POSITIONING A strong positional approach can lead to shots missing the net or
shots not being taken at all because the puck/shooter has nothing to see.
Basic Stance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Maintains fundamentals of stance when moving
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Forward, backward, side to side,
up, and down.
Puck stopping/save movements 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Not just stopping the puck but being in a
position of control while making the save that would enable the goaltender to
make a second save if necessary. There must be strong stick presence at all
times.
Active Stick skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Controlling pucks in or moving through the
crease.
BODY POSITION
The idea behind body positioning is being
aware of the puck's perspective and understanding which angles, vertically and
horizontally, the puck needs to enter the net.
Square to the Puck/Blocking Skills/Simplicity of save selection
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Does the puck find the goaltender or do they
have to move to make a save. The goaltender should never make the first move
but he should always be the first in position.
Understanding depth 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Know how far the goaltender needs to come
out to take away the net while maintaining situational awareness.
Can the Goaltender dictate the flow of the game? 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Knowing when to put the puck into play and
when to slow the game down and freeze it.
Save Compactness 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
The puck should not go through or under
the goaltender. Compactness preserves the goaltender’s ability to extend.
Since the body is coiled and flexed the ability to quickly reposition is maintained
with proper body basics intact. The goaltender should seek to build width
through proper, chest positioning, arm positioning and centre shifting skills.
Rebound Control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Priority of rebounds a) Control at body
b) Put puck over glass c) Put puck in corner d) Put puck back to shooter e)
Put puck away from shooter. Can the goaltender control the tempo of the game?
MOVEMENT AND MOBILITY
The goaltender must be a strong skater with
both regular skating and goaltender specific skating skills.
Skating without the puck 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12
Skating with the puck 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Edge Control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12
Position specific movements; Sculls, glides,
shuffles and stops. The feet are quiet at the point of release. Upperbody,
hands and stick all remain steady during all movements.
Edge Control with POWER 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Power is more important than foot speed.
If a goaltender can get into position with one powerful, controlled push that
goaltender will be better prepared for any situation.
Recovery 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Proper timing and balance.
DIRECTIONAL MOBILITY/ADJUSTMENTS
The goaltender must maintain square
positioning when making adjustments. Edge control, foot speed, co-ordination,
timing of shot release are all done simultaneously. Lateral adjustments for
staggered feeds has 4 phases 1) Awareness of weak side 2) Initial mobility and
body rotation 3) Coverage of lateral distance 4) Save positioning. The
goaltender builds coverage on lateral feeds using the following, Low net,
Middle net, built from a low middle coverage point.
Lateral while up 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Lateral while down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Forward adjustment while up 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12
Forward adjustment while down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
Backwards adjustments 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
NOTE: Goaltenders must be able to move as
well on their knees as they can on their feet.
TRANSITIONAL/TEAM SKILLS
To excel fully in the transitional game the
goaltender must understand all facets of the game. He must understand his own
team’s breakout systems and also be able to recognize opponents fore-checking
systems.
The goaltender should be mobile with the
puck, to avoid pressure while regaining net protection and creating more
passing options. In today’s game the goaltender plays two dominant roles, 1)
Puck stopping and 2) the importance of goaltender transition. By handling the
puck the goaltender takes pressure off his defence, increasing their energy
level over the course of the game.
Remember to have patience, you have more
time than you think as the fore checker cannot hit you and must either stop or
skate by you. Use fakes, screen the fore checker after a pass and delay him if
a swing occurs.
Stick Handling 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Passing Forehand 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12
Passing Backhand 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12
Shooting Forehand 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Shooting Backhand 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Blocker hand only – Forehand 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12
Blocker hand only – Backhand 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12
Sets and dump-in control 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
The goaltender
must be able to consistently control and settle down any dumps within 15' of
the net including behind the net. The goaltender must place the puck in a
position that makes for easy and safe pickup by a teammate.
Understanding of breakouts, penalty killing and power play
formations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Goaltenders must understand the all-around
game tactics of not only the opposition but their own team as well.
Recognizing opponents fore-checking systems 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Short transition skills 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Goaltenders need to be aware of the short
plays that can be made, in zone, to aid in the transition out of the zone.
Long transition skills 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Is the goaltender aware of the opportunities,
due to the no center line rule, to move the puck out of zone in a manner that
leads to a quicker attack?
COMMUNICATION
Phases of communication can include
warnings about pressure, notification of time and space, information on
pressure and support, body and verbal support for team systems. Taking charge
and being a leader on and off the ice creates an atmosphere of confidence in
the goaltender. There are three keys to effective communication: a) Volume
b)Short Phrases c)Timing
Verbal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Physical (Body Language) 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Understanding the rules of the Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12
VISUAL HABITS
Due to the wide perspective of the ice the
goaltender has the best view as the attack develops. The ability to recognize
and communicate this vision to the rest of the team can provide meaningful
input into the game.
Ice Awareness 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Understanding not only his teammates
responsibilities but also those of his opponents will be beneficial to
enhancing the goaltender’s “On ice awareness”.
Puck tracking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Puck tracking has two key
components: a) The goaltender should be able to move with the puck in all
directions, maintain depth and still remain on angle.
2) The goaltender appears to
have sight of the puck 95+% of the time.
Visual battle skills 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Does the goaltender fight to see the puck
no matter what the situation is in front of them? Do they do everything possible
to continue to see the puck in traffic? Does the goaltender use the head
on a swivel?
PHYSICAL
When making a save the goaltender must
react right away to prepare for a second shot. A proper recovery includes
strength, flexibility, agility and balance. They are critical elements in
technique execution and fulfillment of the selected tactic. Explosive quickness
and controlled agility will allow a proper response to be executed and executed
in time.
Strength 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Flexibility 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Agility 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Balance (core) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
MENTAL GAME
Mental toughness 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12
Reactions to goals allowed 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
PRACTICE HABITS
What is the goaltender's attitude towards
being scored on in practice? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Is the goaltender calm after setbacks or do
they fly off the handle whenever obstacles arise?
How is goaltender’s focus during practice? 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Does the goaltender spend free time
wisely? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
SECTION #2:
Goaltender Self-evaluation
VISION
Every aspect of being a goaltender is
based, at first, on visual habits and inputs. Make sure all aspects of your
vision is healthy and functional.
Good Eye Sight 1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Either with contacts of without.
Peripheral Vision 1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
GOAL SETTING
Short term: period to game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12
Medium Term: Game to week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12
Long Term: Month to year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12
Game and Practice readiness 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12
MENTAL GAME
How do you react to obstacles such as being
cut, weak games, etc.? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
How do you react to conflicts between
you and the coach? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
How do you react to conflicts between
you and a teammate? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Do you give your team a chance to win on
a consistent basis? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Visualization
Do you use mental visualization to help
prepare you for daily improvement and success? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
PRE GAME PREPARATION
Eating Habits 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
When and what you eat.
Rest 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12
Mind set 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12
What and how do you think prior, during and
after a game?
Physical 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
What do you do to get your muscles warm, blood
flowing and brain ready?
Hand / Eye 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Do you prepare your hand / eye prior to
competition?
Road game Preparation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
How do you handle the differences from a
home game?
Thought process and focus between
periods 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
PRACTICE HABITS
The Four P's of Practice
Does goaltender practice with purpose,
precision, power and patience. Basically, do you display passion on a daily
basis? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Do your practice goals change as you get
closer to games? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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