The San Jose Sharks announced the signing of 24-year-old undrafted free agent Tim Clifton on Monday afternoon, adding what general manager Doug Wilson called a “skilled, feisty” player to their organization.
According to the team, Clifton’s contract is a two-year deal, and that he also signed an AHL amateur tryout contract for the remainder of the season and will report to the Sharks’ AHL team.
“Tim is a skilled, feisty forward who excels in the face-off circle and we’re excited he has chosen San Jose amongst the many suitors he had,” Wilson said in a statement released by the team.
“We feel our club has a strong track record of providing an environment where undrafted free agents can prosper and make an impact at the NHL level, and we are confident that Tim has the ability to follow that mold. We also want to thank and congratulate Quinnipiac Head Coach Rand Pecknold and his staff for their hard work that has helped Tim grow and succeed as a young hockey player.”
Clifton was a four-year player at Quinnipiac and finished the 2016-17 season with 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 39 games.
That production was a bit of a drop from what he did in his junior year (19 goals, 24 assists, his best season in the NCAA) but he was still one of the team’s leading scorers this year, finishing just two points off the team lead.