Bruins recall defenseman Connor Clifton
18 games and barely a month and a half into the season, the Boston Bruins now find themselves reaching for their No. 12 defenseman, as Connor Clifton is the latest defender summoned from the minors on an emergency recall.
The move comes on the heels of Zdeno Chara’s injury Wednesday night in Colorado, and with Brandon Carlo (upper-body), Charlie McAvoy (concussion-like symptoms), Kevan Miller (hand), and Urho Vaakanainen (concussion) still on the shelf.
The 5-foot-11 Clifton arrives to the NHL after having posted four assists and a plus-4 rating in 14 games with the P-Bruins, and with four goals and 17 points in 68 total AHL games since signing with the Bruins in 2017.
Prior to joining the pros (opting not to sign with the Coyotes and instead joining the Bruins as a free agent), Clifton played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Quinnipiac University from 2013 to 2017. The New Jersey native was the team’s captain as a senior in 2016-17, totaling seven goals and seven assists for 14 points with 82 penalty minutes, but established career highs in all offensive categories as a junior in 2015-16, recording seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points with a plus-20 rating.
In his four-year career at QU, Clifton appeared in 156 games, with 19 goals and 37 assists for 56 points and a plus-39 rating.
Clifton will join the Bruins for their Friday meeting with the Dallas Stars.
It’s unclear if Clifton will play, though, as the Bruins already have Jakub Zboril with the club as a backup option.
