This 16-year-old from Puster is writing World Cup history

The Pusterer is the youngest goalkeeper in World Cup history. When Italy started the tournament against Germany last Friday, he was 16 years and 128 days old. Only two players were younger when they took part in their first World Cup.

Hungarian striker Sandor Miklos was 1931 years and 15 days old when he made his debut in the 338 championships in Krynica, Poland. French attacker Serge Renault was 16 years and 95 days old when he played for the first time at the 1937 World Cup in London. The beginnings and the move to Austria Clara was 6 years old when he started playing ice hockey. “I started as a defender at HC Pustertal. When I was 9 years old, I moved between the posts. “I’ve been a goalkeeper ever since,” says the Reischacher, looking back on his beginnings.

He remained loyal to his hometown club until the U15 level. “After graduating from secondary school, I moved to Salzburg at the age of 14. I have been attending the Red Bull Hockey Academy and the high school there since autumn 2019. “I feel completely at home: the academy actually offers everything you need for a good education,” Clara enthuses. He is currently one of 3 South Tyroleans in Salzburg alongside Tommy Purdeller and Fabian Gschliesser. “I expected to only be in training camp for a week. But things turned out differently.” The talented goalkeeper has only played once at international level. That was 2 years ago when he played with the Italian U15 team in the Kufstein Cup against Austria, Hungary and Slovenia. At the beginning of April this year, Clara was called up to prepare for the World Cup in Bolzano. “When I got the email and saw that I was part of the preliminary World Cup squad and one of the 7 prospects for the 2026 Olympic Games, I could hardly believe my luck. I had expected to only be in the training camp for a week and had planned to return to Salzburg afterwards and start summer training. But things turned out differently,” smiles the teenager. Damian Clara (2nd from right) with team leader Kurt Suen, Daniel Glira and Raphael Andergassen.

Finally, Clara was also part of the Italy squad in the second week of preparation and was one of 2 goalkeepers alongside Andreas Bernard, Justin Fazio and Davide Fadani. “The preparation was not easy due to the strict Corona regulations. We were rarely on the ice and spent most of our time in our rooms. It was pretty boring. Luckily I had my games console with me. I also watched several series and took some tutoring lessons in mathematics,” says the Puster native. Losses of Bernard and Smith as an opportunity On May 2nd, Clara sat on the bench as a backup for the first time in a friendly. “That was in Megeve when we lost 1-4 to France. “It was an indescribable feeling to put on the azure jersey for the first time,” enthuses Clara, for whom things were to get even better.

Because Andreas Bernard and Jacob Smith were infected with Covid-19 a short time later, Clara's World Cup participation was getting closer and closer. “I only found out that I could be there the day before we left for Riga. At first I couldn't believe it. “I would never have expected that,” assures the youngster. “Before that, I watched the World Cup games on TV and cheered for the team. Now I’m part of the team.” Damian Clara training in Riga. © IIHF

The chick in Blue Tea is fully respected by his teammates and is “allowed” to collect the pucks and push the goals off the ice after practice. Before training on the ice at Arena Riga, Clara not only stands out as the youngest player during the warm-up, but at 1,95 meters he is also the tallest on his team. “The size certainly benefits me because it means I can cover a lot of the case. To be a great goalkeeper you have to be able to skate well and have good positioning skills. Mobility is very important because you have to get from A to B quickly,” explains the giant. Hardly any impressions of Riga Despite the special circumstances, he enjoys every minute of the title fights: “It’s something special with so many rules and restrictions. We just move from the hotel to the stadium and back again. I only saw the city on the 10-minute bus ride. Despite everything, it's a great experience. The training sessions in the large arena alone are special. I learned a lot from our goalie coach Peter Andersson. But Justin Fazio also gave me valuable tips.” “Going to the bench would be cool.” During his team's games, Clara sits in the stands and notes the playing times ("time on ice") of each individual player. These are of great importance for the subsequent video analysis. “I have to concentrate quite a bit, which is why I can't enjoy the game,” says the 16-year-old, who has been most impressed by Latvia's Matiss Kivlenieks and German Matthias Niederberger of the goalkeepers so far.

The World Cup debutant is aware of his role in Riga and knows that “it will hardly be possible to play. At least going to the bench would be great.” Like every young person, Clara dreams of the NHL: “First and foremost, I want to make the jump to the professional level.”

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This 16-year-old from Puster is writing World Cup history

Although he has not been part of the Azzurri squad in the three games so far, Damian Clara is on everyone's lips in Riga. After all, the 3-year-old from the Pustertal made World Cup history. How did he do that?

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