Of all the players in Oilers rookie camp, none have a bigger cheering section in Edmonton than Connor Clattenburg.

Going all the way back to Kevin McClelland and Kelly Buchberger, Edmonton loves its tough guys — play hard, play rough, battle every shift, and you’re golden.

That’s why it took Clattenburg all of about a week to endear himself to the blue-collar masses here.

In the second game of his NHL career last November, on a night when the Oilers were a lifeless mess, he was their most impactful player. Just 20 years old at the time, he laid out Dallas Stars at every opportunity (a team-leading seven hits when the rest of the Oilers combined for 15) and scored his first career goal.

Next game, Clattenburg dropped the gloves for his first NHL fight.

And that was it. Instant cult hero.

Now, Clattenburg has a long way to go before he can be mentioned in the same sentence as Buchberger or McLelland, but he’s in there swinging.

Literally.

As a rookie in the AHL last season, he was fearless. Nine fights and 131 penalty minutes. In just 32 games. So much for a young kid easing his way into professional hockey.

“I probably didn’t expect to get that many penalty minutes but it all kind of just happened,” the six-foot-two, 205-pound winger said after a rookie camp skate at Rogers Place.

“You’re used to playing against younger guys (in Junior) and the (AHL) is a guy who are a lot bigger, a lot stronger, a lot of tough guys, too. But it’s something you have to adjust to. It’s just something that I love to do. It’s something I don’t shy away from.

“I’m just a young kid and wanted to prove what I could do and put my name out there and kind of let the league know that I’m coming. Maybe this year will be a little less in the penalty box, hopefully, but I just wanted to put myself out there and let everyone know.”

They know. He wasn’t in Edmonton very long before he had people on the edge of their seats, and opponents making darn sure they kept their heads up, whenever he was on the ice.

Unfortunately, Clattenburg’s first season was a shooting star — just five NHL games before he got clipped near the eye with a stick and had to miss nearly a month. Shortly after his return from the eye injury, Clattenburg broke his finger down in Bakersfield, needed surgery, and had to sit out another two months.

The momentum was gone. But he’s not forgotten. Mention the name and ears perk up, with good reason. There is nobody in the Oilers organization who brings it like Clattenburg does. While one-dimensional fighters are a dying, if not dead, breed, there is always room for somebody who plays the game hard and backs it up.

Opponents hate guys like that, which is why fans love them.

If Clattenburg can stay healthy and round out his game, he can absolutely carve out a spot for himself, even if it’s not as an everyday player. Somebody who can light a fire under a hockey game is exactly what the Oilers have needed for a long time.

But the staying healthy part has been the challenge. After the eye and hand injuries, Clattenburg hurt his ankle at Oilers development camp this summer and had to wait out another setback. He’s still in a non-contact jersey in rookie camp, which is kind of like putting Connor McDavid in a non-scoring sweater.

“It’s been kind of a tough summer, dealing with some things, some rehab problems and injury stuff,” he said. “I’m already starting to feel a little better, I’m kind of right around the corner from being 100 per cent.”

That’s good news for anyone who likes to see hockey played with a little anger. The Oilers are stocked full of hopefuls in their bottom six this year, which doesn’t bode well for Clattenburg’s chances out of camp, but he’s coming.

“There are a lot of guys and everyone is pushing for a spot,” they said. “Everyone wants to help the team where they can. If they’re going to take me I’m just going to keep doing that. If not, I’ll keep working on my game and when the opportunity comes I’ll jump on it for sure.

“It was an awesome experience being up here (last year) and seeing what the life is like. I feed off the fans and the energy around the city — it’s something I want to play in front of every night, just do what I do in front of these fans, do what I can for this team.”

How does he get here? It won’t be by fighting. In a Stanley Cup window, depth guys have to be multi-dimensional as well as tough. So that’s where the focus is now.

“I just have to keep working on the little details, get in better shape, be able to play more minutes. The way I play is pretty demanding, so you want to be in top shape for that to be able to play a full game.

“And staying healthy. That’s probably the most important thing I have to focus on.”

E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com

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