Clifton’s path never easy
Defenseman won’t take spot on B’s for granted
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy always has said Connor Clifton was a player who needed to be coached down instead of being coached up.
That’s a good thing. “Cliffy Hockey” always has marched to the beat of his own style, and it has earned him a contract extension to stay with the Bruins for at least four more years.
Even with that assurance, the B’s have a crowded blue line and a lot to figure out before training camp in September, and Clifton is well aware of that.
He won’t need to be coached up for that, either.
“I don’t think a couple compliments make you want to stop being the player you are,” he said. “I mean, I still want to make every aspect of my game better. I guess, it’s a shortened summer, so obviously I have to deal with that, which is pretty new to me. I was just going into that place, so I think, yeah, I took some downtime, rest the body, rest the mind, and now this week started training again, getting back to it.
“I think I want to get everything better, excited to touch the ice again in a couple of weeks. But yeah, I think just a little bit of everything. The play after that, I guess, is come to camp and make the team. Obviously, we’ve got, I don’t even know how many defensemen, great defensemen who can play in the NHL. I think I have to take that upon myself and be ready for September and try to make the Boston Bruins.”
Clifton was quickly embraced in Boston for his high energy pace and physicality, but in all reality has played just 18 regular-season games and 19 more in the postseason.
His performance in that time was good enough to earn a contract, and he doesn’t overlook the opportunity he’s been given.
Clifton was drafted by the Coyotes in 2013 but fell out of the loop, not even going to their development camp after his sophomore season at Quinnipiac as the franchise underwent turnover.
He ended up in Providence on an AHL deal, and even after sitting the first few games — despite being the only right-shot defenseman on the roster — he made the most of it and pushed to where he is now.
“After college I end up on the American league in (Providence), and I was thrilled about that, and I’ve come pretty far in the past year and a half or two years since that happened,” he said. “So, it’s been a good ride so far, but hopefully it’s just the beginning.”
Next season will be different for Clifton. He didn’t have to attend Bruins development camp. He knows the ropes, and most importantly, has been on the NHL’s biggest stage.
That’s experience some veterans lack, and Clifton doesn’t have a role set in stone, but he has a foundation to come into camp with the confidence to carve out a niche for himself.
He’s done it before. “I believe I can fit wherever I play,” he said. “I am hopefully complementing my partner. I know I played a bunch on the left side, which I did for the first time of my career this year with Boston, which, you know, is tough trying a new thing in the National Hockey League. I think I dealt with it good though. I think my first couple of games, (Brandon) Carlo was on the right. I was on the left with him when we had a couple injuries. You know, I showed myself I could do that. I could deal with it and just adapt.”