EDMONTON — Well, at least this loss didn’t sting as much as the last one.
The last time the Edmonton Oilers hit the ice, five days short of three months ago, they watched the Florida Panthers parade the Stanley Cup around the rink in Sunrise. This time, in a rookie clash against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place, the result was similar — if not so meaningful.
The Flames’ newbies fought off a late charge by Edmonton’s freshmen to win 6-5 in a game that featured a couple of scraps, cheered on by a smattering of people who chose September hockey over the Morgan Wallen concert that packed Commonwealth Stadium Friday night. The Flames were the better team by some margin over the course of the game, something Edmonton will hope to correct when the two teams reconvene in Calgary for a game on Sunday.
Calgary had goals by Hunter Laing, Nathan Brisson, Sam Honzek, Aydar Suniev, Matvei Gridin and Parker Bell. Viliami Marjala, St. Albert product Matthew Savoie with two, Connor Clattenburg and Quinn Hutson answered for the Oilers.
When you look up Connor Clattenburg’s HockeyDB profile, there he is — staring back at you with a big ol’ black eye.
It’s fitting for a player who has identified that his ability and willingness to drop the mitts now and again — in a hockey world where that is becoming increasingly rare — makes him a more valuable prospect.
“It’s a little advantage for me that it’s a dying breed,” he said of hockey players who are still willing to tussle. “I like to do it, and I’ll do it for anyone on the team. So I think that could maybe take me to the next level.”
Clattenburg had a first-period fight with six-foot-five Flames defenceman Axel Hurtig, and then took on six-foot-six Maceo Phillips in Period 3. Then he scored a goal when he found himself in alone later in the third, making the Oilers’ assistant captain their most noticeable player on this night.
Neither fight was decisive either way, but there is a lot of try in this Clattenburg kid, who is six-foot-four and has a ton of personality.
The Oilers’ farm system may not have a ton of players ready to help the NHL team right away. But with guys like Clattenburg (20), defenceman Beau Akey (20) and goalie Samuel Jonsson (21) all making the turn to pro this season, there’s hope for down the road.
In his final OHL season with Flint, Clattenburg led his team in penalty minutes (108), while chipping in 16 goals and 35 points. He was one of just 11 players to scale 100 PIMs, a feat he’s kind of proud of.
“I always want to do it for the teammates. If something bad happens, I’ll step in there just to get the team going,” said the Ottawa native. “It’s all mental, you know? Toughness is all in the head. Anyone can really do it. You’ve just gotta be mentally tough.”
It’s part of his ticket to find his way to an NHL career.
“One hundred per cent,” he said. “If you can really add that to your game, it’s definitely an advantage. Every team needs a guy like that. Just play hard, play the right way, and if you can add that to your game too, it definitely takes it to the next level for some guys. It is a ticket. I think.”
When goaltender Samuel Jonsson was invited to mind the Oilers’ nets at captain’s skates last week, he couldn’t believe it.
One minute, he’s practising with Bofors IK in Sweden’s second-highest league. The next, he’s staring down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in a rink where they played the Stanley Cup Final last spring.
“That was cool, really cool to get out there with those guys — like, the best players in the world,” said the six-foot-three Swede. “It’s special, but it was super fun. I enjoyed it every moment.”
Who did he call after practice?
“My Mom and Dad. They were super excited too, so it was fun to tell them.”
Jonsson has played pro in Sweden, but now comes to North America to further his hockey journey. We could see him getting the lion’s share of the games at ECHL Fort Wayne.
A 21-year-old goalie is likely three seasons away from being an NHLer, but the well-spoken Jonsson is ready to take the next step.
“I’ve got another year in the books playing pro over in Sweden, and I think I had a pretty good year too (1.88 goals-against average, .922 save percentage). So I’m coming in here with a lot of confidence.”
Jonsson played the opening 46:05 on Friday, and was under siege after about the 10-minutre mark of the game. Shots on net were not made available.
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