We’re now into our top ten with Bakersfield Condors forward Connor Clattenburg. He’s another selection I was in the building for, and another draft pick I didn’t quite understand at the time.

The 2022-23 season was Clattenburg’s first season of NHL draft eligibility, where the six-foot-two forward scored two goals and added eight assists in 56 games. Clattenburg was ultimately left undrafted. During the 2023-2024 season, Clattenburg was traded to the Flint Firebirds after spending 30 games with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The former Firebirds captain finished his campaign with 13 goals and 29 points in 60 games. That was good enough for the Edmonton Oilers to select him in the sixth round of the NHL draft.

I went back to the hotel room once again and still didn’t understand the selection. Why would they take an overage player who scored under half a point per game? But of course I wasn’t watching film in Las Vegas, and when I got my eyes on Clattenburg, I saw the vision that the team was hoping for. In his final OHL season, the left-shot winger scored 16 goals, had 35 points in 46 games, and, not to mention, 108 penalty minutes. It was a big step offensively, and that is a positive sign for a player who is in his final year of junior hockey; it is expected that, as an older player in the OHL, your point total will grow.

Fast forward to this past season, where the former Flint winger played in his first professional season with the Bakersfield Condors. Looking at Clattenburg’s point total during his OHL years, you can understand that he will probably not score much during his first season. During his 32 AHL games this season, the former fifth-rounder potted two goals, finished with four total points, 131 penalty minutes, and nine fighting majors. Clattenburg was called up to the Oilers this year for five games, and the 205-pound winger scored his first career NHL goal. Of course, the tough forward also had his first-ever NHL fight. I do worry about head injuries; fighting ten times in 37 total games is a recipe for disaster. To be fair to Connor, there were multiple instances where he was grabbed and almost forced into dropping his gloves, but still, it’s okay to play hard without fighting sometimes. Clattenburg missed some time this season due to an eye-related injury.

When I talk about the “vision” that the Oilers saw for Clattenburg, it is clear as day once you see him play, and I bet all the Oilers fans saw it in his five NHL games. The hard-hitting forward is a pest; there is a clear path for him to become an everyday fourth-liner. But it’s not just about being a “fighter”; in my viewings of Clattenburg, I found him to be an incredibly aware defensive player. There are multiple instances of him hustling on the backcheck, playing the center role when he is the first forward back in the zone, and getting in passing lanes. I have some excellent examples below.

The first clip of the bunch puts on display the effort and awareness Clattenburg plays with defensively. The first-year pro constantly skates hard back through the middle of the ice and recognizes danger immediately. The third clip is along the same lines as the first one linked above. Clattenburg easily recognizes the danger and gets his stick on the shot to send it wide. The second video above showcases the awareness even better. The product out of Arnpior, Ont., is watching the two-on-two battle down low. Clattenburg is on the faceoff dot to the right of Connor Ingram, protecting the middle of the ice. As soon as the Calgary player isn’t a threat to the middle, Clattenburg rushes to the boards, taking away one of the only passing lanes the forward would have; then it’s an easy steal, and the Condors are going the other way. I wish the defensively sound forward would have gotten a bit more ice time on the penalty kill throughout the season, and maybe that will come this year.

Another reason I can see Clattenburg as a fourth-line forward one day is that his skating mechanics are good and he is excellent on the forecheck. Even though the big winger doesn’t move his feet overly quickly, I’m a big believer in his mechanics overall. Clattenburg has his knees over his toes, uses his long stride, has a very good lean at the hips, and will use his crossovers even if they aren’t overly light.

That’s a nice little move in transition by the Bakersfield forward in the second clip. But you can see from the above clips that the mechanics are very clean, and if Clattenburg can up his foot speed, there is a lot of potential that can be unlocked in his feet. Nobody likes to get in on the forecheck more than the powerful winger, and other teams hate that about him. Below is just a perfect clip showing off Clattenburg being a pest on the forecheck.

A quick little face wash on one defenceman, followed up by a hard hit on the other. However, Clattenburg isn’t just about the hit. While forechecking, the scary forward has his mind set on creating contact, winning the puck, and protecting it along the wall with his body.

This style of play may not result in goals for, but it definitely helps keep pucks out of your net. I don’t expect Clattenburg to have much offence as a professional player, but he moves the puck efficiently and fills in all the proper lanes.

Clattenburg rarely turns the puck over, and the simplistic play style helps with that, but it also shows that his thought process is a strength. Not everything has to be complicated, and he doesn’t go out of his way to be a player he’s not. Taking care of the puck is crucial for a player like Clattenburg; if you constantly turn the puck over in your ten minutes of ice time, you won’t be playing many games after that. Now I don’t see the former Greyhound making slip passes, deceiving defenders, or making no-look plays, but if you aren’t going to create much offence, you have to take it away from the opposing team, and that’s what Clattenburg does.

Connor Clattenburg is one of the few players on this list to already have some NHL games under his belt, and I see a path where he is constantly playing fourth-line minutes at the NHL level. Clattenburg doesn’t get much ice time per game; some of that is due to fighting, but even without the fighting, in most games he is only playing around ten to twelve minutes a night. I would love to see him get some more playing time with the Condors, and if he could get some consistent penalty-killing time, that would be a great step in the right direction.

With the depth the Oilers signed, I don’t know if we will see Clattenburg in an Oilers jersey this year, but by 2028 he could have a serious case to be on the roster as a 13th or 14th forward at minimum. Everybody watching Clattenburg knows the role he plays, and the only reason I don’t have him higher is that I believe the ceiling on his potential is capped as a bottom-line player. I would love to see a bit more offence come out this year, but if not, that doesn’t concern me. What will concern me is if Clattenburg continues to fight at the pace he is on. Imagine Clattenburg in a playoff series for the Oilers? I hope he continues to develop because he’s the type of player other teams will hate to see coming.

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