Development Leagues

It is important for all goaltender to find the right path for their success whether it is the route of major junior hockey or the NCAA division I or II

In order to make the jump to major junior the process must be made at a young age, there is a 15 year old draft that takes players based on skill and potential at a young age, this route is the quickest step for players looking to make it the NHL, however it is not always the best. Very few goaltenders are drafted in the NHL these days as they can be found through free agency and teams in the NHL like to have more developed goaltenders rather than take a chance on a young kid.
Here are some of the statistics of goaltender league in major junior
OHL goalie stats

WHL goalie stats

QMJHL goalie Stats

The alternate route for goaltenders to take is the route of junior "A" and then on to the NCAA, the benefits of this route is that it allows goaltenders to mature into the goaltenders they are instead of a team taking a chance on potential. This path can be difficult as there are many different junior routes to take one to the NCAA. An added benefit is the education factor. The best leagues that allow for such routes is the USHL or the BCHL in which most players are committed out of each year.

BCHL goalie stas

USHL goalie stats

This route is the most competitive league for goaltenders as it has a plethora of prospects playing here as a stepping stone to the NCAA

NCAA goalie stats

Hall of Fame Goaltenders

Throughout the ages there have been numerous goaltenders to make a staple in the hockey world

Jacques Plante for example was the first goaltender to ever wear a mask in the NHL. Something we would see today as being unheard of, as goaltenders are forced to wear protective equipment
Jacques Plante Wiki Page

Glenn Hall played for the Chicago Blackhawks and earned the Iron Man award in for NHL goalies with 502 consecutive games played. Unheard of in todays game and a feat that will never be matched as goaltenders never play more than 15 or 20 consecutive games in a season let alone 502.
Glenn Hall Wiki Page

Georges Vezina was a goaltender who played in the early 20s for the Montreal Canadiens, the award for the best goaltender in the NHL is named after him. Vezina had a tragic story as he died of tuberculosis and had a rather short NHL career.
Georges Vezina WIki

Youtube Interview

Johnny Mueller Interview Discussing Goaltending

Vezina Trophy

The NHL season has just begun and a few goalies have begun making their statement as Goaltender of the year, who do you think will be the winner of this years Vezina, take a look at the highlights so far.

Carey Price - Montreal Canadiens
5-0-0
1.40 Goals Against Avg.
.954 Save Percentage

Devyn Dubnyk - Minnesota Wild
5-1-1
1.43 Goals Against Average
.952 Save Percentage

Cam Talbot - Edmonton Oilers

7-2-0

2.16 Goals against Average 

.934 Save Percentage 

Who do you think will win?

Skating drills

Skating is a fundamental part of being a goaltender. It is often said goaltenders must be the best skates on your team. Here are some drills which can help improve your skating as a young goaltender

This video shows a more experienced goaltender using power slides to move across and seal the ice

Both of these videos show important and even team Canada goalies use C-cuts as a fundamental movement in becoming a goaltender. 

Kenesky

Hockey is a staple in Canada and one of the best places to learn to become a goaltender is at Kenesky's in Burlington Ontario.

At Kenesky's you will learn how to become a goaltender on and off the ice with off ice conditioning as well as on ice specialists helping you become a better goaltender.


 Register for Kenesky Lessons here

Box Control

In the recent years goaltending has developed in a way in which were seeing smaller goaltenders. The reason for this is the understanding of box control which is the net within the net. Kinda confusing? Here is a video to help understand. 

As you can see the trajectory of the puck is from the ice therefore looking at what our eye see's and what the puck sees is different. Goalies use this box control in order to take up the most amount of room without necessarily being a big person. The difference in seeing the puck and what the puck sees is called the shooters illusion. Take a look at the difference

As you can see the shooters view sees more of the left side of the net while the puck shows very little room on that side, this is where box control comes into place in playing the net in front of you and not necessarily what the shooter is playing.