Adam Clendening (born October 26, 1992) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

who currently plays for the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL). Clendening was raised in

Wheatfield, New York Wheatfield is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 18,117 at the 2010 census. The name stems from the agricultural use of the town lands, the growing of wheat. The Town of Wheatfield is east of Niagara Falls Inte ...

. He was selected 36th overall by the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

in the

2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...

Early life

Clendening was born on October 26, 1992, in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

. He grew up in

, but his father Frank was a lifelong fan of the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL), and Clendening grew up supporting the Bruins rather than the nearby

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

. His parents were also friends with the parents of future NHL star

Patrick Kane Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks selected him with the first overall pick ...

, and the two would practice playing

together. In 2004, Clendening participated in the

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with a team from

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. When he enrolled at

Niagara-Wheatfield High School Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District is a public school district in New York State located in the Town of Lewiston, New York, about from Niagara Falls, New York. The District serves students from the towns of Niagara and Wheatfield. Adm ...

, Clendening originally wanted to pursue

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

, playing on the

varsity team In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams. Varsity in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...

as a freshman. The following year, however, he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

to pursue hockey.

Playing career

Junior

After securing the permission of his mother Ann, Clendening moved to Canada at the age of 14 to play for the

Toronto Marlboros The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...

AAA

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team of the

Greater Toronto Hockey League The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), formerly known as the Metro Toronto Hockey League, is a minor level ice hockey organization based in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario. The league was founded in 1911 as the Beaches Hockey League by ...

, where he was coached by NHL alum Steve Thomas. After he put up 45

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

in 38 games with Toronto, the

USA Hockey National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program: under-17 and under- ...

selected Clendening for their under-17 team based in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

. With the development program, Clendening not only competed in the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

(NAHL), but would play against

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

and

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

teams, as well as international squads. He had a breakout sophomore season with USA Hockey, leading all junior

defensemen Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

with 49 points (including 14

goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

in 65 North American games, while also leading his team with 120

penalty minutes A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penaltie ...

. His 20 points in 18 international games also led the development team.

NCAA

His performance with the USA development team made Clendening a valuable recruit, who was sought after both by junior teams and by college programs. He originally made a verbal commitment to play for

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

, but that arrangement fell through when Clendening continued to pursue his options in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

(OHL). The

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their cu ...

selected Clendening in the 2008 OHL Draft, but Clendening chose to attend

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

and play for the

Terriers Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary gr ...

after assessing that

scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

were looking more intently at college players than junior hockey skaters. After two seasons with the Terriers, posting nine goals and 59 points for a combined +19 in 77 games, Clendening chose to leave the program in favor of pursuing an NHL career.

Professional

Chicago Blackhawks

Clendening made his NHL debut on November 20, 2014 and scored his first NHL goal on his first shot against

Jonas Hiller Jonas Hiller (born 12 February 1982) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey goaltender. Hiller played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks, the latter with which he began his NHL career with in 2007 ...

of the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. Clendening spent the majority of his time with the club with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the

Rockford Icehogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

Vancouver Canucks

On January 29, 2015, the Blackhawks traded Clendening to the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

in exchange for

Gustav Forsling Gustav Forsling (born 12 June 1996) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Forsling was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round (126th overall) of the 2014 NHL E ...

. Clendening finished out the season appearing in 17 games for the Canucks, as well as 11 games for the

Utica Comets The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated wit ...

Pittsburgh Penguins

On July 28, 2015, Clendening, along with

Nick Bonino Nicholas Lawrence Bonino (born April 20, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey center and an alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsbu ...

and a 2nd-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft were traded from the Canucks to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

in exchange for

Brandon Sutter Brandon Sutter (born February 14, 1989) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Junior Sutt ...

and a 3rd-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Clendening made the Penguins roster to open the 2015–16 season, and would appear in 9 games for the club, as well as 6 for the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre ...

Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers

On January 16, 2016, Clendening was included in yet another trade, being sent to the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

alongside

David Perron David Perron (born May 28, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Perron played his junior hockey for the Lewiston Maineiacs of the ...

in exchange for

Carl Hagelin Carl Oliver Hagelin (born 23 August 1988) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hagelin was drafted by the New York Rangers in the sixth round, 168th overall, of the 2007 NHL ...

. However, Clendening's time with the Ducks was short-lived, as he was claimed off waivers by the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

two weeks later on January 27. This marked the fifth organization Clendening would join within the year, though he never actually played a game whilst with the Ducks. Clendening skated in 20 games for the Oilers, recording 1 goal and 6 points.

New York Rangers

On July 1, 2016, Clendening signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

. Clendening appeared in 31 games for the Rangers, scoring 11 points.

Arizona Coyotes and return to Chicago

On July 1, 2017, Clendening signed a one-year, one-way contract as a free agent with the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

. Having made the Coyotes opening night roster for the 2017–18 season, Clendening only appeared in 5 games for the team before he was placed on waivers and reassigned to play 21 games for the

Tucson Roadrunners The Tucson Roadrunners are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play for the 2016–17 season. Based in Tucson, Arizona, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes, the team plays i ...

of the AHL. On January 10, 2018, Clendening, alongside

Anthony Duclair Anthony Duclair (born August 26, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Duclair was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round, 80th overall, ...

was traded to the Blackhawks in exchange for

Richard Pánik Richard Pánik (; born 7 February 1991) is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger who is a free agent. Pánik was drafted in the second round, 52nd overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing career Junior ...

and

Laurent Dauphin Laurent Dauphin (born March 27, 1995) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward currently playing for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 39th overall by the Coyotes in the ...

, returning to Chicago for a second stint. He was immediately assigned to play out the remainder of the season with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.

Columbus Blue Jackets

As a free agent from the Blackhawks, Clendening left to sign 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, featuring in 4 games before he was placed on waivers and reassigned to AHL affiliate, the

Cleveland Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

. Leading the Monsters blueline in scoring, Clendening posted 4 goals and 37 points in 45 games, before he was recalled by Columbus to add depth for the playoffs. He made his NHL playoff debut with the Blue Jackets, appearing in game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. He went on to collect an assist in 7 games before ending his season in the Conference Semifinals to the

. On June 25, 2019, Clendening was re-signed to a two-year $1.4 million contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Philadelphia Flyers

Following his third season within the Blue Jackets organization, Clendening left as a free agent and secured a one-year, two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers for the season on July 28, 2021.

Return to Rockford

On July 18, 2022, Clendening signed a one-year AHL contract to return to the IceHogs for the

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

season, his third stint with the club.

International play

After a number of injuries hamstrung Team USA's under-18 roster, Clendening was called up from the under-17 team for the

2009 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships were held in Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. The championships ran from April 9 to April 19, 2009. Games were played at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo and the Moorhead Sports Cen ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He appeared in seven championship games, putting up two assists as Team USA defeated

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

5–0 to win a

dark horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

gold medal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clendening, Adam 1992 births Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Arizona Coyotes players Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Chicago Blackhawks players Cleveland Monsters players Columbus Blue Jackets players Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Lehigh Valley Phantoms players New York Rangers players People from Niagara County, New York Pittsburgh Penguins players Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Tucson Roadrunners players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Utica Comets players Vancouver Canucks players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players