Continuing the Oil on Whyte's top 10 prospects series ahead of the 2026-27 season and following up on the No. 6 ranked prospect, we are at No. 5 being forward Connor Clattenburg.
Clattenburg is a 21 year old, drafted as an overager in the fifth round 160th overall by the Oilers at the 2024 NHL Draft.He split his junior career between two Ontario Hockey League clubs, the SOO Greyhounds and the Flint Firebirds and was named as team captain for the Firebirds in the 2024-25 season.
He turned pro last season, spending the majority of the year in the American Hockey League with the Oilers' affiliate club, the Bakersfield Condors. He played 32 games, scoring two goals and two assists for four points while racking up 131 penalty minutes. He also received a cup of coffee in the NHL, playing five games with the Oilers, potting one goal, the first of his NHL career.
Future outlook
Entering Oilers training camp this year, it seemed that Clattenburg was going to battle for a roster spot as a dark horse candidate. However, he was recently cut from their roster and loaned to the Condors roster for their training camp.
Despite not making the opening night roster, it seems that he has supporters amongst the Oilers brass, specifically in head coach Mike Babcock. The coach said "He's a part of the future for sure. When is he going to be ready? I don't know that,".
He continued "But he's got lots of things. Big man, he's hard. He drives the other team crazy. He's just got to work on his puck skills a bit." This is very high praise for a player on Clattenburg's position who would typically be an overlooked prospect.
He was drafted as an overage player and he plays a grinding, enforcer type of game which is a relatively antiquated style of play in today's NHL. However, if he can add a little bit more offensively to his game, he will be a useful secondary forward at the next level. He will have a lot of opportunity to develop with the Condors and hopefully get a chance to get some more NHL games under his belt.
NHL potential
Although Clattenburg plays a 'safe' and projectable style of game, bringing a physical presence to the ice, his lack of offensive output could be a limiting factor. He only exceeded the 20 point mark once in his OHL career and in most cases, NHL clubs would prefer even their fourth line grinders have the ability to chip in offensively.
If he can take it a step in the other direction of the ice, Clattenburg would be an incredibly useful prospect to have and one that could play in a variety of roles and on various lines. This next season will be big for his development and one that could really indicate whether he sinks or swims as it relates to his NHL potential.
If the Oilers coach likes him, it could carry a lot of weight and really tip the scales towards his NHL projection. Either way, Clattenburg could be an intriguing option as a call-up player who can come in to provide a physical element and maybe carve out a fourth line role.
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