Oilers’ Connor Clattenburg to make NHL debut against Panthers

It’s not often you make your NHL debut in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final, but that’s what we’ll see Saturday night.

Connor Clattenburg will play in his first career NHL regular-season game as the Edmonton Oilers are in the Sunshine State to take on the Florida Panthers, a team that’s defeated the Oilers in back-to-back postseasons to take home the Stanley Cup.

The Oilers recalled Clattenburg on Friday from their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. In 15 games this season, the 20-year-old has one goal and one assist for two points and five fighting majors to go with 59 penalty minutes.

Earlier this week, Bob Stauffer with Oilers Now interviewed Condors’ head coach Colin Chaulk and asked him about what type of player Clattenburg is.

“He’s a throwback, he’s a dinosaur,” Chaulk said. “It’s nearly extinct, this type of player.”

The Oilers signed Clattenburg to a three-year, entry-level contract in December 2024. Last season, he served as the captain of the Ontario Hockey League’s Flint Thunderbirds, where he scored 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points and 108 penalty minutes.

In three OHL seasons, Clattenburg had 31 goals and 43 assists for 74 points and 302 penalty minutes in 162 career regular-season games.

The Oilers are 9-9-5 with 23 points, which going into Saturday puts them sixth in the Pacific Division. Their minus-16 goal differential puts them 29th in the league, and their 59 goals against is the most in the NHL.

Connor McDavid is second in the league in points with 32 and leads the league with 23 assists. Leon Draisaitl holds the team lead in goals with 14.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are 11-8-1 with 23 points, fifth in the Atlantic Division. Brad Marchand leads the team in goals and points with 13 and 23, respectively, while Anton Lundell has a team-leading 11 assists.