Adam Clendening

Lore & Background

Clendening grew up in Wheatfield, New York, but his father Frank was a lifelong Boston Bruins fan, so Clendening supported the Bruins rather than the nearby Buffalo Sabres. His parents were friends with the parents of future NHL star Patrick Kane, and the two practiced hockey together. Clendening originally wanted to pursue golf and played on the varsity team as a freshman at Niagara-Wheatfield High School, but moved to Toronto the following year to pursue hockey. He played for the Toronto Marlboros AAA junior team, then joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where he had a breakout sophomore season leading all junior defensemen with 49 points in 65 North American games. He committed to Boston College but that arrangement fell through; he chose to attend Boston University instead. After two seasons with the Terriers, he left to pursue an NHL career.

Reader's Guide

Clendening signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 1, 2018. He began the 2018–19 season on the Blue Jackets opening night roster, appearing in 4 games before being placed on waivers and reassigned to the AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. He led the Monsters blueline in scoring with 4 goals and 37 points in 45 games, then was recalled by Columbus for playoff depth. He made his NHL playoff debut with the Blue Jackets in game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, collecting an assist in 7 games before the team was eliminated in the Conference Semifinals by the Boston Bruins. On June 25, 2019, Clendening was re-signed to a two-year, $1.4 million contract extension with Columbus. He left the organization as a free agent following his third season within the Blue Jackets organization.

Did You Know?

• Clendening scored his first NHL goal on his first shot against Jonas Hiller of the Calgary Flames.
• He was traded five times within a single year, moving from Chicago to Vancouver to Pittsburgh to Anaheim to Edmonton.
• Clendening participated in the 2004 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from Rochester, New York.
• He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships, putting up two assists in seven games.