The Edmonton Oilers decided to give Connor Clattenburg an early Christmas present on Monday morning. As announced via a press release from the team, they have signed the forward to a three-year, entry level contract.

As per PuckPedia, the deal has an average annual value cap hit of $855K, which pays $775K at the NHL level and $82.5K in the minors. There is also a signing bonus of $80K for each season, and the contact will begin from next season.

Clattenburg was selected by the Oilers in the fifth round of this year’s NHL entry draft, with the 160th overall pick. In reality he’s a long shot to even make it to the NHL, but at the very least he now has some security with the organisation for the foreseeable future.

The positives

What stands out most about the 19-year-old is his size, with him standing at 6 foot 2, weighing 205 pounds and with the potential to still grow further. As his size alludes to, he is an aggressive player who has no issue with getting stuck in and testing the mental fortitude of opponents.

Aside from this, Clattenburg does also possess the invaluable trait of leadership skills, as evidenced by currently being captain of the Flint Firebirds in the OHL. It’s also worth noting he does have some intriguing speed, but how far this takes him, remains to be seen.

Clattenburg’s OHL resume to date

At the time of writing, the Arnprior, Ontario native has played 22 games this season for the Firebirds, in the process producing 18 points (10 goals and eight assists), a +1 rating and 57 penalty minutes. For his OHL career as a whole with the Firebirds and previously the Soo Greyhounds combined, he has compiled 57 points (25 goals and 32 assists), a -8 rating and 251 penalty minutes in 138 games. (He also has one goal and an assist, a -1 rating and eight penalty minutes in four playoff games for the Firebirds.)

Clattenburg saw some playing time at both the Oilers’ development and main camps during the summer. As we wrote previously, he was impressed with the organisation’s facilities, as he said: