Who is Damian Clara, Italy’s first true star hockey prospect?
A total of 13 players with Italian citizenship have been drafted by NHL teams.
Almost all of them were born in North America and eventually naturalized to play for the Italian national team. A few even reached the NHL, with Gaetano Orlando’s 44 points being the most impressive.
But none of them were true Italian-born-and-raised like Olympic goaltender Damian Clara. In 2023, he became the first Italian-born player drafted by an NHL team when the Anaheim Ducks selected him in the second round. In 2024, he is the only one to sign an NHL contract.
At 21, he’s the youngest goaltender on the Italian national team, but definitely the one with the most promise. The SHL has been a challenge for him at times, but being a starter at 21 is no small feat – especially over former NHLers Erik Kallgren and Collin Delia. All things considered, Clara looks like a promising goaltending prospect, and he has generally looked good internationally this season, too.
At 6-foot-6, Clara clearly has a tremendous frame. Plus, goaltenders from smaller hockey countries typically spend their whole career trying to scratch and claw their way onto pro teams’ radars. That’s why scouts loved him in his draft year. He was excellent in his two games against men that season, and played at all levels with the Italian national team, including the U-18s, U-20s and with the senior men’s team.
In 2023-24, Clara moved past playing for the U-20 squad and went straight to the starter’s chair with the men’s team. Clara wasn’t able to help Italy advance to the top division of the World Championship, but he still looked solid, nonetheless. He also went 25-8-0 with four shutouts in the second-tier Swedish league to put up one of the best performances in recent memory by a U-19 goaltender.
Clara’s stock fell slightly in 2024-25. He moved up to the top Swedish league and struggled before heading to Finland to play with Karpat. He had a 3-7-0 record, but he still played very well for the bottom-feeding team. Clara also saw a bit of AHL action with San Diego, but he lost his lone start.
Fast forward to this season. He’s back with Brynas, a mid-pack team lacking true difference-makers up front. Former NHLers Jakob Silfverberg and Nicklas Backstrom have played well, but the team can struggle defensively.
Clara wasn’t guaranteed the starter’s gig at the Olympics, with Davide Fadani putting up solid numbers in Switzerland. But Clara is the best goaltending prospect – and, realistically, the best Italian-born player ever – and this was his opportunity to prove himself on the world stage. Clara made 25 saves in the first period against Sweden on Wednesday alone. While he looked a bit scrambly at times, he was clearly up to the task.
Away from the rink, Clara helps his family with their hotel business, Boutiquehotel Clara in Italy. It helps keep him occupied while he continues his offseason training.
This isn’t going to be an easy tournament for the Italians. Clara is the lone NHL-affiliated player, and the team simply isn’t good enough to stick in the top division of the 16-team World Championship on a consistent basis.
And Clara likely won’t do much to change any of that. But as a 21-year-old goaltending prospect with a legit shot at becoming an NHLer, he has never faced more pressure in his life to perform. Expectations are low for the Italians. But that underdog mentality could be exactly what helps Clara prove to the world that he has what it takes to perform at the highest level.
The 2026 Winter Olympics put the best hockey players center stage for the first time in 12 years. But like Minnesota Wild prospect Samuel Hlavaj proved earlier on Wednesday, it’s also a proving ground for those looking to make a name for themselves.
After a great first showing against Sweden, everyone’s going to know Clara’s name sooner rather than later.
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