Connor McClennon // Scouting Report #11

Height: 5’8”

Weight: 157lbs.

D.O.B.: 6/25/02

Stats: 21 Goals, 28 Assists, 49 Points, 42 games played 

Team: Winnipeg Ice, WHL

Position: Right Wing

Blue line to Blue line time: 1.6

Most outstanding stat: 14.48 SH%

Letter, (A-F)=Consistency, A is most consistent 

Number, (1-5)=tier of talent, 1 being highest 

Rank:

• 80th by EliteProspects.com

• 112th by Future Considerations 

• 121st by McKeens Hockey 

• 65th by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)

• 58th by Dr. Tee Scouting

Scouting report:

 What’s up guys? And for my 11th scouting report of the 2020 season I have one of the most underrated prospects in my opinion Connor McClennon. He’s only 5’8” but let me tell ya, he packs a real punch, and when you see him play you, “how is this guy ranked in the hundreds of most of the main ranking sites?” So let’s dive right into probably one of the most tricky, and controversial players in this year's draft, and what he’s really good, and bad at.

Move - 2A

 Let’s just say that this may be one of the most tricky areas of McClennon’s game to evaluate. 

 I personally think that him and Thomas Bordeleau of the USNTDP are the most underrated skaters in this year's draft. He’s very mobile, and probably one of the most in this draft if I have to be honest. He can just be so smooth, and quick combined which makes him very dangerous in all situations when the puck is on his stick. He has good lateral mobility too, he can make quick fakes with his shoulders, and head, but that all comes down to his great hip movement, which again is a testament to his insane overall mobility. That slides a little into his agility as well, but that’s really when he’s having a good, smooth game, where he’s almost always in control...and let me tell you, that happens a lot! He is nifty in tight spaces, and can protect the puck, and spin off checks, although his stickhandling can sometimes cover up the bad things in his skating, when you’re getting good Connor McClennon you’re getting someone that is insanely good at hockey. He’s fast in a straight line, but when he has to transfer that into him going east to west, he usually prefers to do it in big, long crossovers, which is a great skill to have, you can really call it acceleration which, for him is really good, but when it comes to transitioning his speed into tight turns, and in tight areas, he can sometimes fall apart, and that’s something that he can improve on, but if he can learn how to do that like I said, in tighter spaces, he’ll be border line unstoppable with his skating, and hands combined. He is pretty explosive, not anything super special, but still very good for a player like him.

Dangle - 1B

 McClennon has some really insane hands, and I know that I may say that a little more than I can back up, but when I say that here, I mean top 5 hands in this year's draft.

 He’s extremely nifty in tight areas, and in open areas around the ice. He plays a quick, dangling game, with a great toolbox to go with it. His stickhandling allows him to find open areas around the ice, and to create time and space for himself. There’s no better way to describe Connor McClennon then shifty. He plays very well when the puck is on his stick, and his raw talent really pushed him forward, and a lot. There’s really no need for refining though in his stickhandling unless you want to do what the Edmonton Oilers did with Jesse Pulijarvi but with Connor McClennon. If you change his game, you’re preventing your team from having a potential franchise right winger if you give him to develop his game. When you combine this with his great mobility, and acceleration you find a player that can work in multiple situations, in multiple different areas of the ice. He has outstanding fakes, which is a skill that most really good stickhandler need to have. He has great puck control just like Dawson Mercer, just maybe not at that same level quite yet. He can keep and get the puck on his stick very well and very creatively. I wouldn’t call him a player that you would call to draft for his way with the puck not without it, but this is by far one of the best benefits of drafting McClennon. He’s quick, shifty, and thinks outside of the box more than just once every few games. This is a player that given time to develop in the WHL will see tremendous potential as a future puck moving winger.

This is a picture of Alberta native Connor McClennon celebrating a goal during a 2019-20 WHL season game at the Wayne Fleming arena, or Max Bell centre in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Snipe - 1B

 Similar to his stickhandling, McClennon thrives in this aspect of his game deeply. I see no reason at all why his shot alone can’t propel him to a 2nd round pick in this year’s draft, where I have him ranked.

 The only word that you have to say when describing Connor McClennon’s shot, and offensive game as a whole is Cole Caufield. Very similar to Caufield, McClennon is an undersized easy-to-get-attached-to player. He can get his shot off in many ways, including shooting hard angles, one timers, carraling wild passes, and shooting from his wheelhouse right on top of the right faceoff circle. He has a dagger of a wrist shot. He can freeze goalies in their crease with his wicked quick release, and even better accuracy. Sometimes I see him shooting from just inside the blue line and I’m like “what?” But you need to know that when there’s an undersized player, that has as good of a shot as McClennon’s does he can easily put the puck in the net. And guess what, 9 times out of 10 that was the case. His stickhandling often factors in more times than not when you have a quick release like tha. He can get through tight areas around the ice, and maneuver through traffic very well, with control of the puck I may say, and can easily find the back of the net in a jiffy. The skill that he has to get the puck on net, either setting up a teammate or shooting for a goal is one that is very beneficial to have when you're 5’8” 157 pounds playing in a league where most defenders are at least 6’2”. When you’re 5’8'' there's bound to be a little bit of a weaker shot involved in their play a lot, which is sometimes the case for McClennon, but for his size at least his shot is above average-ly hard.

Defensive mindset - 1C

 McClennon is a classic case of, “I’m good defensively, I’m just one of the smallest players in my draft class.”

 Connor McClennon is a great two way, undersized player really. His size can be an issue which led to him getting a C instead of a B, but take it if he was 5’11”, maybe even 5’10”. Would people think that he stunk in the defensive zone then? Probably not, so if he can get either a little taller maybe as a late bloomer, or just a little stronger on his feet even, I mean he could be a great two way winger which are very hard to come by in today's modern game. Connor McClennon is also used pretty consistently on the penalty kill for the Winnipeg Ice, and while doing that has that extra gear to go from defensive to you wish I was a defensive player. He can generate offense from his own zone, break up passing, and shooting lanes, as well as pick them off. If he sees a defender sleeping on a breakout or not skating he’s quick enough to easily correct them. He provides essential back pressure to Winnipeg’s defensive end, and was a key factor into why they didn’t give up more than the 207 they did especially playing some of the best teams in the CHL including the Brandin Wheat Kings, Prince Albert Raiders, and Saskatoon Blades. Connor McClennon also is a very quick thinker, that plays a very smart positional game against bigger, and more experienced opponents. This also allows him to play very well against the transition game, and to provide well needed back pressure in the defensive end. If he can get stronger on his feet like I said since he can sometimes get pushed around a little too much even though I do think that he’s a player that is very willing to get into tight, and dirty areas along the boards to create a turnover or keep the puck out of the net. Overall though McClennon does have the potential to be a great two way player down the road.

Overall - 1C

 Overall McClennon’s size really does hold him back. He is consistent in all three zones of the ice, has good skating, great stickhandling, and shot, and an even better defensive game to back it up. He is going to be definitely one of the biggest steals of the draft this year. He’s fun to watch, and moving forward will only improve.

• Dangling, shifty, two way winger

Player Comparison: Clayton Keller/Alex DeBrincat

 I was really stuck between these two players because they both fit him very well. McClennon resembles the skating of DeBrincat, although McClennon is very fast in a straight line like Keller is. He has the stickhandling, and moves of Keller as well, but definitely the overall shot of DeBrincat. There are three very smart players, that are undersized, and still play a good defensive game, at least positionally, and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. I see McClennon being at least a talented 2nd line winger in the NHL similar to these two, that can really set the tone of the game with their dual threat ability.

More reports: last word on hockey, https://lastwordonhockey.com/2020/05/25/connor-mcclennon-scouting-report/