Clifton Looking to Rediscover His Best Game in Pittsburgh

On a Saturday afternoon at the end of June, Connor Clifton had just put his infant daughter Callie down for a nap, and was hoping to take one himself.

Instead of getting some shut-eye, he received some news.

The 30-year-old defenseman picked up his phone to see that Sabres GM Kevyn Adams was trying to reach him. Clifton looked at his wife, Amanda.

“She's like, ‘oh, where are we going?’ Then I answered,” Clifton said. “I guess the draft was going on. We didn't even have it on the TV. Had to whisper a little in our in our bathroom. He told me it was Pittsburgh, and I was pretty excited.”

The Penguins acquired Clifton and the 39^th overall pick (which they used to select Peyton Kettles in the second round) from Buffalo in exchange for Conor Timmins and Isaac Belliveau. Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas has been vocal about needing to strengthen the left side of the blue line, and feels Clifton can help them do that.

“We just felt that Clifton, when at his best, brings an element that we have not maybe had on the back end in my time here,” Dubas said. “Which is, he’s a very highly competitive, physical guy that can be very difficult to play against, won’t back down from anybody, and I think brings a lot of fire to the game each night.”

Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza experienced that firsthand during Clifton’s NHL debut on Nov. 16, 2018. It came with the Bruins, as Clifton began his professional career with that organization, and was against the Stars. He ended up dropping the gloves with Spezza, a veteran star already 19 years into his professional career.

“I was just trying to survive my NHL debut and ended up getting a fight with him, and I know he doesn't fight often,” Clifton grinned. “It was quick, and then we served our time in the box. But it was funny, I guess he was looking for it more than me. I was just trying to survive out there for game one.

“I had a little laugh with him, I think it must been a year or two after, when he was in Toronto. I hear, ‘Round two?’ [Laughs] I was like, ‘no, I'm good man, we already got ours.’”

Listed at 5-11 and 192 pounds, Clifton has always played bigger than his size. The New Jersey native has skated in parts of seven NHL seasons split between Buffalo and Boston since 2019, and led his team in hits each of the last three campaigns.

“That's kind of how I've always played. And working to get to the next level, it was always a big part of my game,” Clifton said. “I feel like I outcompeted my way to the NHL with that sort of style, and that’s what's going to keep me there.”

However, Clifton is the first to say that the last two seasons have been a struggle. He hasn’t been satisfied with his play, and is looking to rediscover what makes him successful.

“I think my game, it's kind of been at a standstill. It was a lot of mental battles along the way, healthy scratches... I got that call that I'm going to be a Pittsburgh Penguin, I was really excited for the change of scenery,” Clifton said. “I want to get back to my old self and how I play, and the impact that I have on the game... you just try to simplify and be who you are.”

It should help having a head coach who has liked Clifton for years. When Dan Muse was an assistant at Yale, he attempted to recruit Clifton, who ultimately chose to attend Quinnipiac to play alongside his brother, Tim.

“I went to college in 2013, right? So, it's over a decade since he's been watching me, and he told me how he loves my game,” Clifton said. “That's nice to hear, and I think we're excited to work together for the first time.”

They recently spent time together in Pittsburgh, with Muse passing along some words of advice that should serve Clifton well when he reports for training camp.

“He mentioned he wanted me to come in and to find it right away, and don't come in all passive, but be aggressive and be who I am. And I think that's always good to hear,” Clifton said. “I'm excited for the opportunity.”