The GTInsider newsletter is designed to give our subscribers, goaltenders, coaches, and parents a monthly dedicated resource to learn everything there is about goaltending. Each month GTI coaches, industry experts, partners, and goaltenders from various levels will deliver you goalie-specific content and insight on the latest trends of the position, information on how to develop your game both on and off the ice, tips on how to manage your crease, mind frame, body and exclusive looks on the latest gear.
Top 5 Ways to Develop Your Game Off the Ice
Train Smarter. Everyone wants to get better but not everyone puts the work into all the areas of their games to get the most out of themselves. Achieving greatness doesn’t happen overnight. It happens from consistently preparing, improving, and developing ALL areas of your game.
There is a big misconception in the hockey world that the only way to develop your game is to spend hours and hours exclusively on the ice. Although on ice goalie-specific training is important to developing the foundational skills required to play the position, this is only one part of your development. There are many ways you can enhance your on-ice performance that don’t require you to be on the ice.
Mobility & Flexibility Training
Mobility: refers to the ability of a joint to move freely through a range of motion.
Flexibility: pertains to the ability of your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to stretch effectively when needed.
As you can see, these are two different physical aspects but together they can maximize one’s physical abilities. We suggest seeking a specialist in this area to lead your training, especially because everyone’s body is different and will have different needs.
Vision Training
First and foremost, we suggest getting your eyes tested. You might not need glasses, but are your eyes moving and focusing properly? Do you have one eye that is stronger than the other? Knowing these things can help both you and your coaches in your training.
Vision training can be one of the most fun and engaging training you can do away from the ice. You get creative at home, using YouTube to gather ideas and drills, or an external resource like Vizual Edge.
Strength Training
Strength is the foundation of elite athleticism and a prerequisite to thriving at the professional and elite hockey levels. Strength provides the foundation for athletes to build the speed, agility, and power necessary for elite on-ice performance. Stronger, better-conditioned athletes can perform at a higher level longer, without breaking down over the course of a practice, game, and season.
Watching Hockey
To be the best goalie you can, you need to consistently be gathering and utilizing as much relevant information as you can and apply it to your own game. One of the best ways to become a better goaltender and develop your “hockey IQ” is by watching hockey games.
Shooting & Stick Handling
Strong puck handling goalies can nullify the ability to forecheck, create turnovers, and generate offense by the opposition. By stopping rimmed pucks, reading the play, and most importantly creating deception in their passing plays, goalies can contribute to puck possession and decrease defensive zone plays. These are skills that can be worked on almost anywhere. It is essential that goalies practice shooting and stickhandling at home.
Playoff Prep
Good goalies have great regular seasons. Great goalies have great playoffs!
Hockey goalies are different and come playoffs, they can be difference makers. Every year teams outperform expectations thanks to terrific play in net, while others fall flat when they don’t get saves.
There are serious differences between regular season and playoff hockey. When it comes to determining the most challenging playoffs in major sports, hockey playoffs stand out as a grueling test of skill, endurance, and mental fortitude. The high-pressure situations, must-win games, and the weight of expectations can affect a players’ focus and decision-making abilities. Hockey is a sport that demands split-second decisions, quick reactions, and the ability to perform under immense stress.
With the heightened expectations of playoff hockey, it is essential that goalies prepare properly.
Self Evaluation
Self evaluation is a personal check list of all the things you learned, are strong at, and the way you want to play. At this stage in the season, you should be ready to play at your best. If there are concerns with any part of your game, it’s up to you to put those doubts aside to have full confidence in yourself.
Dial in Game Plan
Having a game plan means being prepared for the most common scoring situations that we as goalies expect. Although this is more prevalent at higher ages and levels, all goalies can focus on their “details”. Things like scanning, consistent stance transitions, trusting your training, and being consistent with your save selections.
Proper Eating & Hydration Habits
Hockey is one of the most athletically and physically demanding sports on the planet. If the athlete wants to play at their best, they need to treat themselves like finely tuned, precision machines and that means fueling themselves as such.
Cut out the junk and stop with the high sugar drinks! You can’t expect to just eat a decent meal the night before a game and think it’s enough. It should be a focus days before. Proper fueling and hydration should be a life decision for an athlete who wants to perform at their best every day, but even more so come playoff time when we need to be even more dialed in.
Proper Sleep
Sleep is the time where our body repairs, grows, and the things we have learned in the day are ingrained into our memory. With amplified pressure in games and in practices, quick game turnaround times, and added stress it is essential that proper sleep is made a priority.
Game Prep Routine
Making sure that you are doing whatever you need to be ready to compete and perform at your best. Things to consider are properly fuelling and hydrating your body, stretching, sleep, and a solid pre-game warmup (physical, visual, mental).
Positive Visualization & Affirmations
Visualization and positive affirmations are used in all elite sports by athletes to both prepare mentally and improve their skills. Great performances start with self confidence and the belief from within.
TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
Performances of the Month
Mari Pietersen of Boston University (NCAA DI) has had a great second half to her sophomore season! This past month, Mari won “Hockey East Defender of the Week” after a 36 save 4-1 win over Providence where her team was heavily outshot! This season Mari has a 1.83 GAA and 0.920 SV% which includes recording back-to-back shutouts!
Rory Edwards Brown University (NCAA DI) has had a phenomenal sophomore season beating multiple highly ranked teams and establishing herself as one of the top goaltenders in the ECAC Division! This past month, Rory won “ECAC Goaltender of the Week” after a 26 save 3-0 shutout over Dartmouth and 3-1 win over Harvard!
Jonathan Frattaroli of the St Michael’s Buzzers (OJHL) went 3-0 this month with a 2.00 GAA, 0.927 SV% including a shutout. Jonathan’s latest win over the King City Rebellion helped the Buzzers clinch their 36th straight playoff appearance.
Owen Butler of the Alliston Hornets (PJHL) had another flawless month, going 4-0 with a 1.67 GAA, 0.945 SV%. This season, the Barrie Colts (OHL) draft pick has a perfect 18-0 record. Most recently, Butler was called up to play for the Collingwood Blues (OJHL) and posted a shutout on Feb 21st, making 20 saves in his Blues debut.
Nathan Boudreau of the Stayner Siskins (PJHL) has had a great start with his new team. This past month Nathan has a 5-2-2 record with a 1.50 GAA and 0.967 SV%
Ask The Coaches
What is your opinion on Spring Hockey?
This is probably the #1 question we get asked this time of year.
Before we get into this, let us first say that we realize and understand that sometimes you aren’t given a choice and team coaches and or dynamics force your hand. The opinions below are ours and for those who do have the option or want to put their foot down and say enough is enough.
So are we fans of it? NOPE!
In fact, for probably 90% of goalies it’s not needed at all.
Why do we feel that way and when can it be beneficial? Well, it depends on a few factors.
The main reason that we don’t think it’s needed for 90% of goalies is for managing workload and overall health. Looking at the year from the hockey world, spring is the time for rest and recovery. Not only for the body but for the mind as well. It is also the time when depending on the athlete’s age, the focus should start to shift after the rest phase, to one’s off-ice strength and offseason programming.
Our suggestion is that if your goalie played around 50% or more of their team’s game this season, then there isn’t a need to play more games or be a part of practices with little to no goalie support. Why do games not matter at this point? Well for starters, there has been no new skill development added to a goalie’s game that would benefit from additional games played from an application standpoint.
There is so much that you can do off the ice to elevate one’s game during this time and there are efficient and effective ways to start your offseason on-ice training if you just don’t want to completely step away from the ice for an extended period of time.
From the other side… When can it be beneficial?
Well for starters, if you are part of that 10% who didn’t play around 50% of your team’s games this season then getting your game time in during the spring is going to be beneficial for your overall development. The best teaching tool is actual playing time.
The other time when we believe that it can be a benefit is if you have an opportunity to play up a level or age group from your regular playing level. These two factors can test your skills set and can allow you to see how you measure up against those at a higher level or age.
There is no right or wrong decision, each family must make their own choices, and these are just our opinions and hopefully assist in your choice, if you have one.
If you have follow-up questions on this topic or would like to speak to us about your situation, we are more than happy to listen and discuss.
We want to hear from you!
Send us your questions or a topic you would like us to answer or discuss in an upcoming Insider.
Programs
Spring Specialized Skills Program (April & May)
NEW this year, our Spring Specialized Skills Program we will be introducing new Specialized Skill Sessions along with private lessons. This will allow goaltenders to pick and choose nights and skills they want to focus on.
Specialized Skill Sessions will include Stick Skills, Movement & Agility, and Tracking.
Summer Development Program (June, July & August)
Our Summer Development Program is our flagship program where we offer 12 weeks of dedicated, detailed, personal growth, and development. Stay tuned for more information and High-Performance application release.