Connor Clifton
| Position | Right Defense | Current Team | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Shoots | Right | Current Contract | 3 years |
| Height | 6'0" | Expires | 2025-26 |
| Weight (lbs) | 196 | Expiry Age (Jun 30) | 31 |
| Age | 30 (Apr 28, 1995) | Expiry Status | UFA |
| Drafted | 2013, Round 5, Overall 133 (PHX) |
| Date | Team | Transaction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2025 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Acquired from Buffalo Sabres | |
| Jun 28, 2025 | Buffalo Sabres | Traded to Pittsburgh Penguins | |
| Jul 1, 2023 | Buffalo Sabres | Signed 3 years @ $3.333M AAV starting in 2023-24 | |
| Jul 1, 2019 | Boston Bruins | Signed 3 years @ $1.000M AAV starting in 2020-21 | |
| May 3, 2018 | Boston Bruins | Signed to an entry level contract. |
2025-26 Player Card
URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20252026/connor-clifton-8477365.png
2024-25 Player Card
URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20242025/connor-clifton-8477365.png
2023-24 Player Card
URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20232024/connor-clifton-8477365.png
About Player Cards
Player cards present an infographic of a players performance. In this case it shows the player performance over a 3 season span. Each square is separated into three separate sub-boxes with the two smaller boxes on top representing the past two seasons and the larger box on the bottom representing the current or most recent season. This allows the reader to guage how consistent a player has been, and if early in the season it can help identify whether a players performance may be impacted by small sample size and subject to regression or is consistent with recent past performance.
Notes and Definitions
- The numbers represent percentiles so the higher the better.
- Percentiles are determined by comparing Forwards to Forwards and Defensemen to Defensemen.
- Bursts/mi are calculated from NHL Edge Data are are speed bursts above 20mpg per mile skated. The NHL doesn't adjust for ice time so the players that skate more will naturally have more bursts over 20, or at least more opportunity to have more. The NHL also does not provide ice time in the context of NHL Edge Statistics, however, it does provide distance skated. By adjusting for distance skated it will have a similar effect to adjusting for ice time but also adjust for situationional effect. For example, Players don't typically skate as much on the PK, mostly within the defensive zone, so don't get significant opportunity in that ice time to get speed bursts above 20mph. Adjusting with miles skates would account for this better than adjusting with ice time.
- Sh%AE is Shooting Percentage above Expected (Sh% - xSh%) and is an indicator of how good a shooter is at converting chances into goals.
- Relative statistics are On Ice - Off Ice statistics and can be an indicator of whether the player makes his teammates better or worse.
- All data is 5v5 except Shooting Hardest and Average, Skating Top Speed and Bursts/mi which are all situations, ES Average which is even strength (NHL doesn't give a specific definition).
Data Sources
- Salary data is from TheStanleyCap.com
- Shooting and Skating (except Sh%AE) are from NHL Edge
- Other statistics are from Puckalytics.com and derived from data from NHL.com
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5v5 Individual Stats
| Season | Team(s) | GP | TOI | G/60 | A/60 | Pts/60 | xG/60 | GAE/60 | Sh% | xSh% | Sh%AE | %SA Rush | %SA Reb. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | BOS | 19 | 314:22 | 0.00 | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.10 | -0.10 | 0.00 | 2.62 | -2.62 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 31 | 413:17 | 0.29 | 0.00 | 0.29 | 0.14 | 0.15 | 10.53 | 5.15 | 5.37 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 44 | 706:35 | 0.08 | 0.34 | 0.42 | 0.13 | -0.05 | 2.13 | 3.35 | -1.22 | 0.00 | 1.43 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 60 | 866:46 | 0.14 | 0.55 | 0.69 | 0.20 | -0.06 | 2.53 | 3.62 | -1.09 | 1.90 | 1.90 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 78 | 1214:58 | 0.20 | 0.79 | 0.99 | 0.24 | -0.05 | 4.60 | 5.69 | -1.09 | 3.08 | 4.62 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 79 | 1111:59 | 0.16 | 0.76 | 0.92 | 0.20 | -0.04 | 4.17 | 5.07 | -0.90 | 2.94 | 1.96 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 73 | 951:42 | 0.06 | 0.76 | 0.82 | 0.18 | -0.12 | 1.82 | 5.28 | -3.47 | 0.00 | 2.27 |
| 2025-26 | PIT | 8 | 123:49 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.10 | -0.10 | 0.00 | 3.51 | -3.51 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
5v5 On Ice Stats
| Season | Team(s) | GP | TOI | SAF/60 | GF/60 | xGF/60 | SAA/60 | GA/60 | xGA/60 | GF% | xGF% | xGF Rel | xGA Rel | xGF% Rel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | BOS | 19 | 314:22 | 37.98 | 1.91 | 2.39 | 31.49 | 0.95 | 1.90 | 66.67 | 55.75 | -0.31 | -0.49 | 2.75 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 31 | 413:17 | 34.84 | 2.32 | 1.92 | 44.13 | 2.03 | 2.43 | 53.33 | 44.14 | -0.52 | 0.29 | -9.06 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 44 | 706:35 | 38.64 | 2.12 | 1.97 | 36.85 | 1.70 | 1.99 | 55.56 | 49.69 | -0.72 | -0.21 | -5.30 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 60 | 866:46 | 44.72 | 2.42 | 2.45 | 36.76 | 2.42 | 2.09 | 50.00 | 53.92 | -0.43 | 0.05 | -4.63 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 78 | 1214:58 | 41.88 | 2.91 | 2.68 | 43.21 | 2.02 | 2.59 | 59.00 | 50.80 | -0.22 | 0.21 | -4.07 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 79 | 1111:59 | 38.96 | 2.59 | 2.27 | 40.95 | 2.27 | 2.53 | 53.33 | 47.24 | -0.27 | 0.01 | -2.92 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 73 | 951:42 | 36.76 | 2.40 | 2.19 | 44.89 | 3.15 | 2.61 | 43.18 | 45.64 | -0.10 | 0.22 | -3.39 |
| 2025-26 | PIT | 8 | 123:49 | 35.86 | 1.45 | 2.15 | 35.37 | 2.42 | 1.97 | 37.50 | 52.10 | -0.36 | -0.68 | 3.59 |
NHL Edge Stats
| Skating | Shooting | Zone Time | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | Top Speed | Bursts>20/mi | Avg. Speed | ES Avg. Speed | Top Speed | Avg. Speed | %Long Range | %Mid Range | %High Danger | ES DZ% | ES NZ% | ES OZ% |
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Legend
| Percentile 0-25 | Percentile 25-50 | Percentile 50-75 | Percentile 75-100 |
5v5 Defense Pairs
| Season | Teammate | Team | TOI | GF/60 | GA/60 | GF% | xGF/60 | xGA/60 | xGF% | xGF Rel | xGA Rel | xGF% Rel |
|---|
Glossary
| Type | Statistic | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | G/60 | Goals Against per 60 minutes. |
| Individual | A/60 | Assists per 60 minutes. |
| Individual | Pts/60 | Points per 60 minutes. |
| Individual | xG/60 | Expected Goals per 60 minutes. |
| Individual | GAE/60 | Goals Above Expected (G/60 - xG/60). |
| Individual | Sh% | Shooting Percentage. |
| Individual | xSh% | Expected Shooting Percentage. |
| Individual | Sh%AE | Shooting percentage above expected (Sh% - xSh%). |
| Individual | %SA Rush | Percentage of shot attempts determined to be on the rush. |
| Individual | %SA Reb. | Percentage of shot attempts determined to be from rebounds. |
| On Ice | SAF/60 | Shot Attempts For per 60 minutes. |
| On Ice | GF/60 | Goals For per 60 minutes. |
| On Ice | xGF/60 | Expected Goals For per 60 minutes. |
| On Ice | SAA/60 | Shot Attempts Against per 60 minutes (lower is better). |
| On Ice | GA/60 | Goals Against per 60 minutes (lower is better). |
| On Ice | xGA/60 | Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes (lower is better). |
| On Ice | GF% | Goals For Percentage = Goals For / (Goals For + Goals Against) |
| On Ice | xGF% | Expected Goals For Percentage = Expected Goals For / (Expected Goals For + Expected Goals Against) |
| On Ice | xGF Rel | xGF/60 when On Ice - xGF/60 when not On Ice. |
| On Ice | xGA Rel | xGA/60 when On Ice - xGA/60 when not On Ice (lower is better). |
| On Ice | xGF% Rel | xGF% when On Ice - xGF% when not On Ice. |
News and Opinions
-
Over/Under for the Pittsburgh Penguins new veteran players this season at Pens Burgh (Thu Sep 4, 2025)
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Over/Under for the Pittsburgh Penguins new veteran players this season at Yahoo Sports (Thu Sep 4, 2025)
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Clifton Sour About Tenure With Sabres at Yahoo Sports (Wed Jul 23, 2025)
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Former Sabres player sounds off on Buffalo tenure: 'I kind of lost myself' at Sabres Noise (Wed Jul 23, 2025)
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New Penguins' Defenseman Looks Forward To 'Fresh Start' at Yahoo Sports (Tue Jul 22, 2025)
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‘Don’t Come In Passive’: Penguins Give Scrappy Connor Clifton Marching Orders at Yahoo Sports (Tue Jul 22, 2025)
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Sabres and Penguins make a surprising trade, sending Connor Clifton to Pittsburgh at Sabres Noise (Sat Jun 28, 2025)
Current Contract
Connor Clifton signed a $9,999,999 3-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres and General Manager Kevyn Adams on July 1, 2023 with an AAV of $3,333,333. This contract will start in 2023-24 and end after the 2025-26 season. In the first season of the contract the cap hit was equivalent to 3.99% of the salary cap.
Standard Contract (UFA) ( ) (0 ratings)
Connor Clifton signed a $3,000,000 3-year contract with the Boston Bruins and General Manager Don Sweeney on July 1, 2019 with an AAV of $1,000,000. This contract will start in 2020-21 and end after the 2022-23 season. In the first season of the contract the cap hit was equivalent to 1.23% of the salary cap.
Standard Contract (RFA) ( ) (0 ratings)
| Season | Age* | Clause | Cap Hit | AAV | Perf. Bonus | Sign. Bonus | Salary | Compensation | Minors Salary | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 25 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | - | $100,000 | $900,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | RFA-arb | ||
| 2021-22 | 26 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | - | $100,000 | $900,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | RFA-arb | ||
| 2022-23 | 27 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | - | $100,000 | $900,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | UFA | ||
| Total | - | $300,000 | $2,700,000 | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 |
Connor Clifton signed a $1,450,000 2-year contract with the Boston Bruins and General Manager Don Sweeney on May 3, 2018 with an AAV of $725,000. This contract will start in 2018-19 and end after the 2019-20 season. In the first season of the contract the cap hit was equivalent to 0.91% of the salary cap.
Entry Level Contract ( ) (0 ratings)
| Season | Age* | Clause | Cap Hit | AAV | Perf. Bonus | Sign. Bonus | Salary | Compensation | Minors Salary | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 23 | $725,000 | $735,000 | - | $50,000 | $650,000 | $700,000 | $70,000 | ELC | ||
| 2019-20 | 24 | $725,000 | $735,000 | $20,000 | $50,000 | $700,000 | $750,000 | $70,000 | ELC | ||
| Total | $20,000 | $100,000 | $1,350,000 | $1,450,000 | $140,000 |
Career Statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | League | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | Shots | Sh% | TOI/G | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | Shots | Sh% | TOI/G |
| 2008-09 | AYMBHL | New Jersey Jr. Titans Bantam Min | 32 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 92 | |||||||||||||
| 2009-10 | EmJHL | New Jersey Hitmen | 33 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 59 | |||||||||||||
| 2009-10 | EmJHL | Jersey Hitmen | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010-11 | EmJHL | Jersey | 36 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 95 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | ||||||||
| 2011-12 | USHL | USNTDP | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 16 | 12 | 833.0 | ||||||||||
| 2011-12 | EmJHL | Jersey | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 26 | |||||||||||||
| 2011-12 | U-17 | USNTDP | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 2011-12 | EJHL | Jersey | 28 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 46 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |||||||||
| 2012-13 | U-18 | USNTDP | 41 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 24 | |||||||||||||
| 2012-13 | USHL | USNTDP | 25 | 3 | 6 | 9 | +11 | 90 | 38 | 789.0 | ||||||||||
| 2012-13 | WJ18-A | USA | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 2 | 5 | 2,000.0 | ||||||||||
| 2013-14 | ECAC | Quinnipiac | 36 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 106 | |||||||||||||
| 2014-15 | ECAC | Quinnipiac | 38 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 54 | |||||||||||||
| 2015-16 | NCAA | Quinnipiac Univ. | 43 | 7 | 21 | 28 | +20 | 42 | ||||||||||||
| 2016-17 | NCAA | Quinnipiac Univ. | 39 | 7 | 7 | 14 | -2 | 82 | ||||||||||||
| 2017-18 | AHL | Providence Bruins | 54 | 4 | 9 | 13 | +11 | 35 | 4 | -3 | 2 | |||||||||
| 2018-19 | AHL | Providence Bruins | 53 | 6 | 21 | 27 | +13 | 52 | ||||||||||||
| 2018-19 | NHL | Boston Bruins | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +5 | 15 | 22 | 0.0 | 17:42 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +2 | 16 | 11 | 18.2 | 13:17 |
| 2019-20 | AHL | Providence Bruins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | |||||||||||||
| 2019-20 | NHL | Boston Bruins | 31 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +4 | 12 | 20 | 10.0 | 14:25 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 6 | 12 | 8.3 | 15:40 |
| 2020-21 | NHL | Boston Bruins | 44 | 1 | 6 | 7 | +10 | 38 | 48 | 2.1 | 18:13 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 0.0 | 17:51 | ||||
| 2021-22 | NHL | Boston Bruins | 60 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 32 | 80 | 2.5 | 16:04 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 8 | 10 | 10.0 | 17:07 |
| 2022-23 | NHL | Boston Bruins | 78 | 5 | 18 | 23 | +20 | 60 | 93 | 5.4 | 17:51 | 3 | -4 | 2 | 5 | 0.0 | 14:40 | |||
| 2023-24 | NHL | Buffalo Sabres | 79 | 4 | 14 | 18 | +12 | 88 | 77 | 5.2 | 16:33 | |||||||||
| 2024-25 | NHL | Buffalo Sabres | 73 | 1 | 15 | 16 | -6 | 45 | 63 | 1.6 | 16:03 | |||||||||
| 2025-26 | NHL | Pittsburgh Penguins | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 4 | 6 | 0.0 | 17:21 | |||||||||
| NHL Career | 392 | 15 | 62 | 77 | +41 | 294 | 409 | 3.7 | 16:44 | 46 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -2 | 34 | 48 | 8.3 | 15:22 | ||