Italian goaltender Damian Clara, has been loaned by the Anaheim Ducks to Brynäs IF, the Gävle-based SHL club announced on Saturday.

For Clara, it is a return to the team that he starred for in the 2023-24 season.

“It feels really good to be back with Brynäs,” Clara is quoted. “I know everyone in the organization and I feel very comfortable here. I felt early on that I wanted to return to Brynäs and when it became a possibility, there was nothing to think about, as I feel safe in this environment.”

“Everyone probably remembers Damian’s season in the HockeyAllsvenskan with great joy and it will be exciting to work with him again,” said club sports director Johan Alcén. “Despite his young age, he is very mature both on and off the ice and fits perfectly into the squad. Damian competes hard every day and we believe he can take a further step in his development in our environment.”

Following a fine season with Färjestad in Sweden’s top junior league, Clara was Anaheim’s second pick, 60th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Confirmed: Ducks Goalie Prospect Damian Clara Signs In Finland Italian goaltender Damian Clara, 20, will finish the season in the Finnish Liiga with Kärpät Oulu, <a href="https://karpat.fi/damian-clara-ja-julius-janhonen-loppukauden-sopimuksilla-karppiin/">the Liiga club announced on Saturday</a>.&nbsp;

The following season, Clara was loaned to Brynäs, which then played in Sweden’s second-tier professional league. Starting the year as a backup, an injury to veteran Anders Lindbäck in December gave the starting job to Clara and he ran with it, backstopping the team to the league title and a promotion to the SHL.

Last season, however, following a return to Färjestad, Clara took a step back. After posting dismal numbers through 21 games, he was reassigned to Kärpät Oulu of the Finnish Liiga for the team’s final 10 games of the season, then finished the season with two games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.

With Brynäs, Clara is slated to back up ex-NHLer Collin Delia, whom the team signed last month. Brynäs also has under contract another former NHLer in Erik Källgren, but he’s expected to be out of the lineup until early 2026 following hip surgery.

Former Blackhawks, Canucks Goalie Signs In Sweden American goaltender Collin Delia, 31, has signed a one-year contract with Brynäs IF, <a href="https://www.brynas.se/article/airasz7-1ekad/view">the Gävle-based SHL club announced</a> on Friday.

A member of the Italian national team for the last three seasons, Clara is expected to be one of Italy’s goalies at the upcoming Winter Olympics on home ice in Milan. A reasonable forecast could see him play for Brynäs until the Olympic break, and then head back to the AHL after the Olympics if Källgren is healthy enough by then.

Despite just being promoted from the tier-two HockeyAllsvenskan last season, Brynäs finished first in the SHL regular-season standings and went all the way to the league finals, losing to Lulea in six games.

Besides Delia, Brynäs has also signed former NHL first-round pick Kieffer Bellows this off-season. Other players under contract for the coming season include Jakob Silfverberg, Johan Larsson, Robert Hägg, Oskar Lindblom, Michal Kempný and Christian Djoos.

In addition to Clara, fellow Anaheim prospect Lucas Pettersson, a 19-year-old forward, has also been loaned to Brynäs.

Photo: Fredrik Karlsson / Färjestad Karlstad / Champions Hockey League.

Predicting Italy's 2026 Olympic roster Italy is the 20th-ranked men’s ice hockey team in the world, but is one of the 12 teams that will participate in the men’s tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics because it is being held in Milan.