Boulder native Nate Clurman climbing up Avalanche preseason depth chart
By Kyle Fredrickson, Oct 1, 2023
Nate Clurman doesn’t blink when Nathan Mackinnon barrels toward him with the puck.
It’s one reason why the Colorado Avalanche prospect is rising on the preseason depth chart.
“You’ve got to show up confident in your skill,” Clurman said. “Or else you have no chance from the start.”
Clurman, 25, is a Boulder native with dreams of making the NHL roster in his home state. It’s closer than you might think.
The big 6-foot-2 and 225-pound defenseman, coming off a strong AHL season, joined the main group of Avalanche regulars for practice recently. It’s no coincidence that he’s often been paired with veteran defenseman Jack Johnson.
“I just saw a huge step in his development last year with the Eagles. Played himself into a regular role there. I don’t want to pigeonhole him into a role,” coach Jared Bednar said. “But he’s a big, strong, physical guy and then a real smart defender. He knows what he is; sort of like the Jack Johnson mold, I guess. He’s not going to give you a ton of offense, but he’s involved. His strengths lie on the size, strength, and skating abilities. He’s a really strong skater, and he’s looked really good through camp.
“That’s why he’s with the big group.”
Clurman, a former Notre Dame hockey captain, entered the offseason with a specific emphasis to “be calmer with the puck in the offensive zone,” he said. Clurman is now in contention to become potentially the Avalanche's seventh and final defenseman on the active roster. His training camp motivation is fueled by Colorado’s lead-by-example stars.
“You see what they bring to the rink for practice. Every shift and every time they touch the puck. … They’re trying to impose themselves on the guys in practice. Seeing that has (validated) why they’re here and why they’ve been so good. Just trying to implement that into your game is huge.”
His teammates have taken notice. Defenseman Cale Makar said, “(Clurman) has been great.”
“Him and (defenseman Sam) Malinski have really shown well,” Makar continued. “It’s exciting. It’s good to know we have a couple of more righties back there that we have options with.”
What’s separating Clurman from making the NHL jump?
“It’s consistency, first and foremost,” Clurman said. “I think showing up every day and staying focused on trying to extend plays, and not be the factor that’s inhibiting plays. Being strong defensively is where it’s going to start; closing down plays with my skating and stick.”
Clurman has yet to make his NHL debut. But that doesn’t dampen his spirit. Clurman said that “preparing for this, visualizing, and being able to understand where my game is at and how far I’ve come” is what gives him confidence to take the next step.
“I had a great summer,” Clurman said. “I came in with a plan and I’m just trying to execute here. It’s been nice to be with the group the past couple of days and just see the speed out there. I just try to play my own game.”