Former Firebirds Captain Making Lasting Impression With Edmonton Oilers Debut

Former Flint Firebirds captain Connor Clattenburg went through two NHL drafts without hearing his name called. In his last year of draft eligibility, the Edmonton Oilers called his name in the fifth round of the 2024 draft. 

Clattenburg only recorded 13 goals and 29 points in 60 games split between the Soo Greyhounds and Flint Firebirds, which isn’t a substantial amount of production for an NHL draft pick. However, there are other elements in his game that make him pop away from the scoresheet, and he’s been showing the Oilers brass those strengths in his first year of professional hockey. 

Clattenburg captained the Firebirds last season, recording 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 46 games. He didn’t lead the team in any scoring categories, but he did lead in penalty minutes with 108. 

In 162 regular season OHL games, he recorded 302 penalty minutes. Clattenburg is a brute. He seeks out hits and physical play. He’s like a bull in a china shop, ready to disrupt and cause chaos while forechecking. 

Clattenburg received a call-up from Edmonton recently, despite only recording one goal and one assist in 15 games in the AHL for the Bakersfield Condors. However, he has 59 penalty minutes, including five fighting majors. The least shocking stat of it all was Clattenburg dropping the gloves in his AHL debut. 

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound forward made his NHL debut on Nov. 22 when the Oilers travelled to Florida. It was a quiet debut, having only nine shifts and 5:47 TOI. 

Clattenburg was more involved in Edmonton’s next game, partly because the team was blown out at home by the Dallas Stars. Regardless, the former OHL captain made a strong impression in the loss, recording 12:58 TOI, seven hits, and scoring his first career NHL goal. 

Scoring the first of his career was the icing on the cake, but he was noticeably more physical and aggressive in his pursuit of the puck. Edmonton are in Seattle Saturday evening, looking to get back on track. Clattenburg practiced on the team's fourth line on Friday, alongside Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar, and is set to play in his third consecutive game for the team.

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