The Winnipeg Jets have added forward Connor McClennon to the roster of players participating in the 2023 Young Stars Classic.
Former Winnipeg ICE scoring sensation Connor McClennon has signed an agreement with the Winnipeg Jets to participate in the Young Stars Classic with the team in Penticton, British Columbia this week.
Should his time representing the Jets go well, it could lead to a further opportunity with the club.
McClennon, 21, recently signed a two-year contract with the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves following the conclusion of his major-junior career. An NHL deal would certainly supersede that agreement.
Initially drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the Wainright, Alberta product was never signed by the league's imposed cutoff last season. He then became a free agent this offseason, to which the Wolves pounced.
Now, with a possible injury to a fellow Young Stars participant or a travel-related conflict, McClennon is close to pulling yet another Winnipeg-based sweater over his head.
Initially suiting up in Kootenay, the speedy forward got his foot in the WHL door during the 2017-18 season. He spent five years with the team, as it made its way to Winnipeg for the last four seasons.
McClennon put up back-to-back 40+ goal seasons, finishing 2021-22 with 42 goals, before besting last year's totals with 46 tallies this past season. He also scored 14 goals in 19 playoff games this spring.
His scoring ways heavily contributed to the booming success of Winnipeg's junior club the past two seasons. The ICE put up a CHL-best 53-10-3-2 record in 2021-22, before one-upping themselves with a 57-10-1-0 record this past year. Unfortunately for the Albertan, neither team was able to win the WHL championship or make its way to the Memorial Cup.
He will now have the possibility of suiting up with Winnipeg at the South Okanagan Events Centre, as the Jets do battle with the prospects of their fellow western Canadian rivals, the Edmonton Oilers (Friday afternoon), the Vancouver Canucks (Sunday afternoon), and Calgary Flames (Monday morning).
Each Jets game of the prospect tournament can be streamed live on the official website of the Winnipeg Jets.