History in the making for Italy: first ever goaltender signed by an NHL team

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Daniel Lucente
July 25, 2024 (4:59 PM)

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Historical news coming out of Italy today, as the first ever goaltender from that country is being signed to an NHL contract by the Anaheim Ducks.

When people think of Italy, the first sport that comes to mind is football, or soccer how it's called in North America. The country has slowly been improving in hockey ever since they hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, and now, history has been made.

The NHL's Anaheim Ducks have signed 19-year-old Italian goaltender Damian Clara to a contract. This is the first time in history that a goalie out of Italy has been signed by an NHL team. Clara played 34 games last season overseas, posting 25 wins, and went on to win 10 more games in the playoffs with a stellar .931 save percentage. He also represented Italy at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championship D2A, and helped the team capture the bronze medal in both years.

19-year-old Damian Clara has broken new ground by securing a contract with the Anaheim Ducks, marking him as the first Italian goaltender to achieve this milestone in NHL history.

What an incredible story this is, especially that it comes from a country whose primary sport is far from hockey. No doubt, Italians will be celebrating in the streets, and tuning in to many Anaheim Ducks games in the future, beginning with the day that he gets his first ever NHL start.

Credit Blades of Steel:
Italian goaltender set to make history