Returning to Boston, a Motivated Connor Clifton Looks to Bolster Bruins' Defense originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The last two seasons for the Bruins have seen the team miss the playoffs or lose in the first round. Something was needed to give the team a spark. How about the return of an old teammate?
After a run with the Sabres and Penguins, Connor Clifton looks to once again create chaos with the Bruins, a team he spent his first five seasons with, signing a two-year contract with a $2.25 million cap hit.
The defenseman from New Jersey, a member of the ECAC All-Tournament Team at Quinnipiac, joined the Providence Bruins in 2017 before signing an entry-level deal with the Bruins in 2018. A fixture on the third defense pairing, Clifton became a menace on the ice in the early 2020s.
In those five seasons in Boston, Clifton had 10 goals and 33 assists. He accumulated a career-high 23 points during the 2022-23 season, during which he led the Bruins in hits (208). Clifton led the Penguins with 180 hits last season.
The way he plays and the excitement he gets doing so is part of the reason Clifton is back with the Bruins.
“I think I made it to the league playing that way, and I think I stay in the league playing that way,” said Clifton via The Boston Globe. “As you mature, get older, maybe you pick your spots a little bit more — you don’t want to miss and give up a chance, right? You never want that.”
Last season, Boston ranked sixth in hits per 60 (22.37). Still, there was room for improvement, especially with only Nikita Zadorov being the reliable hit man. Zadorov had 196 hits last year, just ahead of Clifton.
Known as “Cliffy Hockey,” Clifton produced six assists and 10 points in the playoffs for Boston, with plenty of penalty minutes. He looks to bring back that same passion to the historic franchise that aims to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
“It’s a very different team than when I was there,” Clifton said via NHL.com. “I think it is six guys who are the same. That’s a small number in three years. But I feel like Bruins hockey hasn’t changed much since I left.
“Every time we came to the Garden, it was just a battle of a matchup, usually low scoring. It is a gritty group of guys. They play so hard, structured in the D-zone. That is kind of the style I have played my best hockey – was in Boston.”