princeton	ECAC Hockey		24	4	10	14	52		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Princeton	ECAC Hockey		23	9	9	18	62		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Princeton	ECAC Hockey		26	6	22	28	31		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Princeton	ECAC Hockey		30	15	26	41	42		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	St. Catharines Saints	AHL		1	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Newmarket Saints	AHL		63	2	5	7	20		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		33	2	9	11	18		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Milwaukee Admirals	IHL		36	12	10	22	22		—	—	—	—	—
NCAA totals				103	34	67	101	187		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				97	4	15	19	38		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-ECAC HockeyFirst Team	1985–86	[6]
AHCAEast First-Team All-American	1985–86	[1]

References

1. "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners"(PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
2. "Cliff Abrecht". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
3. "Men's Hockey Individual Records". Princeton Tigers. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
4. "Cliff Abrecht". Linked In. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
5. "Charlotte Abrecht". Holy Cross Crusaders. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
6. "ECAC All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database