Connor Clattenburg stood out with the Edmonton Oilers last season through his absolute acceptance of his role on an NHL team.
The 21-year-old scored his first NHL goal, threw 17 hits in just over 36 minutes of ice time and gave the Oilers a look at the physical game that got him drafted in the fifth round in 2024.
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Now, with another training camp approaching and Edmonton already dealing with injuries, Clattenburg has an opportunity to put himself back in the NHL.
Clattenburg said Saturday that his five games in Edmonton gave him something to take back to Bakersfield.
“It was good to carry the experience from when I played the few games up here,” Clattenburg said. “You know, it’s a quicker game, and it was good to kind of go down there and have that speed up, and just learning from the guys up there was pretty cool. And I just took it back and did what I could no more.”
His season didn’t go exactly as planned after returning to the AHL. Injuries limited Clattenburg to 32 games with Bakersfield, where he scored two goals and four points, and his development became difficult to judge over an interrupted season.
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“I mean it was kind of tough. Few injuries when I went back down,” Clattenburg said. “But yeah, it was definitely some parts of the game where I felt a little better and a little more confident in, and just got to carry it into this year.”
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Clattenburg’s physicality has always been a large part of his identity, and his brief NHL stint showed he was willing to play that way. It also happens to fit what Mike Babcock wants from his team.
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Babcock has talked about accountability, work and establishing an identity since taking over behind the Oilers bench. Clattenburg’s path to the Oilers is through his forechecking, physicality, and ability to be a dependable skater near the bottom of the lineup.
“Definitely I feel way more confident myself and what my skill set is, and I just kind of know where I stand with this organization,” Clattenburg said. “And you know it’s helped made me feel comfortable, and I can just be myself.”
Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark are already expected will miss an unclear amount of time, leaving the Oilers without two forwards who were supposed to be part of the lineup when camp began.
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“They’re in one mode now, and they’re just looking for the next guy up,” Clattenburg said. “You never know what that injury could be, and it’s a very high energetic team right now, so it’s just keeping the energy around and just play hard.”
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will drive the Oilers’ offence, while Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vasily Podkolzin, and Isaac Howard will play beside them. Babcock has several options for the rest of his forward group, though, and the depth chart is not set in stone.
Clattenburg can hit, forecheck and bring energy to a fourth line. He has already played NHL games for Edmonton, and the coaching staff has some idea of what he will bring when he is put into the lineup.
His biggest problem at rookie camp is that he can’t fully show it right now.
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“I’m still recovering from injury, so I’m non-contact,” Clattenburg said when asked why he was wearing a different jersey. “So that’s what they gave me.”
Clattenburg needs to be healthy enough during main camp to show the Oilers the parts of his game that give him a chance to make the roster. Albeit, his five games last season should buy him some familiarity with the organization in the meantime.
Clattenburg has been inside the Oilers dressing room, played alongside their regulars and gone through the process of being called up from Bakersfield. When he returned to the AHL, he had a much clearer idea of what Edmonton would require from him the next time his name came up, which could be now.
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