When Connor Clattenburg made his NHL debut earlier this month, he accomplished something that no one in the Edmonton Oilers organization had done in over 20 years: he made his NHL debut in either his draft-plus-one or draft-plus-two season after being a fifth-round or later draft pick.
It is no secret that the Oilers have drafted horribly for years, rarely getting any value from the draft, aside from their highest picks. They even missed on their first-round picks far too often in the 1990s and 2000s.
In recent years, we have finally started to see a rebound in the quality of players being selected and developed through the draft. Over the past decade, late-round picks like Ethan Bear, John Marino, and Michael Kesselring have had solid careers to date. Stuart Skinner is still with the team as a third-round draft pick. And still in the system with hopes of seeing NHL time soon are Matvey Petrov, Samuel Jonsson, Nathaniel Day, and William Nicholl, among others.
But none of those late-round picks listed above have or will accomplish what Clattenburg did by making his NHL debut so quickly after being drafted.
Connor Clattenburg’s path to the NHL
When he was a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, there were few expectations for him to make an impact. His style of play does have a lower ceiling, but he also possesses qualities that NHL front offices adore. This set him up for a quick development path. Some placed his projection as a fourth-line energy forward.
But post-draft, he unlocked an offensive side to his game that hadn’t yet been seen in his OHL career. He doubled his offensive production in his final year with the Flint Firebirds. With 35 points to go along with 108 penalty minutes, one may have started to sense a modern-day power forward in the works.
Clattenburg made his pro debut with the Bakersfield Condors late last season, setting himself up well for a chance at training camp before this season. And he did nothing but impress. Fighting, quick on his feet, and even scoring some goals. He very nearly made the opening night roster.
Clattenburg did not have to wait long for his debut. Just over one month into the season, Clattenburg was called up as an injury replacement one year after being selected in the fifth round of the draft. He made an immediate impact with his energetic play, endearing himself to fans and scoring his first goal.
Although he is now injured after taking a high stick to the eye area, we can expect to see more of Clattenburg in the coming years.
Fifth round or later Edmonton Oilers draft picks who debuted in the NHL within two seasons
Who else fits this criteria in the nearly 50-year history of this franchise in the NHL? The Oilers have had 17 total players, dating right back to their first draft in the NHL when Mike Toal debuted the next season, accomplish this feat.
| Player | Draft | NHL Debut | Career Games | Career Points/Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Toal | 1979, Fifth Round (#105) | 1979–80 | 3 | 0 |
| Walt Poddubny | 1980, Fifth Round (#90) | 1981–82 | 468 | 422 |
| Andy Moog | 1980, Seventh Round (#132) | 1980–81 | 713 | 372 wins |
| Marc Habscheid | 1981, Sixth Round (#113) | 1981–82 | 345 | 163 |
| Raimo Summanen | 1982, Sixth Round (#125) | 1983–84 | 151 | 76 |
| Dean Clark | 1982, Eighth Round (#167) | 1983–84 | 1 | 0 |
| Emanuel Viveiros | 1984, Sixth Round (#106) | 1985–86 (Minnesota North Stars) | 29 | 12 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 1985, Ninth Round (#188) | 1986–87 | 1182 | 309 |
| Jim Ennis | 1986, Sixth Round (#126) | 1987–88 | 5 | 1 |
| Len Barrie | 1988, Sixth Round (#124) | 1989–90 (Pittsburgh Penguins) | 184 | 64 |
| Anatoli Semenov | 1989, Sixth Round (#120) | 1989–90 Playoffs | 362 | 194 |
| Ilya Byakin | 1993, Eleventh Round (#267) | 1993–94 | 57 | 33 |
| Jussi Markkanen | 2001, Fifth Round (#133) | 200102 | 128 | 43 |
| Kari Haakana | 2001, Eighth Round (#248) | 2002–03 | 13 | 0 |
| Ales Pisa | 2001, Ninth Round (#272) | 2001–02 | 53 | 4 |
| Mikko Luoma | 2002, Sixth Round (#181) | 2003–04 | 3 | 1 |
| Connor Clattenburg | 2024, Fifth Round (#160) | 2025–26 | 5 | 1 |
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The impact of more rounds and different draft eligibility rules
Most of the players on this list fit into one or both of these categories. Older European player in his mid-to-late 20s who is already a professional and had made a quick transition to the NHL, or drafted in a year with fewer teams and more rounds, making those fifth-round picks fall closer to the third or fourth round in today’s draft.
Someone like Anatoli Semenov was 27 when he was drafted and had already accumulated nearly a decade of experience playing with Moscow Dynamo at a high level. Or goaltender Jussi Markkanen, who was 26 and had six seasons at the highest level of hockey in Finland with the SM-liiga.
Do players in this category have lengthy careers?
Many of the players on this list did not have lengthy careers; some of them only played the handful of games they got in their debut and never played another NHL game.
Mike Toal spent the rest of his short professional career in the now-defunct Central Hockey League. Jim Ennis played his five-game stint, scored a goal, but spent the last few years of his professional time in the AHL. Dean Clark only played one professional game; his hockey career lasted a couple more seasons, which he played at the university level.
Who had the best career off of this list?
The title of the most successful off this list is a battle between Kelly Buchberger and Andy Moog.
Moog was selected in the second-ever draft the Oilers participated in and very quickly became an integral part of the crease. He split time with Grant Fuhr and was part of three Stanley Cup-winning Oilers teams. Over his 18-year career, Moog played in the playoffs 16 times. Overall, his 713 games played are 28th all-time among goaltenders.
Kelly Buchberger, on the other hand, was a beloved member of the Oilers franchise for many years after being a ninth-round draft pick in 1985. He ended up spending 12 seasons with the Oilers, playing 795 of his 1182 regular season games in Edmonton. He was also a member of two Stanley Cup-winning teams as an Oiler. Never much of a scorer, Buchberger totalled 392 points in his career. Though he did have 2297 penalty minutes instead.
A couple of other notable careers on this list are Walt Poddubny, Marc Habscheid, and Anatoli Semenov, all of whom played over 300 games in the NHL.
Poddubny was nearly a point-per-game player, with 422 points in 468 games. Though he only played four games as an Oiler. Habscheid played four seasons in Edmonton of his 11 career. While Semenov bounced around, playing for six teams in a seven-year career, but played the most in an Oilers uniform, with 116 of his 362 games as an Oiler.
Late round picks like Clattenburg are a long shot to make the NHL from the start. Even more unlikely to make their NHL debuts so quickly after being drafted. As evidenced by the over 20-year gap between instances in the Oilers organization alone. With any luck, Clattenburg will continue impressing when he returns from injury and carve out a successful career.
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