Connor Clattenburg Is Bringing the Fire the Oilers Desperately Needed
The Edmonton Oilers were in search of a jolt, something - or someone - to snap them out of a flat, uninspired start to the season. Enter Connor Clattenburg, a 19-year-old rookie winger who’s made a thunderous entrance into the NHL. Since getting the call-up from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on November 21, Clattenburg has wasted no time making his presence felt - and not just on the scoresheet.
In just three games, Clattenburg has scored, fought, and hit everything that moves. The Oilers have gone 2-1-0 with him in the lineup, including a dominant 4-0 shutout win over the Seattle Kraken on the road - a performance that looked like a team-wide reset, sparked by a kid playing like every shift might be his last.
A Rookie Playing Like a Veteran Enforcer
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a case of a young player easing his way in. Clattenburg is bulldozing his way onto the scene.
At 6-foot-4, he’s brought a physical edge that’s been sorely lacking in Edmonton’s forward group. In just over 25 minutes of total ice time, he’s already racked up 14 hits, three blocked shots, 11 penalty minutes, and drawn three penalties - all while scoring his first NHL goal in a forgettable loss to Dallas that, frankly, might’ve been even worse without him.
Per 60 minutes, Clattenburg is ranking among the league’s best in physical metrics. He’s second in both penalties taken (9.46) and drawn (7.09), fourth in goals (2.40), and fourth in hits (33.09) across the entire NHL. That’s not just energy - that’s impact.
Making a Statement, One Fight at a Time
Clattenburg’s physicality isn’t just about finishing checks or throwing his weight around in the corners. He’s not afraid to drop the gloves, either - and he proved that in Seattle.
With just over seven minutes left in the game, he tangled with Kraken center Frederick Gaudreau and didn’t hesitate to throw down. Gaudreau, a player with just 46 penalty minutes in 420 career games and no fights to his name, isn’t exactly known for scrapping.
But Clattenburg doesn’t discriminate - if you’re wearing a different jersey, you’re fair game.
That mindset - relentless, fearless, and maybe a little reckless - is exactly what the Oilers have been missing. Too many of Edmonton’s forwards have been invisible far too often this season. Clattenburg, on the other hand, is impossible to miss.
This Isn’t Coming Out of Nowhere
For those who watched Clattenburg during Rookie Camp and preseason, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. He was a wrecking ball from day one.
In a rookie exhibition against Calgary back in September, he fought twice, scored once, and was easily the most talked-about player leaving the rink. A week later, in his NHL preseason debut, he scored again and dropped the gloves with Flames defenseman Nick Cicek in a 3-0 win.
He suited up for three preseason games before being sent to Bakersfield to start the year. Down in the AHL, he kept doing what he does best - one goal, one assist, and a team-leading 59 penalty minutes in 15 games. He hasn’t played in Bakersfield in nearly two weeks, and he’s still sixth in the entire AHL in penalty minutes.
Right Place, Right Time
When the Oilers took Clattenburg 160th overall in the 2024 draft, he was seen as a long-term project. He’d just turned 19 and was coming off a split season in the OHL between the Soo Greyhounds and Flint Firebirds. He had one pro game under his belt - a late-season appearance for the Condors after Flint’s playoff run ended.
But injuries have a way of fast-tracking development, and Edmonton’s forward group has been hit hard. With Noah Philp and Curtis Lazar both sidelined with upper-body injuries during a grueling seven-game road trip, the Oilers needed bodies.
Clattenburg got the call and made his NHL debut in a win over the Florida Panthers on Nov. 22.
Since then, he’s been the spark plug this team didn’t know it needed.
The Oilers had as many fights in that one game in Seattle as they did in their first 25 games combined. That’s not coincidence - that’s culture shift. And Clattenburg is leading it.
Don’t Expect Him to Go Anywhere
Even if he weren’t making waves, Clattenburg might still be sticking around by necessity. Philp is now on long-term injured reserve, Kasperi Kapanen has had a setback in his recovery, and Jack Roslovic isn’t expected back until around Christmas. So the rookie isn’t going anywhere - and frankly, he’s earned his spot.
He’s not going to log 20 minutes a night. He might only get 10-12 shifts.
But in those shifts, he’s going to hit, agitate, maybe even fight - and if the puck bounces right, he might just score, too. More importantly, he’s forcing his teammates to match his intensity.
That’s the kind of influence that changes locker rooms.
The Oilers return to the ice Tuesday against a red-hot Minnesota Wild team. Don’t be surprised if Clattenburg finds a way to make his mark again - because so far, that’s all he’s done.