He speaks plainly: That's why Clara went to Finland

After almost 3 years at the Swedish top club Färjestad BK, Damian Clara said goodbye to Karlstad, home of the 10-time champions, on Sunday. The 20-year-old goalkeeper flew from Gothenburg to Helsinki and from there on to Oulu, where his new club Oulun Kärpat plays its home games.

On Monday, the 2-meter giant from Reischach trained for the first time with his new teammates in the "Oulun Energia Areena", which has a capacity of 6614 spectators. In the following interview, Clara looks back on his time at Färjestad and the season that has not been easy for him so far, explains how and why the move came about, and talks about his expectations in Finland and his future plans.

When did you find out that your days at Färjestad were numbered?

Damian Clara: That was last Thursday. Then everything happened very quickly. On Friday I terminated my contract with Färjestad and signed a new contract with Kärpat. Last week, Sudarshan Maharaj, the Director of Goaltending for the Anaheim Ducks, was in Sweden and suggested that I move. For him and the NHL club, Kärpat was the best solution for me. As soon as it was announced that I would be leaving Färjestad, other teams also contacted my agent Patrick Pilloni. But by that point, my decision had already been made.

A third goalkeeper, Anders Lindbäck, joined Färjestad at the beginning of February. The 36-year-old Swede with an NHL background was your colleague at Brynäs for a while last season. Was his appointment the deciding factor in your departure?

Clara: Yes and no. Anaheim was of the opinion that with Lindbäck the competition would become greater and my chances of playing would dwindle further. Färjestad, on the other hand, wanted to go into the decisive championship phase with three goalkeepers.

Why didn’t things go the way you would have hoped for at the Swedish record champions?

Clara: There were several factors that contributed to it. Firstly, the pressure of having to win was enormous. Only the wins counted, while not enough emphasis was placed on development. I did not live up to expectations, although I learned a lot. I am now much better than before the season, even if the statistics are bad and do not suggest this. But I gave it my all and have nothing to blame myself for. After a bad start to the season, I did improve, but hardly got a chance to prove myself. Since November, it has been a lot of training and very few games for me. In total, I have played maybe 16 full games: I was substituted on 4 times and off 2 times. Perhaps I approached the big challenge too quickly and was not initially ready for the high level in the SHL (short for Svenska Hockeyligan, editor's note), which is an extremely good league.

Damian Clara in the Färjestad BK jersey.

You impressed across the board at Brynäs in the Allsvenskan in the 2023/24 season. How big is the difference between the 1st and 2nd Swedish leagues?

Clara: Actually, the difference is not that big. But in the SHL, even more details and small things matter than in the Allsvenskan. For example, if I had conceded 5 fewer goals, the whole thing wouldn't look so bad. Even the smallest mistake is punished mercilessly. At Brynäs, the whole team supported me and helped me. In the SHL, I couldn't make the difference. Speaking of Brynäs: my team last year only changed 8 players after promotion and is currently leading the SHL table. This is proof that the difference between the two leagues is not immense.

Recently, it's not just your performance that has been inconsistent. The entire Färjestad team has been weak and has lost 6 of the last 7 games. Why was that?

Clara: Compared to the previous games, nothing has really changed. It will probably be a small crisis. There is still a lot of talent in the team and there are incredibly good players. And yet, not much has been going right recently. We probably didn't do a few things right and then it happened. The teams are very close together. And anyone can beat anyone.

Your now former team will be playing in the final of the Champions Hockey League this Tuesday. Would you have liked to have been there in Zurich?

Clara: Of course. It would have been something special. Even if I might not have been on the ice. But because the transfer deadline was on Saturday, February 15, it didn't happen. If at all possible, I'll watch the game on TV or the Internet.

Who will win the final?

Clara: I hope Färjestad, of course. But anything is possible. After all, two top teams are facing each other. I wish my former teammates all the best and will keep my fingers crossed for them in the final stretch of the championship. There were some great guys in the squad. I felt very comfortable at Färjestad.

Back to you. For you, it's now Finland instead of Sweden and Kärpat Oulu instead of Färjestad. What do you know about your new employer?

Clara: I've heard a lot of good things about the club. I know that it has a great tradition, has won a lot and has been Finnish champion 8 times. This season, however, Kärpat has not lived up to expectations and is currently only 11th in the table. Ari Hilli is a goalkeeping coach who has an excellent reputation because he has worked with very good goalies at Kärpat over the past 25 years. He was also a factor for Anaheim in why I ended up in Oulu. I've been to Oulu before, by the way. I was 14 years old at the time and was in the Salzburg U15 team. We played a few friendly matches against Kärpat. Our coach at the time, Antti Aarnio, was from Oulu and we were even allowed to look at the first team's dressing room.

Damian Clara in the Anaheim Ducks jersey. The NHL club holds the transfer rights to the South Tyrolean.

Who are your fellow goalkeepers at Kärpat?

Clara: Both are Finnish. One is called Tomi Karhunen and is 35 years old, the other is called Niclas Westerholm and is 27 years old. I know very little about them and the rest of the team. All I know is that Karhunen played in Switzerland, for Straubing, Villach and before me for Brynäs. I also met Ville Pokka 2 years ago when he was defending for Färjestad and I played in the U20 team there.

The NHL club Anaheim Ducks, who own your rights, pushed for a trade so you could get more playing time. Can you compete against the two Finnish goalies?

Clara: I don't know - but I hope so. I'll definitely take on the challenge. I don't have too high expectations and I'm definitely not putting myself under pressure. For me, it's a new start and I'll do my best. I want to learn a lot and take a lot with me. I'm looking forward to it and am very excited.

What do you know about the city of Oulu?

Clara: It's a hockey-mad city with more than 200.000 inhabitants. It's located in the north of the country and not far from Lulea, where I played with Färjestad. I'll explore the city soon and hopefully get to know it a little.

You trained with your new team for the first time on Monday.: How were you received by your new teammates?

Clara: I arrived safely in Oulu on Sunday. My new teammates gave me a warm welcome. I feel well received. I also felt good on the ice. We had team training in the morning and a second skills unit in the afternoon. I'm happy to be here: let's go.

You have signed a contract with Kärpat for the rest of this season. Where will you play next season?

Clara: That is still up in the air at the moment, although there is a tendency. But there are still some unanswered questions. I will know more in the coming weeks and months.

Interview: Kurt Platter

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He speaks plainly: That's why Clara went to Finland

Damian Clara was under contract with the Swedish top club Färjestad BK for 3 years - which was recently dissolved. The goalie from Reischach is now playing for the Finnish club Oulun Kärpat. But what is behind the move?

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