Last season in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Connor Clifton emerged as a pleasant surprise on the Bruins defense. A former fifth-round draft pick from 2013 by the Arizona Coyotes, nobody expected Clifton to emerge on the Bruins blue line around this time last season. Now, he is under contract for minimum money until 2023.
Yet, the 24-year-old right-shot defenseman has worked his way out to be a highly reliable third-pair rearguard for his team. So far this season, Clifton has appeared in 21 games, recording two goals, one of those came in his home state New Jersey last week.