Basic Rebound Control

by Steve McKichan
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1) Every goaltender from beginner to NHLer, at any level, struggles with rebound control. It is one area of the game that can truly never be perfected but must always be a focal point during any practice session.

Every shot in practice needs to be addressed with rebound control in mind. Good practice habits and a bitterness towards dangerous rebounds in practice will really help you improve in this area.

The precise use of your two best rebound control weapons: your stick and trapper, will be crucial.

2) When a goaltender is viewed from the front, an invisible L shape is created. The L is useful to visualize as it gives us a guide on how a given shot should be handled. A shot within the L (area A) should be caught or controlled with puck possession maintained with the goalie. We can see a shot at the knees should be caught, as it would be within the L. A shot below or outside the L (area B) should be directed to the closest corner.

3) The L is still visible when the goalie butterflys but the same guidelines apply. Within the L get possession; outside the L direct the puck to the appropriate corner.

4) Statistically, more shots hit the middle third of the net so in effect there are many pucks that end up directed right at the goalie. I refer to these shots as midline shots as they are basically fired right at the middle of the goalie. It is wise to spend time handling these types of shots and learning how to put the puck in proper places out of danger and to develop second effort battling skills.

5) By using an active glove or a gut trap you can take these hard midline shots and accept them into your body. Shots headed for the knees can be brought into the concave gut area to be absorbed and held. Pros work diligently on these types of rebound control prevention drills.

6) Your body should concave and soften itself to help deaden the puck. Once the puck strikes the area the gloves can be quickly brought in to seal up the rebound.

7) The use of the glove cradle is another technique to handle a high hard shot off the upper chest. You can close up the armpit, accept the puck high, quickly snapping the glove in tightly underneath the puck as it drops from the shoulder.

8) You can also pull pucks off your hip and on in tight shots by using an accurate active glove.

9) The other basic element of rebound control involved the handling of shots outside the L. Stick involvement on low shots is the key.

You should ramp up low hard drives to the corners with excellent direction and elevation.

10) Another area to address is what happens when the first touch of the puck didn’t involve a proper rebound control?

Great rebound goalies battle for loose puck rebounds by knowing when to stay down filling space and when to get up.

The second efforts made here during this controlled chaos are what win close games.

11) The depth of the rebound and how close an opponent is to the rebound will dictate whether you get up or not.

For instance if you realize you have left a dangerous rebound 3-5 feet out in front and with an attacker on the puck you can choose to stay down while repositioning yourself.

This strategy doesn’t open any holes and allows a big save to be made.

When the puck jumps out over 5 feet and there is no immediate threat you must try to regain your deep stance as soon as possible.

12) The rebound game is probably the best drill I’ve seen to work on rebound control on the first touch and on battling skills if a loose puck rebound was given up.

A shooter in the slot fires hard midline shots at the goalie.

The shooter can have one or two partners stationed at either side of the net eagerly awaiting a loose puck. Any goals on shots or rebounds give the shooters a point and likewise any puck possession a goalie gets before a goal will give him a point.

If the goalie can direct the puck behind the goal line or make it hit the sideboards he would also win a point.

First one to five points wins.

Keek’s Keys

A) Where possible, treat every rebound in practice as if it were a game.
B) Accept the puck and gain possession wherever possible
C) If you can’t get possession, get the puck to the corners.

(Steve McKichan is the goalie coach of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.)