“I want to improve every day”

The expectations at Brynäs are also extremely high. “The fans, but also the club, want an immediate return to the SHL. If the fans have their way, we should win every game and become champions. The club's leadership also wants to get promoted, but they know that there will be no breakthrough. It’s no secret that we are among the favorites,” assures Clara, for whom Södertälje, Djurgardens, Björklöven and AIK Stockholm are among the worst opponents. The 18-year-old will probably not be between the posts for the season opener against AIK, but will have to give way to the 35-year-old Swede Anders Lindbäck, who has played 135 NHL games, among other things. “It would surprise me if I were looking after the goal on Friday,” says the 2-meter giant, as usual modestly. “We have a great team with a good mix of young and older players.” Damian Clara Clara has developed an excellent relationship with Lindbäck. “He’s about the same height as me, but he has a different style of play. He's a cool guy who gives his all in every training session. “Lindbäck is certainly one of the best goalies in the league and he gives me a lot of valuable tips,” enthuses the Italian national goalkeeper. And the goalkeeper coach has also made a very good impression so far: “Anthon Hansson is only 31 years old, but he has a lot of experience. He is very flexible and has recently become the goalkeeper coach of the Swedish national team.” Clara lives a 5-minute walk from the arena Clara has settled in very well in the city of Gävle, which has a population of almost 80.000 and is almost 200 kilometers south of Stockholm. "It like it very much. The city is small, but nice and quite cozy. It reminds me of Karlstad, where I lived last season. I live about a 5-minute walk from the arena and it takes me 10 minutes to cycle to the city center,” explains the South Tyrolean. Clara has not only settled in well with his surroundings, but also with the new team. “We have a great team with a good mix of young and older players. The climate is very good, which is why I always enjoy going to training and games. It's completely different than last year with the juniors. The work here is at the highest level. “The difference to the SHL isn’t particularly big,” says the Reischacher, who chose jersey number 20. “It’s completely different than last year with the juniors.” Damian Clara Clara is one of 3 players drafted in this year's NHL draft, alongside the two Swedes Theo Lindstein and Noel Nordh, who are the same age. With the two 21-year-olds Anton Johannesson and Oliver Tärnström, two more drafted Swedes are in coach Niklas Gällstedt's squad, who can count on the services of 2 foreigners. In addition to Lindbäck, the stars in the team are captain Johan Larsson, Anton Rödin and the Latvian Miks Indrasis. Brynäs played 5 preseason games. All took place away from the “Monitor ERP Arena”, which was built in 2006 and has a capacity of 8292 spectators. Clara received the trust of his coach twice, but could not prevent the two defeats against league rivals Almtuna (2:3) and Karlskoga (5:5 nP). Even with Lindbäck in goal there was a defeat (6:3 against Djurgardens), but also two wins (4:2 against Karlskoga and 7:2 against Södertälje with ex-Puster player Tomas Sholl). Both capital city clubs play in the Allsvenskan 14 teams are taking part in the Alssvenskan this season. The main game days are Wednesday and Friday. Occasionally there is also play on Sundays. With AIK and Djurgardens IF, both clubs from the capital are involved in the second highest division. This is very important in Sweden. Also on television. This spring, the Allsvenskan final between Modo and Djurgadens had higher ratings than the SHL final between Växjö and Skelleftea. In addition to advancement, Clara also has personal goals: “I want to improve every day. My development is the focus. When it comes to playing time, I don't have too many expectations. But when I play, I will give it my all.”

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Hockey

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

“I want to improve every day”

Suggestions

Comments (0)