NHL Draft: These are Damian Clara's chances

“The list doesn’t say too much and it’s far from a guarantee,” the modest young goalie remains with both feet on the ground, only to add in one breath that it’s a step in the right direction and that he’s very happy and proud about it be. For comparison: In January 2020, Davide Fadani was ranked number 9 in the “Mid-Term Ranking”, but the soon-to-be 22-year-old goalie from Milan has not been drafted to date.

Before the start of each season, the 30 CSS scouts create 4 “player to watch” lists of North American and European field players and goalkeepers. The name Damian Clara wasn't there. In the middle of the season, usually soon after the U20 World Cup, there is the “Mid-Term Ranking” and after the play-offs there is the “Final Ranking”, which is very meaningful with regard to the draft. The non-binding rankings and assessments created by the CSS only serve as a guide for the clubs at the NHL draft, which will take place on June 28th and 29th this year in the “Bridgestone Arena” in Nashville.

Damian Clara has featured 20 times between the posts for Färjestad BK's U24 team so far this season.

Clara also knows this and points out that “in the 2022 draft, only 10 of the 2 international goalkeepers on the CSS’s January list were picked in the end. Numbers 1 and 8.” Nevertheless, it is already a great success that the Pusterer is included on the current list alongside 3 Finns and 2 Swedes, XNUMX Russians and XNUMX Czechs and a Latvian.

Grown in Sweden The 18-year-old also knows that his move to Sweden last summer was crucial for this. “I feel really comfortable at Färjestad and have a lot of fun every day when I enter the stadium. I have made great progress in the past few months. At the beginning I had to get used to the speed and quality of the shots. Great attention is paid to the smallest details. The coaches prepare us specifically for the SHL or Allsvenskan,” says Clara.

Things are currently not going as planned for Färjestad BK in the U20 “Super-Elit” championship. The offspring of the reigning Swedish champions narrowly missed the winner's round in sixth place in the south and lost the first 5 games of the losers' round. In the remaining 15 games, Clara and Co. have to work their way up from 10th place out of 11 participants to at least 6th place in order to be able to take part in the round of XNUMX. “There are a lot of scouts in the stands at every U20 game.” Damian Clara Even though Clara has been between the posts 24 times so far and has played the most games of the three goalkeepers, he doesn't want to have anything to do with number 3. “I didn't hold up badly, but the statistics aren't great. Even though there are numerous scouts in the stands at every U1 game, I believe that my two games in the Allsvenskan were ultimately decisive in me making it onto the CSS's January list," suspects the 20-year-old. Meter giant, who can now communicate quite well in Swedish.

Curious debut in the Allsvenskan Clara played two games for Karlskoga BIK in the Allsvenskan at the end of November and the beginning of December and made people sit up and take notice: “I had actually already packed my bag for a U2 game on November 30th when I found out three hours before the game started I am needed at Karlskoga.” Karlskoga is not the farm team of Färjestad, but it is only about a 20-minute drive from Karlstad. Because a flu epidemic left 3 of Karlskoga's regular players flat and only 40 cracks remained, the squad for the home game against IF Björklöven was quickly filled with our own U15 players and those from Färjestad.

18-year-old goalkeeper Damian Clara (left) dreams of making it to the NHL. The chances of him being drafted are good.

This is how Clara made his unexpected debut in the Allsvenskan and finally came onto the radar of the CSS. “I had to take the 8-0 lead after a good 1 minutes, but then I closed the shop and we celebrated a 2-1 win against the promotion contenders that we never thought possible. This was picked up by all Swedish media and made the rounds,” says the goalkeeper, who was tested 38 times, proudly. Two days later there was a 2-0 defeat at Almtuna: “We were tired there and had no chance. The shot ratio of 4:41 spoke volumes.” “There are contacts with several clubs from the best league in the world. But I can’t say anything more about it.” Damian Clara Since the short guest appearance in the second highest Swedish league, interest from NHL teams in the South Tyrolean goalkeeper, who was at home in Reischach for a few days over Christmas, has increased. “There are contacts with several clubs from the best league in the world. “But I can’t say anything more about it,” says Clara. The “giant” has also sat on the bench in three games for Färjestad’s first team, with whom he regularly trains as the third goalkeeper: twice in the SHL and once in the Champions Hockey League (CHL) in the away game Polish Krakow: “It was impressive and cool to be at a CHL game for the first time.”

Another Azzurro is on the list In addition to Clara, another actor from Italy appears on the CSS lists that have just been published: Tommaso De Luca. The 18-year-old center forward from Aosta, who has been scoring goals for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL since this season, is listed as number 144 on the list of North American outfield players. What is the NHL Draft? The NHL Entry Draft was introduced in 1963 and is an NHL event in which the league's clubs can acquire rights to available amateur and youth players. The NHL consists of 32 teams. In each of the 7 rounds of the draft, each team has a so-called draft pick. This means that you can secure the rights to one player per round. The order in the draft is basically the reversed final table of a season. So the worst team gets the first pick in the draft and the best gets the last pick. The NHL publishes rankings of the players available for selection two months before the draft. The rankings make it easier for teams to select from more than 2 players and show who the NHL believes the greatest talents are. The entry draft takes place a few days after the Stanley Cup final. The main people responsible for all teams, the greatest talents and many fans come together. After the turn, the general manager of each team goes on stage and announces the club's choice. Once a player has been signed by a team, he is part of the organization’s “system.” But that's no guarantee he'll ever play in the NHL. Both the goaltender and the striker can have legitimate hopes of being drafted by an NHL team at the end of June.

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NHL Draft: These are Damian Clara's chances

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