LESS IS MORE APPROACH LEADING TO RESULTS FOR CLAGUE
Seventh-year pro experiencing playoffs for the first time
May 12, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
Except for one postseason game during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Rochester Americans defenseman Kale Clague is experiencing playoff hockey for the first time in his professional career.
The veteran blueliner turns 27 next month and just completed his first playoff series since he was a 19-year-old skating for Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League.
“You could see the excitement right before we got going (in the playoffs),” said Amerks assistant coach Nathan Paetsch. “The practices that week leading up to Game 1, he was bouncing all over the place and scoring goals left and right. You practice like you play. Right now, Clague’s got a lot of swagger.”
The Amerks are third-round bound after a North Division Semifinal sweep of Syracuse. Clague, playing in his seventh professional season, dominated on the ice in all three Amerks wins. The defenseman leads Rochester in postseason scoring with five points, scoring a goal in each of the three games against the Crunch to go along with his two assists.
All three of his goals on Syracuse goaltender Brandon Halverson came from roughly the same spot (left point) at the same time (early in the third period).
“He’s scored from that spot all season, but don’t tell Laval,” joked Paetsch. “He practices it. It’s an effective shot because of the area that it comes from. It’s screened but it’s not in your shot lane yet because of where it develops. He finds that lane a little close to the wall, but it hits the spot a lot.”
“Once a couple of those go in you start to believe you can score on any shot,” said Clague. “You just get amped for it. It’s why we play all year. I’ve just been playing regular season games and going home the last six years. They’re long summers. This is such an exciting time for our whole team.”
Entering the playoffs, Clague skated in 348 pro games, including 94 in the National Hockey League. The Regina, Saskatchewan native was taken in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft by Los Angeles. Following the draft, Clague had appeared in consecutive WHL Playoff runs, including winning the league title with Brandon in 2017 as one of the team’s alternate captains.
In 2018, he represented Team Canada and captured gold with his countrymen at the World Junior Championships. He had experienced postseason success and success in tournament play. The gifted prospect couldn’t have forecasted he’d go this long in between playoff appearances.
“The last few years I just kept finishing in the NHL with non-playoff teams and my first couple of years pro, I was in Ontario and we weren’t having much success on the ice. You always want to play in the playoffs.”
A lot has changed since the last time Clague was in the playoffs.
In 2018, he was labeled as a young, budding prospect playing major junior. Hockey was all-encompassing as it tends to be for players of Clague’s caliber at that age. Now, some things are more important than the sport.
Clague was a hockey player in 2018 and he is a hockey player in 2025, but there are two additional titles the defenseman now takes ownership of: being a husband and being a father. Those responsibilities have helped Clague, with his 2024-25 season being the best of his career yet, as he led Rochester’s back end in goals with 10 and posted a career best-39 points.
“I don’t think there’s been as many downs this year just because you go home and hockey’s kind of a second thought now. It used to be consuming, especially when things weren’t going well. I think in turn it’s helped me perform better now that I have to put my focus and energy into my family. I just don’t think about the game as much. I don’t bring it home with me as much.”
Clague began his career in the 2019-20 season. Looking in a mirror at the 2019 version of himself compared to now feels like a completely different person.
“It feels 100% different. Defensively, it’s not even close to what it was. Coming out of junior, I felt like my skating ability sort of let me do whatever I wanted, but I learned quickly that it wasn’t going to work in pro. I think my all-around game has changed a lot. I’m not as flashy now. I used to try some crazy s***.”
Clague’s on-ice performance can be attributed to his stats as touted earlier, but Amerks head coach Michael Leone also believes that success on the offensive side of his game can come through what he does without the puck.
“It starts with his decision-making skills,” said Leone. “He does such a good job getting out of our own zone and playing fast. I don’t want the defense taking the puck back and stickhandling in our own zone. It’s either a wrap up the boards or wheeling from behind the net. He does that really well and he is doing a good job at managing his game. He’s defending really well and he knows when’s the right time to jump up in the play and pinch and playing connected with your partner so you’re not giving up chances. You can take away the points. It’s great that he has them, but he’s a defenseman. You’ve got to defend first. That’s always been my mentality. He’s doing a great job away from the puck.”
“There are certain players that when the pressure’s on, they start gripping their sticks a little tighter and they worry about making mistakes. That’s one thing I really appreciate about Clague is he has a unique skill of being very calm. He’s not worried and he doesn’t beat himself up if he makes mistakes. If you want to win rounds, you’re going to need different guys to score at different times and it just so happens that Clague was that for us this past round. We’re going to need him again for this next series against Laval coming up.”
The Amerks are back in the North Division Finals for the third time in four seasons. In 2023, they breezed by Toronto. They finished six wins from lifting a Calder Cup. It has been 29 years since that iconic piece of hardware was presented to the red, white, and blue. They now need 11 wins to reach the summit.
“This is the best team I’ve been on as a pro,” said Clague. “I feel like I’ve won a lot in my lifetime, just not over the past seven years. We have the skill and the talent. We have the guys to do it. Laval’s going to be a huge test, but we can beat them. Then, we can go on and beat whoever is next. We just have to want it bad enough and I know we do.”
