‘He has not been reckless:’ Connor Clifton’s game is entertaining, but opposing offenses might disagree

NEWARK — There wasn’t much of an argument to be made when Boston opted to send Connor Clifton back down to the AHL in early December.

An emergency call-up from Providence when the injury bug decimated Boston’s D corps a month prior, Clifton was simply on the wrong side of the numbers’ game — with the B’s needing to allocate room for the return of more regulars on the blue line.

But when it came to his play on the ice, Clifton didn’t do much to play his way out of the lineup, based on Bruce Cassidy’s comments.

“I thought he was really good the first time (here), Cassidy said on Wednesday. “He played huge minutes there for the first few games here with (Jeremy) Lauzon. … He’s not mistake-free, nobody is, But for the most part, he did what was asked.”

While he didn’t etch his name on the scoresheet during that nine-game stint with the club back in November and December, Clifton didn’t look much like a defenseman earning his first look up in the NHL ranks. During that first stint in Boston, Clifton complemented Boston’s second D pairing alongside Torey Krug, with the duo generating a 55.09 Corsi For Percentage over 96:25 of 5v5 TOI together — an extended sample size in which they were out for three goals for and zero goals against.

Given his impressive offensive production down in Providence this season (six goals, 27 points over 53 games), one might be disappointed that Clifton’s bombastic, aggressive style of play from the blue line has translated to points so far up with the Bruins.

But for a 23-year-old defenseman that has stood out among a crowded field of AHL call-ups this season, Clifton’s true value lies in the little things — both on and off the ice.



Since his latest recall on March 14, Clifton has skated in four games with Boston —averaging 16:53 of ice time while earning a promotion from the bottom D pairing to a spot alongside Brandon Carlo.

In what has been a recurring trend for Clifton so far up in the NHL, offensive chances have been few and far between for the opposition whenever the Quinnipiac product has had his number called.

With Carlo and Clifton both out on the ice together, the duo have not been knocked for a single goal against over 42:27 of 5v5 TOI, while posting a stellar Corsi For Percentage of 60.42. If we want to extend it into a larger sample size, Clifton has only been out on the ice for two 5v5 goals against in 216:40 of 5v5 TOI. At this point, Clifton is starting to become more than just a pleasant surprise when it comes to allowing Boston to limit chances down one end of the ice and possess the puck for extended stretches.

As late as last week, Clifton ranked third among all NHL defensemen (min. 50 minutes of 5v5 TOI played) in terms of Corsi Differential — which weighs the number of shot attempts generated by a team while one player is out on the ice against how many shot attempts are generated by the opposition during that stretch of time. The two names above him? Erik Karlsson and Dougie Hamilton.

So what allows Clifton to be a such an effective contributor when it comes to puck possession? The New Jersey native can make his presence felt in a variety of ways, whether it be uncorking a slap shot from the point or drilling an opponent into the boards.

But for Cassidy, the biggest weapon that Clifton has lies in his poise and willingness to active when need be to fish the puck away from opposing skaters.

(A nice split-second move from Clifton at the neutral zone allows the B’s defenseman to keep the puck in the Devils’ zone and prolong an O-zone shift for Boston. Nice awareness from the defenseman.)

 



“Compete and composure,” Cassidy said of what stands out in Clifton’s game. “He doesn’t seem to be fazed by — sometimes guys come up and they’re a little tentative for different reasons. Might be their personality, might be they want to defer to more of the veteran guys. They want to feel their way around. He’s not that guy.

“He’s in there, he’s banging bodies left and right, he wants to make plays. If anything, he’s a guy you might have to coach down a little bit as opposed to coach up. I’ve always preferred that a kid that wants to come up and as long as he’s not reckless, and he has not been reckless. I think he came out of college a little bit reckless while playing pro and he’s really tempered that, know when to go and when not to while still being aggressive.”

While just about every member of the B’s regular D corps has missed multiple games this season due to injury, Boston has managed to absorb most of the lost time thanks to a solid prospect pipeline down in Providence.

Even when top blue-liner prospect Urho Vaakanainen was sidelined due to a concussion, players like Clifton and Lauzon shored up the vacancies without many hiccups — a luxury that Cassidy credits Providence’s coaching staff and the players for providing.

“They’ve done a terrific job. Forwards have come up and done a great job — integrated well,” Cassidy said. “I think we’ve identified players and I think it goes even deeper than that. I obviously spent a lot of time there, player personnel — from Donny (Sweeney) and John Ferguson, they start with identifying players that they feel can help us. Obviously, they want to win in Providence too, but the ultimate goal is helping the Bruins and surrounding them with depth guys that can do that.

“Then it’s up to the coaches to get them and round out their game. I think they’ve done a terrific job. I know down there, it’s hard to get every guy to play the way you want, to be perfect. And they’re winning. Combine those two, it’s not as easy as it sounds down there. Good for them. I know (Providence coach) Jay Leach works day and night, he’s really invested in making those players better. ... Those guys came up and you put them all in the lineup on the same days — (Jakub) Zboril, Lauzon, Clifton — and then having them being able to handle it? That’s a credit to them.”

Despite his impressive debut up in Boston this season, Clifton will likely once again be on the outside looking in at a starting spot once players like Kevan Miller, Matt Grzelcyk and Torey Krug are back in the fold.

For Clifton, standing out in a crowded field was a solid start — but staying around (and excelling) up in the NHL ranks is the ultimate goal.

“I don’t think I made any milestones,” Clifton said of his time with Boston. “But it’s nice to experience the NHL and kind of feel it out. I obviously see what it’s like to play here now. …  I’m just going to keep going out and keep playing my game.”