Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Adam Clendening has found his home for the 2025-26 season, as he has signed with the Shanghai Dragons of the KHL.
Clendening spent this past season with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, where he posted five goals, 17 assists, 22 points, and a minus-13 rating in 61 games. Now, he will be joining the Dragons after their relocation.
Shanghai Dragons have signed one-year contracts with goaltender Andrei Tikhomirov, defenseman Adam Clendening and forwards Alexander Burmistrov, Vladimir Kuznetsov and Borna Rendulichttps://t.co/gK6pTpgsBE
— Shanghai Dragons (@shadragons) August 17, 2025
Clendening was acquired by the Penguins during the 2015 NHL off-season from the Vancouver Canucks in the trade that memorably also brought Nick Bonino to Pittsburgh. In nine games with Pittsburgh during the 2015-16 season, Clendening posted one assist, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-3 rating. He also played in six AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins that season, recording three assists and a plus-4 rating.
Clendening's time with the Penguins ended on Jan. 16, 2016, as he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks with David Perron for Carl Hagelin. From there, he had stops with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and Columbus Blue Jackets, with his last NHL appearance being in 2018-19. From there, he played in the AHL from 2019-20 to 2022-23 for various teams before playing overseas in each of the last two seasons. Now, after singing with the Dragons, he will be playing in his third straight season overseas.