Thomas Tragust and his protégé: Damian Clara

Tragust about Clara: "I didn't see any bruises."

Italy was the talk of the town after the opening of the men's tournament at the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina. Their spirited performance in the 2-5 defeat against Sweden, one of the favorites for gold, exceeded all expectations. From this strong team, one player – or rather, one goalkeeper – stood out in particular: Damian Clara. Goalkeeping coach Thomas Tragust was also impressed.

February 12, 2026

From Milan

"Damian delivered an incredible performance. It was world-class," raved Italy's goalkeeping coach Thomas Tragust the morning after, adding: "I'm especially happy for Damian personally. He hasn't had an easy season at Brynäs IF so far. With this performance, he's once again put himself in the spotlight and done the best possible advertising for himself."

Tragust and the entire coaching staff around Jukka Jalonen knew even before the first puck drop "that we needed a good goalie to avoid being blown away by the Swedish all-star team. Damian was immediately in the game; his first saves gave him the necessary security and confidence that he might have been lacking recently. He improved minute by minute and made the crucial key saves at the right moment."

Clara is motivated to the core

It was obvious that Clara was highly motivated on Wednesday evening at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. For one thing, the Olympic Games only take place every four years, and in Italy's case, this was the first time in 20 years. For another, the towering player is currently in his fourth season in Sweden, which is why he wanted to prove himself there as well. "It was anything but easy for Damian. After all, he often only faces 20 shots on goal or even fewer at Brynäs. This time it was 49 in just 46 minutes," Tragust calculated.

In top form: Damian Clara © APA/afp / ALEXANDER NEMENOV

Moreover, these weren't "normal" shots, but rather powerful and very precise ones. The level of shooting in Sweden is very high. However, I think the shooting quality on Wednesday was considerably higher. After all, the best Swedish players play in the NHL, and currently here in Milan. I didn't see any bruises on Damian. But you gladly accept those if you prevent a goal," explained Tragust, who knows what he's talking about. After all, the Vinschgau native, who now lives in the Puster Valley, was himself a goalie for 20 years.

"Damian first experienced cramps in the second trimester, but gritted his teeth and carried on." Thomas Tragust

According to Tragust, "it wasn't just the numerous shots that took their toll on the 21-year-old from Reischach, but also the footwork, the movements from the left to the right post, and the getting down and quickly back up. In addition, it was quite warm in the arena. Damian first felt cramps in the second period but gritted his teeth and played on. After the stretch-out save against Elias Pettersson at the start of the final period, that was it. The cramps were simply too much."

Clara's brilliant save against Pettersson came after 44:28 minutes. After 46:08 minutes, the Puster Valley goalkeeper left his goal, handing it over to Davide Fadani. His 46 saves and three goals against resulted in a sensational save percentage of 93,9 percent. "When I saw Damian after the game, he was already exhausted and worn out, but happy with his performance. The medical staff quickly gave the all-clear. Luckily, it was just cramps," Tragust breathed a sigh of relief the next day.

Switch to a smaller ice surface

Italy's coaching staff had already decided on Clara several days before the first game, as Tragust revealed: "However, we only informed the team and Damian himself on Tuesday after training. This allowed him to prepare specifically for the game during the pre-game skate on Wednesday morning."

After this parade, Damian Clara's run came to an end. © APA/afp / ALEXANDER NEMENOV

Clara prepared very well for the game and was a rock in defense for 46 minutes. Together with Fadani and Gianluca Vallini, the 6'5" giant adapted very quickly to the smaller ice surface. "It was quite an adjustment. As a goalie, you orient yourself by lines. These are marked differently in Milan, and the face-offs are lower than usual. You have to find the right timing and dive earlier. Fortunately, Damian was able to gain experience on a smaller ice surface a year ago in the AHL and also at the Anaheim Ducks' development camp," the Blue Team's goaltending coach said with satisfaction.

Clara has certainly moved even further into the spotlight and proven that the goalkeeper is the key figure in ice hockey.