A South Tyrolean wants to get into the NHL via Sweden

Clara is visiting Örebrö at the start of the Swedish SuperElit U20 with his club Färjestad BK, which is based in Karlstad. “I came to Sweden on July 31st after spending three weeks at home in the Pustertal, where I trained with Renè Baur and Tommy Purdeller and also went on the ice in Vipiteno,” says Clara.

The talented goalkeeper moved to Salzburg at the age of 14. There he attended the Red Bull Hockey Academy and the classic high school from autumn 2019. “At the beginning of this year I was contacted by those responsible at Färjestad. The goalkeeper coaches there Maciej Szwoch from the first team and Daniel Hansen from the U1 team asked the Salzburg goalkeeper coaches Markus Kerschbaumer and Magnus Helin about me. In March I stayed in Karlstad for a few days. Then everything happened very quickly,” remembers the Puster native. “I don’t miss anything here.” Damian Clara Clara was supported wherever possible in the negotiations by his agent Patrick Pilloni, who has excellent contacts in Sweden and a good relationship with Szwoch and Färjestad's general manager Rickard Wallin. “I signed a junior contract with a clause for the first team and was given an apartment by the club where I live alone. I also receive the equipment and can eat in a restaurant for free. That’s why I don’t miss anything,” assures the young hopeful. Clara is number 3 in the fighting team In mid-August, Clara played in the Super Challenge Cup with Italy's U20 team in Karlstad. “The personal highlight for me was the game against my teammates from Färjestad, which we unfortunately lost 2-4. We also lost against EV Zug, France and Slovenia, but in the end we won the game for 7th place against Servette Geneva 6-2,” says the goalie, who was missing against France because he was with the Färjestad team, which was in is the defending champion in the SHL next season. There he is the third goalkeeper behind the Canadian Matt Tomkins and the Swede Dennis Hildeby, who is on loan from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In preparation, Damian Clara was between the posts for the U20 game between Färjestad and Västeras.

During preparation, Clara sat on the bench in the games against Leksand and Malmö. “I completed a few training sessions with the combat team. It's impressive how hard and precise my teammates' shots are. The intensity is extremely high. “It was an indescribable feeling for me the first time I stood on the ice with club legends Linus Johansson, Joakim Nygard and Per Aslund,” Clara enthuses.

At 20, the South Tyrolean is the youngest of the three goalies in the ten-time Swedish champion's U17 team, but he often received the trust of Finnish head coach Niklas Fogström during preparation. “I'm fighting for number 3 against Emil Sveningsson, who is a year older than me, and 19-year-old Vilgot Holm, who is out until Christmas due to hip surgery. The aim is to become a stable goalkeeper and reliable support who can make the difference “, explains the youngster. All 5 goalkeepers are taller than 1,90 meters At 1,99 meters, Clara is the tallest goalie in the Färjestad team. Sveningsson (1,95 meters) and Holm (1,91) are only slightly smaller. And the two goalkeepers of the first team also scratch the 1-meter mark: Hildeby measures 2 meters, Tomkins 1,97 meters. “I think it's pure coincidence that all five of us are taller than 1,91 meters, although Szwoch has also preferred tall goalkeepers in the past. These cover a lot of the housing, but they have to be able to skate well and have good positioning skills. But the most important thing is mobility,” reveals the “giant”.

Clara wants to go high in Sweden.

His goal is to complete high school in Austria with the Matura: “Here in Sweden, I have to work through each individual subject independently and then take the exams on site in Salzburg. Mathematics is not my thing, but luckily I hardly have any problems." “In Sweden I had to get used to the long days.” Damian Clara Clara has settled in well in Karlstad: “It is a quiet town with around 70.000 inhabitants, located on a large lake around 300 kilometers west of Stockholm. At the beginning I had to get used to the long days.” As well as the new way of working in the far north: “Here in Färjestad the work is definitely different than in Salzburg. There is another philosophy. The Swedes are a step further, very well connected and very experienced. Work is carried out at the highest level. Salzburg, on the other hand, has the better infrastructure. The world-class trainers are imported from abroad. I have a lot to thank Salzburg for. I spent 3 great years there and learned a lot.” In front of the eyes of the NHL scouts At every U20 game, several NHL scouts sit in the stands Now Clara, who started as a defender at HC Pustertal at the age of 6 and moved between the posts three years later, wants to continue to improve at Färjestad and take the next step so that her dream of the NHL can come true at some point. “Of course that would be cool. But there is still a long way to go until then. The next hurdle is the draft. “Here in Sweden, there are several NHL scouts in the stands at every U3 game,” says the goalkeeper. The focus at the moment is on his own development and reaching the top 20 in the southern group (“Södra”) with his team by Christmas.

In any case, Clara is on the verge of making history again. On May 21, 2021, Clara made her first entry into the history books. In Italy's first World Cup game against Germany in Riga, the Pusterer was on the substitutes' bench. He was 16 years and 128 days old at the time and has since become the youngest goalkeeper in World Cup history.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

A South Tyrolean wants to get into the NHL via Sweden

Damian Clara has already made history once. It is quite possible that the 17-year-old from Reischach will soon write his name back into the history books. He could be the first South Tyrolean ice hockey goalkeeper to be drafted by an NHL club next year.

Suggestions

Comments (0)