Clurman makes NHL debut at 26: 'Like a dream come true'
As Nate Clurman stepped on the ice for his traditional rookie lap ahead of pregame warmups Sunday, he couldn't help but think about what it took to get here.
The 26-year-old defenseman displayed resilience over an eight-year period in which he evolved from a sixth-round draft pick to an NHL player. Sure, the rookie lap can be viewed as cliche, but not for Clurman. This moment seemingly made the eight-year wait worth it:
"It's like a dream come true," Clurman said. "It's just a culmination of a lot of hard work, and I think about all the people that helped me get to this point. Just feel super blessed and honored to be in this situation."
Paired on a line with RyanShea, Clurman contributed with a hit and four shots -- tied with Erik Karlsson for the most among defensemen -- in just over 11 minutes of ice time against the Islanders. At five-on-five, the Penguins had 21 shot attempts to the Islanders' six, 12 shots to the Islanders' two. And he wasn't being shielded by the coaches, with 15 of his 17 shift starts coming on the fly, the other two in the neutral zone.
Mike Sullivan, who lauded Clurman for the aforementioned resilience he's shown throughout his professional career, described his performance as "solid."
"He made some plays with the puck, he had some real nice plays along the offensive blue line, delivering pucks down to the net. I thought he defended hard, and when he had the puck, he had some poise. He didn't look anxious with it at all. He looked like he belonged," Sullivan said. "For me, that's a huge credit to him. And I think, just given the fact that he's been a pro as long as he has and this is his first NHL game, it's just a testament to his character, his determination and his love to play the game. Great for him that he got an opportunity to play in the NHL tonight."
It was a dream realized for Clurman, whose night became even more special when he received the player-of-the-game helmet courtesy of fellow defenseman Ryan Graves:
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THE ASYLUM
José Negron
11:30 pm - 12.29.2024UptownClurman makes NHL debut at 26: 'Like a dream come true'
As Nate Clurman stepped on the ice for his traditional rookie lap ahead of pregame warmups Sunday, he couldn't help but think about what it took to get here.
The 26-year-old defenseman displayed resilience over an eight-year period in which he evolved from a sixth-round draft pick to an NHL player. Sure, the rookie lap can be viewed as cliche, but not for Clurman. This moment seemingly made the eight-year wait worth it:
"It's like a dream come true," Clurman said. "It's just a culmination of a lot of hard work, and I think about all the people that helped me get to this point. Just feel super blessed and honored to be in this situation."
Paired on a line with Ryan Shea, Clurman contributed with a hit and four shots -- tied with Erik Karlsson for the most among defensemen -- in just over 11 minutes of ice time against the Islanders. At five-on-five, the Penguins had 21 shot attempts to the Islanders' six, 12 shots to the Islanders' two. And he wasn't being shielded by the coaches, with 15 of his 17 shift starts coming on the fly, the other two in the neutral zone.
Mike Sullivan, who lauded Clurman for the aforementioned resilience he's shown throughout his professional career, described his performance as "solid."
"He made some plays with the puck, he had some real nice plays along the offensive blue line, delivering pucks down to the net. I thought he defended hard, and when he had the puck, he had some poise. He didn't look anxious with it at all. He looked like he belonged," Sullivan said. "For me, that's a huge credit to him. And I think, just given the fact that he's been a pro as long as he has and this is his first NHL game, it's just a testament to his character, his determination and his love to play the game. Great for him that he got an opportunity to play in the NHL tonight."
It was a dream realized for Clurman, whose night became even more special when he received the player-of-the-game helmet courtesy of fellow defenseman Ryan Graves:
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