Stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com and eliteprospects.com.
Next up on my list is defenseman Connor Clifton. Clifton appeared in the first 19 games of his NHL career last season for the Bruins, in which he produced zero goals and one assist. He also played in 53 games for the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, through which he tallied six goals and 21 assists. He then played in 18 playoff games for Boston, over which he recorded two goals and three assists. Drafted in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the then-Phoenix Coyotes, Clifton has appeared in 107 career AHL games, through which he has produced ten goals and 30 assists. The 24-year-old defenseman has only played with the Bruins organization over his two season professional career after signing with them following his senior year at Quinnipiac University in 2016-17.
Clifton started the year as the organization’s tenth-string defenseman, but after impressing when called up due to injury, he later found himself playing for the team on their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Both he and his style of play have become known to Bruins fans as “Cliffy Hockey” and that’s really the only way to describe it, but I’ll try my best here. He’s a bit small, listed at 5’11” and 174 pounds, but what he lacks in size and strength he makes up for in his aggressive style of play. He’s hard-working and to take a hit or block a shot. He’s also feisty and willing to drop the gloves to defend himself or his teams, and he relishes throwing his body around despite his size, and he’s good at it. Clifton plays on instincts, has a high hockey IQ, and he relentlessly hunts the puck down when he doesn’t have it and then attacks the zone when he does. He quickly seemed to settle in the NHL both on and off the ice, as off the ice, he’s a quiet guy but has leadership experience, serving as the captain of Quinnipiac University for his senior. On the ice, his play translated very well from the AHL to the NHL, and in about half a season he found himself going from a prospect few talked about or even knew about to likely having a full-time spot with the team next season. That’s impressive, and it speaks a lot of his play and dedication to be the best he can be every shift.
As for what we can expect out of Clifton next season, I think that he’ll start the season on the third pairing with Matt Grzelcyk, as they played very well when paired together last season. The coaches showed they have faith in Clifton to not just get the job done passably but to do it well by playing him in the Stanley Cup Final when they had other options. So, as long as he comes into training camp ready next season, I see no reason why he won’t be on the roster. He also signed a three-year contract extension the first day he was eligible to (on July 1st), so the front office clearly has faith in him too. Plus, John Moore and possibly Kevan Miller won’t be ready to start the season (and at least one will likely be traded), so it makes sense that Clifton would slot in there at least at the beginning, but I think he’ll stick after they come back as well. On the ice, we’ll see more of the same Cliffy Hockey, albeit he’ll keep improving as he gets more comfortable and gains experience. I think we see more points from him as well, as he’s shown he’s capable of putting up a respectable amount in the AHL and he also improved his NHL production during the playoffs. If he can raise his game in that high-pressure of an environment, he should look really good next season. But, we’ll see what happens come the start of training camp and over the course of next season.
Hockey Addict 