Quick Facts
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Grant Clitsome (born April 14, 1985) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2008 to 2016.
Playing career
Clitsome was drafted in the ninth round, 271st overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He then committed to a four-year collegiate career with Clarkson University of the ECAC.
Clitsome made his NHL debut on March 2, 2010, providing two assists for the Blue Jackets and winning the game's third star in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks while on emergency call-up. His first NHL goal was scored on March 27, 2010 against Dwayne Roloson of the New York Islanders. On July 22, 2010, Grant re-signed as a restricted free agent with the Blue Jackets to a one-year contract.
On February 27, 2012, Clitsome was claimed off waivers by the Winnipeg Jets and later signed a three-year contract extension with the team on January 2, 2013. A serious injury in 2014 forced Clitsome to undergo back surgery in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 8, 2015. Clitsome did not play again following the surgery, missing the remainder of the 2014-15 season and the entire 2015-16 season. He announced his retirement from professional hockey on June 1, 2016.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Nepean Raiders | CJHL | 55 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 67 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Clarkson University | ECAC | 39 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Clarkson University | ECAC | 34 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Clarkson University | ECAC | 38 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Clarkson University | ECAC | 39 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 73 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 64 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 32 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 31 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 51 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 44 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 32 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 24 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 205 | 15 | 56 | 71 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CJHL 2nd team All-star | 2004 | |
| National Junior A Championship - Most Sportsmanlike Player | 2004 | |
| All-ECAC Hockey First Team | 2008 | |
| ECAC Hockey All Academic Team | 2008 | |
| NCAA East Regional Team | 2008 | |
| AHCA East Second-Team All-American | 2007-08 |