BOSTON - Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, May 3, that the team has signed defenseman Connor Clifton to a two-year NHL contract with an annual cap hit of $725,000.

Clifton played in 54 games with the Providence Bruins in 2017-18, tallying four goals and nine assists for 13 points with 35 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating. The 23-year-old rookie blueliner ranked fifth on the team in plus/minus and third among the team's defensemen in scoring.

Prior to signing with Providence, Clifton played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Quinnipiac University from 2013-17. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder served as the team's captain as a senior in 2016-17, totaling seven goals and seven assists for 14 points with 82 penalty minutes. He established career highs in all offensive categories as a junior in 2015-16, recording seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points with a plus-20 rating. In his four-year career, Clifton appeared in 156 NCAA games, posting 19 goals and 37 assists for 56 points with 284 penalty minutes and a plus-39 rating.