Prospect Profile: Calle Clang

By Thomas Harrington

Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Rickard Rakell deal, goaltender Calle Clang was chosen by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, 77th overall.

In the year after being drafted, Clang spent most of it playing for Kristianstads IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan. In 32 games he had a record of 13-19 with a 2.46 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. Clang also played in one game for Rogle BK in the SHL. He was the backup goaltender, came into the game in relief, and was not the goalie of record in that game. He allowed no goals in the limited action he saw. This past year he played only in the SHL, serving as the backup goaltender for Rogle BK. In 17 games he had a record of 10-5 with a 2.28 goals against average, a .915 save percentage, and one shutout.

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In the playoffs, Rogle BK was down 3-2 in their quarterfinal matchup, and Clang had not played yet in the series. In game six, the decision was made to put Clang in net and give him a chance. He stopped 23 of 25 shots and they won 5-2, forcing a game seven. In the final game of the series Clang was once again given the net, and once again he didn’t disappoint. He stopped 20 of 21 shots and they moved on to the semifinals. He played in one more playoff game and lost. He finished the postseason with a record of 2-1, had a 2.02 goals against average, and a .912 save percentage. Rogle lost in the playoffs to Farjestad.

Clang is currently signed to play with Rogle for another season, so I expect him to stay in Europe for another year before coming stateside in the 2023-2024 season. Given his young age, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was their backup again. Regardless of starter or backup, I have a very simple expectation for Clang next year: lower his goals against average and raise his save percentage. He played well in his first year in the SHL, now I want to see him play better in his second year.

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Clang is an intelligent and athletic goaltender. While he may never be an elite starter in the NHL, he could become a serviceable one or at least a very good backup. Goaltenders are notoriously hard to predict, but Clang seems like a decent bet to get some NHL action in the years to come. He also joins a goalie prospect pipeline in Anaheim that is relatively deep, so there’s no need to rush him and he can develop at his own pace.

The Ducks recently signed Clang to a three-year entry-level deal. It will begin when he comes stateside, so unless he’s traded, I expect him to be a member of the Ducks for at least the next four years if not more. However, given that they traded for and then signed him, there is a chance that Anaheim could try to bring him to the AHL as early as next season. He’s signed for another year in the SHL; if they really want him in San Diego, they could probably make it happen. However, I don’t think he’ll be a member of the Gulls this fall.

The next prospect profile will be on the recent signed Pavol Regenda.

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Prospect Profile: Drew Helleson

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June 11th, 2022