Connor Clifton is an American professional ice hockey player. He currently plays for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). NHL is a widely known premium ice hockey league.
He was selected by the Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy with high hopes. Cassidy made a statement saying Cliffy will play bigger than his size about Clifton, who stands at 5’11”.
Previously, Clifton played hockey in association with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at Quinnipiac University.
Today, we will be talking about Connor Clifton without excluding anything significant that has ever happened in his personal and professional life.
But, before diving into his life, let’s take a glance at some of the quick facts about him.
Quick Facts :
Full Name | Connor Clifton |
Date of Birth | April 28, 1995 |
Birth Place | Long Branch, New Jersey, United States |
Nick Name | Cliffy, Cliffy Hockey |
Religion | Christian |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | White |
Horoscope | Taurus |
Age | 29 Years Old |
Height | 5 feet 11 inches (180.34 cm) |
Weight | 80 kg (176.37 lbs.) |
Hair Color | Dark Brown |
Eye Color | Brown |
Build | Athletic |
Father’s Name | Tim Clifton, Sr. |
Mother’s Name | Joan Clifton, known as Joanie |
Siblings | 2 (Tim Clifton Jr. and Corey Clifton) |
Education | High School: Christians Brothers Academy College: Quinnipiac University |
Marital Status | Unmarried |
Relationship status | Engaged |
Girlfriend | Amanda Thompson |
Kids | None |
Profession | Ice Hockey Player |
Position | Defenseman |
Affiliation | National Hockey League (NHL) American Hockey League (AHL) |
Plays for | Boston Bruins |
Active since | 2009 |
NHL Debut | November 16, 2018 |
Contract with Boston Bruins | A 3-year contract worth $3 million |
Net Worth | $1 million |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Merch | Cards, T-shirts, Rookie Card |
Last Update | December, 2024 |
Where is Connor Clifton from? Early Life and Family
Connor Clifton was born on April 18, 1995, in Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. He was born to proud parents Tim Clifton Sr. and Joanie Clifton.
Besides his parents, Connor has two brothers. He is the middle child in the family, while Tim Clifton Jr. is the eldest, and Corey Clifton is the youngest.
Ice Hockey runs in the blood of the Clifton family. All three Clifton boys showed interest in it since childhood. In fact, all of them are doing great at ice hockey.
They used to slide on a pair of skates, gliding across the frozen pond behind their home in Matawan, as kids. Their father was the one who founded the love for ice hockey in Clifton boys.
Moreover, Tim, Connor, and Corey had the same beginning as all of them started their ice hockey venture from the Christians Brothers Academy. Likewise, all of them played for the New Jersey Hitmen, followed by Quinnipiac University.
Connor Clifton and Tim Clifton got admitted for mechanical engineering at the University of Quinnipiac. The Clifton brothers share similar interests, but they have different playing styles.
The eldest, Tim Clifton Jr., chose to stay in Matawan after high school graduation and flourish hockey in his hometown. He also played for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL).
The youngest, Corey Clifton, initially has plans to follow in the footsteps of his brother Tim. The Clifton family bonds immensely when it comes to their adoration for ice hockey.
Connor Clifton | Amateur Ice Hockey Career
High School
Connor Clifton studied at the Christians Brothers Academy. He was indulged in prep hockey while in school.
While there, he played for the New Jersey Hitmen as a 14-year-old in 2009 in the former Empire Junior Hockey League (EJHL), the forerunner of today’s USPHL Elite Division.
He then joined the New Jersey Hitmen’s top team in the former EJHL (forerunner of today’s NCDC). He scored 12 points in 28 games for the Hitmen as a 16-year-old.
The Arizona Coyotes then drafted Clifton as the 133rd overall player in the fifth round of the NHL entry draft. However, they never signed him.
Quinnipiac University
The young New Jersey native then decided to develop his hockey skills in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
He then got admitted to Quinnipiac University, playing for the Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s ice hockey team for the next four years. He started his freshman season at Quinnipiac during the 2013-14 season.
Clifton was a part of 156 games in association with the NCAA. In fact, he scored 56 points. He also demonstrated his offensive qualities, which is not the main strength of a right-handed defenseman.
The New Jersey native was then named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hockey All-Academic Team for all four seasons with the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
Clifton became the captain of Quinnipiac Bobcats while in junior year (2016-17). Also, he was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Tournament and NCAA East All-Frozen Four Team.
The New Jersey native graduated from Quinnipiac as the school’s all-time penalty minutes leader with 284 in 156 games.
He was on the NCAA All-Tournament selection when Quinnipiac reached the Frozen Four in 2016. However, they lost the National Championship game to the University of North Dakota.
Further, Clifton received Tournament Most Valued Player (MVP) and All-Tournament honors from ECAC Hockey when the Bobcats won the conference title that year.
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USA Hockey
USA Hockey came knocking on the 2011-12 season while he played for New Jersey Hitmen. They brought Connor Clifton on board for parts of two seasons with the US National Team Development Program.
Also, Clifton won a Silver Medal at the 2013 Under-18 World Championships.
Connor Clifton | Processional Ice Hockey Career and Highlights
Providence Bruins
Clifton was withdrawn by the Arizona Coyotes in 2017 while he was in his senior year. He then signed with the Boston Bruins American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on August 16, 2017.
Connor Clifton played 54 games for the Providence Bruins in the AHL 2016-17. He earned 13 points and the lowest penalty minutes total of his career in a full season, i.e., 35.
Further, he added 4 games in the AHL playoffs last season. Also, he played 14 games for Providence Bruins in the 2017-18 season. He registered 4 points and 15 penalty minutes.
Boston Bruins
The New Jersey native demonstrated his skills and became successful in convincing the Boston Bruins. Then, he signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins on May 3, 2018.
He debuted in the NHL against the Dallas Stars on November 16, 2018.
He was invited to play owing to an emergency. Some of the Boston Bruins’ players were injured. Hence, Connor Clifton and Jakub Zboril from the Providence Bruins had the opportunity to play.
The Boston Bruins lost the game to the Dallas Stars, who had a 1-0 overtime victory. Nonetheless, the Bruins had secured at least a point.
Boston Bruins fans were excited to see the former first-round draft pick, Jakub Zboril’s performance. But it was instead the new face Connor Clifton, who performed immensely well despite the loss.
He logged 18:53 of ice time on his debut. Further, he got listed as the Bruins’ 12th defenseman in the depth chart.
He then played for the Boston Bruins for another eight games. The injured players recovered, and it was time for Clifton to return to the Providence Bruins.
You can watch Clifton’s career statistics on the website of hockey reference.
Clifton’s return at Boston Bruins
Clifton again joined the Boston Bruins towards the end of the season for similar reasons to his earlier entry.
He played for another 10 games in the final four weeks of the regular campaign. Clifton had played 19 games for the Boston Bruins at this time.
He scored one assist, averaging 17:42 of the ice time and the CF% of 56.9 at even strength. Clifton accompanied the Boston Bruins to the playoffs as well.
However, he had to leave Game 2 because of an injury in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He then did not return for the rest of the series. Nonetheless, the Boston Bruins won in the first round.
You can see an overview of Connor Clifton’s personal and professional life on the website of NHL.
Game with the Bruins after injury
Connor Clifton then returned on April 25, just three days before his 24th birthday in Game 1. They had to compete against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round.
Clifton served Brad Marchand with a pass to set up a goal to make it 2-0 in Game 5. He then set up an outlet pass to Jake DeBrusk, who rang the puck off the post.
David Krejci followed them, burying the rebound to open the scoring. The Bruins demonstrated excellent coordination indeed.
Further, Clifton logged 18:02 of ice time, his best performance in the playoffs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final versus the Carolina Hurricanes.
He also recorded his first NHL goal in Game 2 in the same game against the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a 6–2 rout. Likewise, he had logged 16:56 of the ice time in Game 2 against Columbus earlier.
It was a double-overtime game. Clifton logged 19:28 of ice time with 19:02 of that at even-strength, topped by the Boston Bruins captain, Zdeno Chara.
Further, Marcus Johansson set Connor Clifton up for his first-ever NHL goal at the start of the second period.
Clifton had played 19 regular seasons and 10 playoff games by this time. He had scored one assist in his regular season.
However, he had already scored one goal and two assists for three points in his playoff games. He was averaging the CF% at 52 and the xGF% at 57.8, at even strength.
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Clifton registered his first NHL point with an assist on March 23, 2019, a Noel Acciari‘s goal. It was the Boston Bruins’ 7–3 victory over the Florida Panthers.
He played 19 regular-season games for the Boston Bruins in the 2018-19 season. He tallied an assist and 22 shots on goal with 17:42 of ice time per game.
Further, he appeared in 18 of the Bruins’ 24 Stanley Cup playoff games and tallied 5 points (2 goals and 3 assists) and 11 shots with 13:17 of ice time per game. Connor Clifton primarily fulfilled a third-line role for the Boston Bruins.
Check out this video to see how Connor Clifton and Nicolas Aube-Kubel drop the gloves and start to fight for a tilt in the first period between the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.
How much does Connor Clifton worth? Net Worth and Income
Connor Clifton has come a long way since following the path that he has a passion for. Because of his successful career as an ice hockey player, Clifton has garnered not just name and fame but has also been able to earn massive money.
As of 2024, Connor Clifton’s net worth is estimated to be around $1 million. Which he accrued mainly through his playing career as a professional ice hockey player in the NHL.
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Additionally, Clifton has signed a three-year contract worth $3 million extensions with the Boston Bruins. Hence, this extension will begin in the 2020-21 season and run through the 2022-23 campaign.
Well, with Connor’s performance growing and improving day by day, we can imagine how high his net worth and earnings will be in the coming years. As of now, he lives a decent life in his 20’s on his income.
Visit Connor Clifton – Wikipedia to stay updated about Connor Clifton’s life.
Connor Clifton | Career Stats
Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | SHP | GWG | OTG | S | S% | FO% |
2018-2019 | BOS | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
2019-2020 | BOS | 31 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
2020-2021 | BOS | 25 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
Career | – | 75 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 3.1 | — |
Learn more about his stats and scouting report on Mynhldraft.com.
Who is Connor Clifton Girlfriend? Personal life and Girlfriend
Connor is happily engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Amanda Thompson. Clifton and Amanda first meet during sixth-grade homeroom in 2003.
From there, they shared countless classes together, and after a couple of years of building a strong friendship, they started dating in 2009.
During their junior and senior years of high school, Clifton headed off to Michigan to prepare for his professional hockey dreams.
However, they continued to build their relationship and friendship along the way over the countless Facetimes and trips to visit.
After completing high school, they both joined Quinnipiac University and studied there. Moreover, after graduating from university, they both worked to pursue their careers, supporting each other dreams fully.
They got engaged with each other in 2020 in the middle of a pandemic after eleven years of their relationship. Not to mention, they are going to get married on August 21, 2021.
Connor Clifton | Social Media Presence:
Instagram: 18k followers
Twitter: 4,675 followers
Connor Clifton | Some FAQs:
Do Connor Clifton’s brothers play hockey?
Yes, Connor Clifton’s brothers, Tim Clifton and Corey Clifton are also hockey players.
Is Connor Clifton a free agent?
No, the athlete is not a free agent and is currently playing for the Boston Bruins.
Who is Connor Clifton’s girlfriend?
Connor Clifton recently got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Amanda Thompson. The duo looks beautiful together.