Connor Clattenburg is probably heading back to Bakersfield soon. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is close to returning, having practiced on Thursday and is expected to play Saturday in Seattle. When that happens, there simply won’t be room for the 20-year-old winger who spent the last week showing the Edmonton Oilers what they’ve been missing.
And that’s fine. That’s how it goes. But man, did Clattenburg make the most of his time.
Called up last Friday to replace Noah Philp, who was placed on LTIR, Clattenburg made his NHL debut Saturday night against Florida. Two games later, he’d scored his first NHL goal, racked up eight hits, dropped the gloves when needed, and given the Rogers Place crowd something to cheer about in an otherwise miserable 8-3 loss to Dallas.
Clattenburg scored his first career goal at 14:21 of the second period against the Stars, poking home a loose puck and celebrating like every kid dreams of doing. The Oilers were down 4-1 at the time. The game was already lost. But watching Clattenburg light up after burying that goal reminded everyone why these moments matter, regardless of the score.
A former 10th-round pick in the OHL Draft and captain with the Flint Firebirds, Clattenburg isn’t a prospect anyone expected to see in the NHL this quickly. He’d appeared in just 15 games for the Condors this season, scoring a goal and an assist while adding 59 penalty minutes—25 of which came from five fights. He’s not here to put up points. He’s here to finish checks, go to the net, and make the opposition think twice about taking liberties.
In two games, that’s exactly what he did.
Saturday in Sunrise, Clattenburg played with spice and was ready to square off with anyone willing. He finished checks. He got under people’s skin. He played with the kind of energy this team desperately needed, especially heading into a rematch with the Panthers for the first time since last year’s Cup Final.
Against Dallas, he kept doing the simple things right. Finishing every check. Going to the net. Playing with enthusiasm. Even in limited ice time, Clattenburg made an impact that was hard to ignore.
The reality is that Clattenburg was never going to stick long-term. He doesn’t project as a high-scoring player—he brings mostly physical play. In a perfect world, the Oilers have enough healthy bodies that they don’t need to lean on a 20-year-old AHL enforcer to provide energy. But this hasn’t been a perfect world for Edmonton this season.
Nugent-Hopkins has been out since November 8th with an undisclosed injury, and his absence left a hole in the lineup that went beyond just skill. The Oilers needed someone to bring something different, and Clattenburg did exactly that.
Now Nugent-Hopkins is back, or close enough. He centered the third line at practice Thursday with Andrew Mangiapane and Clattenburg on his flanks. When he’s officially cleared to play, Clattenburg will almost certainly be on his way back to Bakersfield. The math just doesn’t work otherwise.
And that’s okay. Clattenburg got his shot. He got his first NHL game. He got his first NHL goal. He showed that he belongs in the conversation, even if it’s not quite time yet. His ascension to the NHL was quick, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be back at some point down the line.
For now, though, his value was in reminding the Oilers what physicality and enthusiasm look like. In a season where this team has spent most nights playing soft, reactive hockey, Clattenburg spent two games finishing every check and creating energy out of nothing. That’s not a small thing.
He did everything he could. He showed up, played hard, scored a goal, and made himself impossible to ignore. When the Oilers needed a spark, he provided one. When they needed someone to throw hits and go to the net, he did that too.
Sometimes a player’s value isn’t measured in games played or points scored. Sometimes it’s measured in what they remind a team they’re supposed to be. Clattenburg did that in two games. That’s a pretty good run.
So when Clattenburg gets sent back down—likely in the next few days—it won’t be because he failed. It’ll be because the roster got healthy and the numbers didn’t work. That’s hockey. But the Oilers are better for having had him around, even if it was brief.
Connor Clattenburg got his moment, and he made it count.
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