The Helsinki Wolverines of the Finnish Maple League have announced the signing of American wide receiver Clinton Allen Jr.
Allen spent last season in Finland as well, winning the Finnish Division 1 championship with the Kotka Eagles. He led all receivers in the title game catching six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles 35-20 win over the Tampere Saints.
A 6’2″, 220-pound wideout, Allen is originally from Seattle and played at Saddleback Junior College in California before his time with the Eagles. In his only season at Saddleback, 2017, he registered 76 catches for 1,218 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Wolverines are hoping that Allen will help them improve from their fifth-place finish last season.
He made a lasting impression on Wolverines‘ head coach Michael Mattingly in 2021 when the Eagles scrimmaged Helsinki before the start of the season. Now in Helsinki, he is set to boost the Wolverines’ passing attack alongside quarterback Jabari Harris and receiver RJ Long.
Coach Mattingly was excited about adding Allen to the squad:
“Having Clinton is a huge addition to our team. He is a big wide receiver, very athletic, can stretch the field and win almost every jump ball. We knew this was very important for us because we needed to improve at the wide receiver position. After last season’s scrimmage, he stood out and continued his dominance during his season. We now have the proper mix of players at the wide receiver position and are ready for 2022.”
Allen is enthusiastic about joining the Wolverines:
“I joined the Wolverines to bring the winning culture back to Helsinki and also saw how stacked the team was, and who wouldn’t want to play for these guys! I’m really looking forward to teaming back up with my old teammate/roommate Noam (Calvache)! Also, Jabari Harris! I watched a couple games he played last year and the way he threw the ball and extended the plays was another deciding factor.”
An interesting twist for this season is that the Eagles have been promoted to the Maple League after winning their league championship last year. That means that Allen will have the chance to play against his former teammates this year.
“It’s going to be a bittersweet moment. That was the only team that believed I could still play last year so I’ll forever be grateful for that.”
