Adam Clendening
Adam Clendening | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 26, 1992 Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Playing in the NHL and KHL |
Adam Clendening (born October 26, 1992) is a professional American ice hockey defenseman who currently competes with the Shanghai Dragons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Hailing from Wheatfield, New York, he was chosen 36th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Early life
Clendening was born in Niagara Falls, New York and raised in Wheatfield. His father, Frank, was a devoted supporter of the Boston Bruins, which influenced Adam to favor them instead of the nearby Buffalo Sabres. The Clendening family maintained a friendship with the family of future NHL standout Patrick Kane, with whom Adam practiced hockey regularly. In 2004, he participated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing a team from Rochester, New York. While initially drawn to golf during his freshman year at Niagara-Wheatfield High School, he relocated to Toronto the following year to dedicate himself fully to hockey.
Junior
At age 14, Clendening moved to Canada to join the Toronto Marlboros AAA junior squad competing in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, under the guidance of former NHL player Steve Thomas. After tallying 45 points across 38 matches, he advanced to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program under-17 squad based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There, he competed in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and faced off against NCAA and international opponents. He led all junior defensemen with 49 points—including 14 goals—in 65 North American contests and accumulated a team-high 120 penalty minutes. On the international stage, he contributed 20 points over 18 games, leading his development team.
NCAA
Clendening’s impressive play attracted attention from numerous junior and collegiate programs. Though initially verbally committed to Boston College, he reconsidered after evaluating opportunities in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Despite being selected by the London Knights in 2008, he opted to join Boston University Terriers, aiming for enhanced scouting visibility at the college level. Across two seasons with Boston University, he amassed nine goals and 59 points while maintaining a +19 plus-minus rating over 77 games before departing to pursue a professional NHL career.
Chicago Blackhawks
Clendening debuted in the NHL on November 20, 2014, scoring his first goal on his very first shot against Jonas Hiller of the Calgary Flames. The majority of his tenure was spent with Chicago’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford Icehogs.
Vancouver Canucks
On January 29, 2015, Clendening was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Gustav Forsling. He participated in 17 games for Vancouver and also appeared in 11 contests with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
Pittsburgh Penguins
On July 28, 2015, Clendening was part of a trade sending him along with Nick Bonino and a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft from Vancouver to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for Brandon Sutter and a third-round pick. He secured a spot on Pittsburgh’s roster for the 2015–16 season, playing nine games with the Penguins and six with their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers
On January 16, 2016, Clendening was sent to the Anaheim Ducks along with David Perron in a trade for Carl Hagelin. However, within two weeks, he was picked up off waivers by the Edmonton Oilers, becoming his fifth team in a single year without having played a game for Anaheim. During his time with Edmonton, Clendening participated in 20 contests, tallying one goal and six points.
New York Rangers
Clendening agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with the New York Rangers on July 1, 2016. Throughout the season, he took part in 31 games and accumulated 11 points.
Arizona Coyotes and Return to Chicago
On July 1, 2017, Clendening inked a one-year, one-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes. He featured in five games during the 2017–18 campaign before being waived and reassigned to the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners, where he played 21 games.
Clendening was traded back to the Chicago Blackhawks on January 10, 2018, alongside Anthony Duclair, in exchange for Richard Pánik and Laurent Dauphin. He wrapped up the season playing for the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL.
Columbus Blue Jackets
As an unrestricted free agent, Clendening signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 1, 2018. He began the 2018–19 season on Columbus' NHL roster, appearing in four games before being sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Leading all defensemen on the Monsters with four goals and 37 points over 45 games, he earned a recall for the playoffs. Clendening made his NHL postseason debut in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, contributing an assist over seven games before Columbus was eliminated in the Conference Semifinals.
On June 25, 2019, Clendening secured a two-year contract extension worth $1.4 million with Columbus.
Philadelphia Flyers
Following three seasons within the Blue Jackets organization, Clendening signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 28, 2021, for the upcoming season.
Return to Rockford and Trade to Hartford
Clendening returned to the Rockford IceHogs by signing a one-year AHL deal on July 18, 2022, marking his third tenure with the club during the 2022–23 season. He notched three goals and totaled 24 points across 48 games, tying as the top scorer among IceHogs defensemen. After the Blackhawks traded Patrick Kane to the Rangers, Clendening was dealt at the AHL level to their affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, in exchange for Zach Jordan on February 28, 2023.
International play
Due to injuries affecting Team USA's under-18 roster at the time, Clendening was elevated from the under-17 squad to participate in the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships held in Minnesota. Over seven appearances, he contributed two assists as Team USA defeated Russia decisively by a score of 5–0 to claim an unexpected gold medal.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 26 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 39 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Boston University | HE | 39 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Boston University | HE | 38 | 4 | 29 | 33 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 AHL season | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 73 | 9 | 37 | 46 | 67 | — | — | — | ||||
| Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2013–14 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL |74 |12 |47 |59 |64 |— |— |— |— |— | |||||
|
2014–15 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL |4 |1 |1 |2 |2 |— |— |— |— |— | |||||
|
2014–15 | Utica Comets | AHL |11 |1 |4 |5 |28 |23 |3 |5 |8 |26 | |||||
|
2015–16 || Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins || AHL ||6 ||0 ||3 ||3 ||0 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||— | |||||
|
2016–17 || New York Rangers || NHL ||31 ||2 ||9 ||11 ||17 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||— | |||||
|
2017–18 || Tucson Roadrunners || AHL ||21 ||1 ||4 ||5 ||40 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||— | |||||
|
2018–19 || Columbus Blue Jackets || NHL ||4 ||0 ||0 ||0 ||0 ||7 ||0 ||1 ||1 ||2 | |||||
|
2020-21 || Cleveland Monsters || AHL ||9 ||1 ||3 ||4 ||6 ||| —||| —||| —||| —||| — |- 2021-22 ||| Lehigh Valley Phantoms ||| AHL |||74 |||5 |||37 |||42 |||78 |||| —|||| —|||| —|||| —|||| — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |
2022-23 ||| Rockford IceHogs ||| AHL |||48 |||3 |||21 |||24 |||51 |||| —|||| —|||| —|||| —|||| — |- 2022-23 ||| Hartford Wolf Pack ||| AHL |||20 |||1 |||8 |||9 |||16 |||6 |||2 |||0 |||2 |||24 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |
2023-24 ||| Ilves ||| Liiga |||40 |||8 |||20 |||28 |||41 |||5 |||0 |||3 |||3 |||10 |- 2024-25 ||| Kunlun Red Star ||| KHL |||61 |||5 |||17 |||22 |||65 |||| —|||| —|||| —|||| —|||| — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" |
NHL totals !90 !4 !20 !24 !49 !7 !0 !1 !1 !2 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Outcome | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | United States | U17 | Template:Bronze3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2009 | United States | U18 | Template:Gold1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2010 | United States | U18 | Template:Gold1 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2012 | United States | WJC | 7th place | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2021 | United States | WC | Template:Bronze3 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| Junior career totals | 26 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 18 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award title | Season/Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College Level | ||
| All-Hockey East Rookie Team | 2010–11 | |
| All-Hockey East First Team | 2011–12 | |
| AHL Level | ||
| Second All-Star Team selection | 2012–13 | |
| First All-Star Team selection | 2013–14 | |
| International Competitions | ||
| 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships All-Star Team honoree | 2010 | |
| IIHF World U18 Championships Best Plus/Minus Award | 2010 | |
| IIHF World U18 Championships Leading Defenseman in Points | 2010 | |
| IIHF World U18 Championships Top Three Player on Team recognition | 2010 | |