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Connor Clattenburg will battle to make Oilers roster: ‘I’m ready to rock’

Photo credit: Flickr/Bakersfield Condors

By Michael Menzies

Jul 11, 2026, 19:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 11, 2026, 16:56 EDT

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Connor Clattenburg got a taste of NHL hockey last season with the Edmonton Oilers. Well, five of them.

The fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft is a brash, throwback of a player: a take-no-prisoners scrapper better suited for hockey in 1986 than 2026.

Unafraid to engage in a scrum or start one, Clattenburg became a full-time pro last season with the Bakersfield Condors, after finishing his major junior career with the Flint Firebirds.

This recent run was his third Oilers Development Camp, and he’s hoping that his hard work will pay off to become a regular in the Oilers lineup.

“My main goal is just to make the big squad and stay around here,” said Clattenburg at Oilers Development Camp. “I’m going to do everything I can to play at the next level and just keep pushing myself, pushing guys around me to just make me better.”

Early last season, when the Oilers’ roster needed a jolt, Clattenburg received the call-up to join the big club. Thrust into the fire, Edmonton was finishing a tough seven-game road trip against their Stanley Cup rival, the Florida Panthers.

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“That whole week was just pretty crazy,” said Clattenburg. “I didn’t know any of that was going to happen, and to have my family there to watch it all happen and play the former Cup champions was pretty cool for the first one.”

He provided that much-needed energy as a green 20-year-old, sticking around and playing four more games while growing as a fan favourite.

In his home debut against the Dallas Stars, Clattenburg scored his first NHL goal and played nearly 13 minutes of ice time during the blowout loss. Later, he got the better of Frederick Gaudreau in a scrap in Seattle, his first in the NHL.

“Going to that Dallas game, I was just fired up to play, and I got that opportunity, and it was just a dream come true,” he said. “That’s when you realize that you’ve made that level, and it’s pretty fun to celebrate with the family.

“It was unreal here, and I’ll never forget it.”

Clattenburg looks to refine his game

An eye injury kept him out of the lineup for the majority of December before he was sent back down to Bakersfield to continue learning the pro game. He’d suffer another setback just a week after his return, requiring surgery after breaking his hand.

In all, Clattenburg played 32 games with the Condors, scoring two goals and four points, while collecting 131 penalty minutes over nine fighting majors.

“It was a big difference to jump into pro hockey and learn from the higher-level coaches and just have a lot of bigger guys around me, a lot of vets,” said Clattenburg.

“Just learning from those guys, seeing what they do each day, it really made a difference in my career last year. I know the injuries kind of derailed me a bit, but it’s just part of the game. You’ve got to put your head down and just keep working. I’ve dealt with that, I’ve learned from that, and I’m just ready to go this year.”

‘I’m ready to rock’

Clattenburg is still quite a raw hockey player, having played just 38 professional games in his life. But he’s earned everything he’s gotten to be a pro. Clattenburg admitted to Tony Brar of OilersTV two years ago that he had doubts growing up whether he could play at this level.

That’s a credit to his hard work and dedication, plus the guidance he’s received from Condors head coach Colin Chaulk. Clattenburg said the former pro in Chaulk pushed him and he continues to learn from his coach, who recently signed a contract extension to stick around in Bakersfield.

While he continues to fill out his six-foot-two, 215-pound frame, Clattenburg knows that skating and puck play to match his truculence will determine whether he can carve out a long NHL career.

He can mix it up. Now, it’s about adding to his game.

“You’ve got to get better at all parts of your games and it’s just each little step at a time,” he said. “My puck handling is one thing I want to really improve, and it’s just going to take my game to the next level. My skating too. If I improve that, it can really change the game a little bit. So, just working on those things to take the next step.

“I’m excited for this next camp. I’m confident and I’m ready to rock when it comes.”

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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