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Ice Lab

Defence · #75

Connor Clifton

Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins(traded during the season)
Age
31
Shoots
Right
Height
183 cm
Weight
91 kg
Born
Matawan, USA
Draft
2013, round 5, #133 (PHX)

Career · 2018–19 to 2026–27

Games
439
Goals
17
Points
84
TOI per game
16:46
xGF% (5v5)
50.1%
Goals above expected
−5.0
ShowAll teamsBoston BruinsBuffalo SabresPittsburgh Penguins

Season by season

The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.

2018–19BOS19011+517:42220.0%00.756.3%
2019–20BOS31202+414:252010.0%01.144.7%
2020–21BOS44167+1018:13482.1%01.853.4%
2021–22BOS602810−216:04802.5%03.054.1%
2022–23BOS7851823+2017:51935.4%05.550.8%
2023–24BUF7941418+1216:33775.2%04.246.4%
2024–25BUF7311516−616:03631.6%03.545.4%
2025–26PIT50246+516:46355.7%01.954.5%
2026–27BOS5011020:1250.0%00.347.0%
Total3 teams439176784+4816:464433.8%022.050.1%

Form

Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.

Form, ten-game rolling

Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.

Points per gameixG per gameTOI per game (minutes)
00.20.40.60.8100200300400
12m14m16m18m20m22m100200300400Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2018–19 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

3rd pair

45th percentile among qualified defencemen, blending scoring 30%, play-driving 50%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st pair
  2. 2nd pair
  3. 3rd pair
  4. Extra / AHL

Scoring

3rd pair
  • Goals /600.1435th pct
  • Assists /600.5535th pct
  • ixG /600.1850th pct
  • Shots /603.6138th pct

Play-driving

2nd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)50.1%63rd pct
  • CF% (5v5)49.4%53rd pct
  • Relative xGF%−2.525th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.3479th pct

Usage

3rd pair
  • TOI per game16:4647th pct
  • PP time share1.2%21st pct
  • PK time share32.4%61st pct
  • Quality of competition23.7%26th pct

Percentiles among defencemen with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).

Most similar players this season

  1. Jeremy LauzonBOS/SEA/NSH/VGK0.93
  2. Luke SchennVAN/TOR/NSH/WPG0.90
  3. Radko GudasWSH/FLA/ANA0.89
  4. Christian Folin0.86
  5. Jani HakanpääDAL0.85
  6. Mark Borowiecki0.85

Finishing

Model-based

Did the goals match the chances?

Goals against expected goals

Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.

−5.0 goals above expected

05101520100200300400Game

Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games

−20−100+10+20+30+40

Speed and tracking

From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.

Tracking data (NHL EDGE)

Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.

Tracking

  • Top skating speed32.8 km/h44th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph485th pct
  • Hardest shot126.8 km/h37th pct
  • Distance skated19 km87th pct
  • Offensive-zone time40.8%48th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other defencemen that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.

This playerMedian defencemanMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)Hollow dot: too few games to rank, or a season in progress (*, dashed). Dotted line: no NHL games that season.

Top skating speed

36.5 km/h83rd pct

▲ +0.9 km/h since 2024–25

343536373821–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 37.0 km/h, 94th percentile (60 games)2022–23: 36.3 km/h, 80th percentile (78 games)2023–24: 35.3 km/h, 53rd percentile (79 games)2024–25: 35.6 km/h, 55th percentile (73 games)2025–26: 36.5 km/h, 83rd percentile (50 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

1.957th pct

▲ +0.4 since 2024–25

0.511.522.5321–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 2.6, 79th percentile (60 games)2022–23: 1.9, 64th percentile (78 games)2023–24: 2.0, 65th percentile (79 games)2024–25: 1.5, 48th percentile (73 games)2025–26: 1.9, 57th percentile (50 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.5 km40th pct

▼ −0.1 km since 2024–25

1313.213.413.613.81414.221–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 14.0 km, 74th percentile (60 games)2022–23: 13.5 km, 53rd percentile (78 games)2023–24: 13.4 km, 40th percentile (79 games)2024–25: 13.6 km, 43rd percentile (73 games)2025–26: 13.5 km, 40th percentile (50 games)

Hardest shot

143.3 km/h27th pct

▼ −4.4 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 147.0 km/h, 28th percentile (60 games)2022–23: 148.3 km/h, 39th percentile (78 games)2023–24: 151.7 km/h, 59th percentile (79 games)2024–25: 147.6 km/h, 48th percentile (73 games)2025–26: 143.3 km/h, 27th percentile (50 games)

Offensive-zone time

38.7%8th pct

▼ −0.6 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 42.6%, 64th percentile (60 games)2022–23: 41.4%, 48th percentile (78 games)2023–24: 39.0%, 15th percentile (79 games)2024–25: 39.4%, 15th percentile (73 games)2025–26: 38.7%, 8th percentile (50 games)