Public Skating

The State of Goaltending in the State of Hockey has never been stronger, as examined in Part I of this series.

READ: The State of Goaltending: Community hockey creates a culture of opportunity, development and passion

But we can always improve. That is especially true at the youth levels. USA Hockey manager of goaltending development Steve Thompson shared his insight for coaches and parents of young goaltenders.

Hockey’s Quarterback

In Europe, goaltending is considered the coolest position in hockey.

“It’s like being the quarterback on the football team here,” Thompson said. “That’s what it means to them.”

In North America, it can be challenging to find someone willing to put on the pads. That mentality needs to change.

The Marc-Andre Fleury effect proves it can be done in the U.S. When Fleury played for the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, almost every kid who signed up for youth hockey in the area wanted to play goalie because of Flower. When he joined the Wild, young Minnesotans felt a similar adoration for the future Hall of Famer.

Pressure Makes Diamonds

The goaltending position should be celebrated, not avoided at all costs.

“This is such a cool position. Your kid is going to be under the bright lights in big moments. They're going to have the opportunity to make the home team go crazy when they make that glove save or make that away team go silent when they stop a breakaway,” Thompson said.

“They're going to face pressure that no other position feels and that's going to make them excellent human beings when they leave the game, whatever age that is, whatever level they make it to. Those are the things that we should be proud of as a parent. And I really feel strongly that should be the messaging that we're really pushing. And if they make it to the NHL, if they get a college scholarship, that's just a cherry on top. But what you know for sure is that the position's going to give you leadership qualities, work ethic, family values, all the things that we really want to make sure our kids have. Everything else is a bonus.”

More Playing Time

One of the best ways to support young goalies is to 1) Make sure they play every time they come to the rink; and 2) Share the net. Splitting games between two goalies not only ensures more playing time but also reduces the pressure kids feel, especially at the younger ages, along with the opportunity to get feedback.

"They get to share that burden with a buddy," Thompson said. "It makes it a lot easier mentally to decompress all the pressure that comes with the position."

At younger ages, USA Hockey encourages alternating goalies every half-period or period, rather than full games, to allow for more frequent learning moments and feedback. Young goalies should not be coming to the rink to sit on the bench all game.

"Anytime a hockey player goes to the rink, they should play hockey," said Thompson. "Kids sitting on the bench because it's 'not their turn' is something that other sports see as unthinkable.

“Like when we talk to other NGBs, whether it's baseball or football or soccer and we say kids drive to the rink and then they just sit on the bench and watch their friends because it's not their turn. They think it's child abuse. They can't believe that we've gotten away with this culture. We’re really trying to make sure that you have at least two goalies on your team and every single time you go to the hockey rink as a youth hockey player, you play.”

READ MORE: Goalie Change: Taking a new approach to goaltending development

Encouraging Multi-Position, Multisport Play

Better athletes make better hockey players. Better hockey players make better goaltenders.

"The best goalies in the world are hockey players that happen to play goalie," Thompson said. "We want kids playing all positions as long as possible to develop a true feel for the game."

Ideally, we should encourage multiple positions until 14U before fully committing to goalie as their primary position.

“Playing out is so important. The best goalies in the world understand the game of hockey. They're hockey players that happen to play goalie. And I think too much of our country right now is goalies that just happen to play hockey,” Thompson said. “The only way to understand what that forward's going to do is if you’ve lived in their skates long enough to anticipate what they or what your defender's likely to do or not likely to do. In our goaltending courses, we say specialization means playing no other sports playing no other position. If your kid's going to be a full-time goalie at 12, then make sure they're playing other sports. Make sure they're focused on other things.”

Coach Every Kid

Attention from coaches makes a huge difference.

"Just checking in with goalies—'Nice save! What are you going to do differently next time?'—shows them they belong," Thompson said.

Coaches are encouraged to take advantage of USA Hockey’s Bronze-level goaltending modules to better understand how to support goalies, even if they’ve never played the position themselves.

“Every coach should have the basic knowledge to develop the goaltender.”

READ MORE: Goalies should not be shut out from coaching

Smiles Per Hour

Finally, remember that development matters more than statistics.

"Smiles per hour should be the statistic," Thompson said. "If kids are smiling when they leave the rink, you're doing it right."

Instead of worrying about save percentage, shutouts, wins, and so on, let’s focus on fun and development. After all, the goaltending position produces some amazing people.

“If you look at the pressure that's in the position and what that leads to away from the game, so many former goalies are lawyers, leaders in their community, leaders in business,” Thompson said. “There's something about that position that lends itself to all these qualities — these are things that any parent would be proud of.”