Prospect Update: Damian Clara

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks chose goaltender Damian Clara in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, 60th overall. He played for Brynas IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan this past season. Brynas had been in the SHL for over 60 years but was relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan in 2023.

Clara was Brynas’ starter and played in 34 games for them with a record of 25-8-0, a 2.23 goals against average, a .913 save percentage, and four shutouts. Among all HockeyAllsvenskan goalies, Clara finished second in wins, second in goals against average, sixth in save percentage, and tied for fourth in shutouts. Brynas had clinched the top spot in the league with a few games left in the season, which let them rest Clara before the playoffs began. For his great season, Clara was named the best junior player in the HockeyAllsvenskan.

In the playoffs, Clara was even better. He appeared in 11 playoff games, had a 10-1 record, a 1.68 goals against average, and .931 save percentage. Clara’s lone loss of the postseason came in overtime. The only reason he didn’t play in more games was because he was sick during the playoffs and missed some time. He was the backup in a couple of games as well. He stopped 23 of 24 shots in his first game back, leading Brynas to a 2-0 series lead against Karlskoga. Brynas swept the championship series and will return to the SHL next year. At 19 years old, Clara became the youngest goaltender to lead a team from the HockeyAllsvenskan to the SHL.

Clara is tall for a goaltender, standing at 6’6”. For his size, he’s a very good skater who moves well in the crease. He’s good at cutting off angles and has a good sense for the net around him. Clara is able to get his feet set and react well to plays. He’s certainly not guaranteed an NHL career, but he has a lot of good tools at his disposal, and if he can continue to improve, he will likely make his way to Anaheim someday.

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This coming season Clara will be playing for Farjestad BK of the SHL. Last season his rights were actually owned by Farjestad, but he was loaned to Brynas in order to get more playing time. The SHL is a significant step up from the HockeyAllsvenskan. With that in mind, even though Clara had a fantastic season last year, I don’t want to set expectations too high for him. First, I want him to put up good numbers for Farjestad. Second, I want Clara to win more games than he loses.

Clara is still years away from making it to the NHL. He’s got at least one more season playing overseas, possibly more. When he comes to North America, Clara will undoubtedly start in San Diego. It wouldn’t surprise me if his career follows a similar trajectory to that of Lukas Dostal: play in Europe for a couple seasons after being drafted, then come to North America. After a year or two in the AHL, get a few NHL games, then several more the following season, and then become a full time NHL player the season after that.

Clara signed his entry-level deal with the Ducks in June. It won’t begin until he comes to North America, which won’t happen for at least one more season, possibly more. When he does come stateside, his contract will run for three years before he becomes a restricted free agent. As a result, the Ducks can afford to be patient and let him develop at his own pace.

The next prospect update will be on forward Sasha Pastujov.

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September 22nd, 2024