Connor Clifton '17 Makes NHL Debut
11/20/2018 2:02:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Former Quinnipiac Men's Hockey Captain Appears in First Two NHL Games
BOSTON – Former Quinnipiac men's ice hockey captain Connor Clifton '17 made his NHL Debut over the weekend after he was recalled by the Boston Bruins Thursday afternoon.
Clifton has been a force to be reckoned with on the ice in the NHL through the first two games of his career, logging an average of 19:27.5 of ice time with a season-high of 20:02 at Arizona on Saturday where he played in 30 shifts.
Clifton is a +1 and has recorded 11 penalty minutes. In his NHL Debut Friday night at Dallas, Clifton won his first NHL fight as he took down the Dallas Stars' NHL veteran Jason Spezza.
Clifton signed a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins over the summer after spending last season on an AHL Contract with Providence. He was previously drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft before opting to sign with Providence following his collegiate career.
This season, Clifton has skated in all 14 games for the AHL's Providence Bruins where he has registered four assists and is third on the team with a +4 plus/minus rating. Clifton has also fired 35 shots on goal, tied for the most on the team.
In his Quinnipiac career, Clifton skated in 156 games, tied for the 10th most games played in program history. He scored 19 goals and picked up 37 assists for 56 points. He was named captain as a senior in 2016-17 for the Bobcats.
As a junior, Clifton and the Bobcats reached the national championship game against North Dakota. Earlier that season, the Bobcats clinched the Cleary Cup as ECAC Hockey Regular Season Champions and won the Whitelaw Cup as ECAC Hockey Tournament Champions. Clifton was also named the ECAC Hockey Tournament MVP
Clifton is the second Quinnipiac alumni to join an NHL roster as Matthew Peca '15 has spent the entire season with the Montreal Canadiens since signing this summer. Overall, Clifton is the sixth former Bobcat to dress for an NHL game as he joins Peca, Connor Jones '14 (New York Islanders), Bryce Van Brabant (Calgary Flames), Michael Garteig '16 (Vancouver Canucks) and Eric Hartzell '13 (Pittsburgh Penguins).
In addition to Clifton and Peca, former Quinnipiac captain and associate head coach Reid Cashman '07 is also in the NHL, serving as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals.
Clifton has been a force to be reckoned with on the ice in the NHL through the first two games of his career, logging an average of 19:27.5 of ice time with a season-high of 20:02 at Arizona on Saturday where he played in 30 shifts.
Clifton is a +1 and has recorded 11 penalty minutes. In his NHL Debut Friday night at Dallas, Clifton won his first NHL fight as he took down the Dallas Stars' NHL veteran Jason Spezza.
Clifton signed a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins over the summer after spending last season on an AHL Contract with Providence. He was previously drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft before opting to sign with Providence following his collegiate career.
This season, Clifton has skated in all 14 games for the AHL's Providence Bruins where he has registered four assists and is third on the team with a +4 plus/minus rating. Clifton has also fired 35 shots on goal, tied for the most on the team.
In his Quinnipiac career, Clifton skated in 156 games, tied for the 10th most games played in program history. He scored 19 goals and picked up 37 assists for 56 points. He was named captain as a senior in 2016-17 for the Bobcats.
As a junior, Clifton and the Bobcats reached the national championship game against North Dakota. Earlier that season, the Bobcats clinched the Cleary Cup as ECAC Hockey Regular Season Champions and won the Whitelaw Cup as ECAC Hockey Tournament Champions. Clifton was also named the ECAC Hockey Tournament MVP
Clifton is the second Quinnipiac alumni to join an NHL roster as Matthew Peca '15 has spent the entire season with the Montreal Canadiens since signing this summer. Overall, Clifton is the sixth former Bobcat to dress for an NHL game as he joins Peca, Connor Jones '14 (New York Islanders), Bryce Van Brabant (Calgary Flames), Michael Garteig '16 (Vancouver Canucks) and Eric Hartzell '13 (Pittsburgh Penguins).
In addition to Clifton and Peca, former Quinnipiac captain and associate head coach Reid Cashman '07 is also in the NHL, serving as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals.
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