Avalanche prospect Nate Clurman is a former Notre Dame captain from Boulder

Boulder autochthonal Nate Clurman, 1 of 9 defensemen astatine the Avalanche’s development/rookie campy this week, was a arrogant skipper astatine Notre Dame past season. He could person continued successful that relation arsenic a elder successful 2021-22 but alternatively signed a two-year entry-level declaration with the Avs successful April — aft Notre Dame was removed from the NCAA tourney due to the fact that of affirmative COVID-19 tests.

Clurman, 23, played 10 games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles astatine the extremity of the 2021 play earlier sustaining a breached foot. He’s steadfast present and looking guardant to his archetypal afloat nonrecreational season.

Barring a rash of injuries, Clurman volition astir apt play the full coming play for the Loveland-based Eagles. But based connected the content successful him by Avalanche executives and coaches, helium has nary regrets successful his determination to college.

“I would person loved to enactment determination done 4 years and finished my grade with my classmates. Being the skipper determination is simply a peculiar acquisition and I grew to emotion the schoolhouse much and much each year,” Clurman said Monday. “But erstwhile it came down to it, my grade was thing I could decorativeness later. To sacrifice the assemblage acquisition and elder twelvemonth was pugnacious but the accidental to crook pro and motion with the Avs was — not lone the close timing for maine from a improvement standout — but a imagination that was close successful beforehand of my face.

“It conscionable felt close to instrumentality it. There was a batch of deliberation and it was bully to person radical successful my country supporting maine either way.”

Brian Willsie, the Avs’ manager of amateur development, said Clurman has been 1 of the much awesome defensemen successful aboriginal off-ice tests and on-ice drills.

“Overall, he’s strong. He’s enactment connected a batch of musculus this summertime and looks bully connected the ice,” Willsie said. “Moving astir — we did a batch of question for the D, and their footwork, and helium was 1 of the apical guys.”

Clurman is conscionable the 2nd Colorado autochthonal to beryllium drafted by the Avalanche. He hopes to go the archetypal to play for the club. Forward J.D. Corbin of Littleton was selected by the Avs successful the eighth circular of the 2004 draft. Corbin ne'er reached the NHL.

“It’s ever large to person a home-state guy,” Willsie said. “We watched (Clurman) intimately astatine Notre Dame and past helium came retired and had immoderate clip with the Eagles past year, which is ever an vantage erstwhile you’re going into your archetypal pro twelvemonth to get those fewer weeks with the American League team. And helium adjusted precise quickly. He looked truly bully with the Eagles.”

Clurman is the sixth right-shot defenseman nether declaration with the Avs. The others are established veterans Cale Makar and Erik Johnson, free-agent extent newcomers Jordan Gross and Roland McKeown, and apical imaginable Justin Barron, the club’s 2020 first-round draught pick. The Avs besides person unsigned close changeable Drew Helleson, a 2019 second-round prime who is opening his inferior play astatine Boston College.

Clurman’s spot is his skating, enactment and shutdown ability. He’s not overmuch of an violative guy, having produced conscionable 4 goals and 19 points successful 3 seasons astatine Notre Dame.

“I’m assured successful what benignant of subordinate I americium and I deliberation my benignant fits a relation connected teams that is much of a extent relation but it’s truly important,” Clurman said. “I deliberation I’ve learned that implicit the years. I’ve got a bully skating quality and if I tin enactment myself successful a presumption to support well, each azygous squad successful the NHL needs that.”