Connor Clifton

Connor Clifton (born April 28, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played collegiate hockey with Quinnipiac University.

Connor Clifton
Born (1995-04-28) April 28, 1995
Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team Boston Bruins
NHL Draft 133rd overall, 2013
Arizona Coyotes
Playing career 2017–present

Playing career

Born in Long Branch, New Jersey[1] and raised in Matawan, New Jersey, Clifton played prep hockey at Christian Brothers Academy together with his brother, Tim.[2] Having played in his draft eligible year within the U.S. National Development Team Program, Clifton was originally drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the fifth-round, 133rd overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Clifton began his freshman season at Quinnipiac University during the 2013–14 season. He was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team during all four seasons with the Quinnipiac Bobcats.[3] In his junior season, Clifton was named captain of the Bobcats and at the conclusion of the season was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Tournament, NCAA East All-Frozen Four Team, and honored as Team ECAC Hockey Tournament Most Outstanding Player.[3] Following his senior season and un-signed from the Coyotes, Clifton signed with the Boston Bruins American Hockey League affiliate, the Providence Bruins.[4]

Professional

He was signed to a two year NHL contract by the Boston Bruins on May 3, 2018.[5] He made his NHL debut on November 16, 2018, against the Dallas Stars after being recalled on an emergency basis.[6][7]

On March 23, 2019, Clifton registered his first NHL point with an assist on a Noel Acciari's goal, in a 7–3 win over the Florida Panthers. He scored his first NHL goal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, as part of a 6–2 rout. The Bruins would later advance to the Stanley Cup Final, but would lose to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.

On July 1, 2019, Clifton signed a 3-year, $3 million contract extension with the Bruins.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 New Jersey Hitmen EmJHL 33 2 10 12 59 3 0 0 0 2
2010–11 New Jersey Hitmen EmJHL 36 4 14 18 95 7 2 2 4 10
2011–12 New Jersey Hitmen EmJHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2011–12 New Jersey Hitmen EJHL 28 1 11 12 46 6 0 3 3 15
2011–12 U.S. National Development Team USHL 8 1 0 1 16 — — — — —
2012–13 U.S. National Development Team USHL 25 3 6 9 90 — — — — —
2013–14 Quinnipiac University ECAC 36 5 4 9 106 — — — — —
2014–15 Quinnipiac University ECAC 38 0 5 5 54 — — — — —
2015–16 Quinnipiac University ECAC 43 7 21 28 42 — — — — —
2016–17 Quinnipiac University ECAC 39 7 7 14 82 — — — — —
2017–18 Providence Bruins AHL 54 4 9 13 35 4 0 0 0 2
2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 53 6 21 27 52 — — — — —
2018–19 Boston Bruins NHL 19 0 1 1 15 18 2 3 5 16
2019–20 Boston Bruins NHL 31 2 0 2 12 8 1 2 3 6
2019–20 Providence Bruins AHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 50 2 1 3 27 26 3 5 8 22

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 United States IH18 7th 3 0 0 0 2
2013 United States U18 7 1 0 1 2
Junior totals 10 1 0 1 4

Awards and honors
Award Year
College
ECAC All-Tournament Team 2016
ECAC Tournament MVP 2016
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2016
NHL
Prince of Wales Trophy 2019
Presidents' Trophy 2020

References
  1. Boyd, Joshua. "Former Hitmen star Clifton makes NHL debut with Boston Bruins", United States Premier Hockey League, November 17, 2018. Accessed November 19, 2018. "Clifton, born in 1995 in Long Branch, N.J., joined the Hitmen as a 14-year-old in 2009, playing for the Hitmen's team in the former Empire Junior Hockey League (the forerunner of today's USPHL Elite Division)."
  2. Caldwell, Dave. "At Quinnipiac, Brothers May Add an N.C.A.A. Title to Their Bond", The New York Times, March 28, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2018. "When Tim and Connor Clifton, brothers from Matawan, N.J., decided to attend Quinnipiac University to major in mechanical engineering and play hockey together, they took one more bold step.... Tim and Connor Clifton were teammates at the perennially powerful Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, N.J., before Tim graduated and joined the Hitmen."
  3. "CONNOR CLIFTON". quinnipiacbobcats.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  4. "Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey Captain Connor Clifton Signs With Bruins". quinnipiacbobcats.com. August 16, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  5. "Bruins Sign Connor Clifton To 2-Year NHL Contract". NHL.com. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  6. London, Adam (2018-11-17). "Connor Clifton Drops Gloves, Gets Best Of Jason Spezza In NHL Debut | Boston Bruins". NESN.com. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  7. "Connor Clifton and Jakub Zboril ready for NHL debut". Bostonglobe.com. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
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