Edmonton Oilers prospect Connor Clattenberg surprised himself with how well things went for him during the 2024 Oilers training camp.

When speaking with Flint Firebirds announcer Brian Gardner about his experience in his first in Edmonton, Clattenburg credited his time with the Ottawa Senators prospects camp the prior year for preparing him on what to expect this time around.

“It was unreal and went better than I expected, to be honest,” he said. “It kind of helped having the experience from Sens camp last year to go into Dev camp, kind of knew what it was like, and then going into main. But all those camps were great. I learned a lot and a lot of good feedback and I’m just excited for what’s in store next.”

Being a first-time draft-eligible player a year ago presented him with the unique opportunity to train with his hometown team. Although Clattenberg was unable to turn that into a contract with the Senators, it did signal that teams around the league were intrigued by his skillset and repertoire which led to him being selected 160th overall by the Oilers in the 2024 Draft.

His lack of offensive production is why he was taken so late in the draft, but Clattenburg is growing more confident in his abilities as a power forward which could in turn lead to improvements down the line. It’s why he felt training camp went better than even he thought it would go.

“I just felt like more confident out there than I thought I was and I just felt like I fit into it really well then younger players don’t tend to,” he said. “I think my physical side just really helped with that and playing in that preseason game too, I felt really good and really confident in that game.”

The preseason game in question was one where he made a name for himself trying to fight a Flames player which resulted in him taking a four-minute penalty. Clattenburg also got into a few scraps during the 2024 Young Stars Classic and imposed his will physically throughout the camp before being sent back to Flint.

He got chills that night even if it was just a preseason game because it gave him a taste of what could be achieved if he continues to improve his game, describing playing in that game as ‘a dream come true.’

“You can feel the intensity from the size of the barn and the amount of fans and just the way they go about it,” he said when describing what it was like playing inside Rogers Place. “The intensity just rises to a whole new level, so it was special to experience that feeling.”

The size and physicality certainly got him noticed by NHL teams, but Clattenburg will need to work on improving his offensive production to ensure he can make his NHL dreams become a reality. His draft year saw him combine to score only 29 points (13 goals and 16 assists) in 60 games split between the Firebirds and the Soo Greyhounds.  But so far this season, he is slowly picking up his scoring output with four points in five games so far this season which included scoring a nice OT winner.

When asked what the Oilers told him before he was loaned back to Flint, Clattenburg said the team told him to stay true to himself and the results would follow suit.

“They just gave some great feedback and they’re excited for what’s to come,” he said. “They said ‘Just keep playing your way, don’t change.’ That’s what they picked me for. So just keep playing your way and see where it takes you.”

You can watch the full interview between Gardiner and Clattenburg down below: