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Tips for your best Tryout 

1. BE ON TIME – ALWAYS

2. Show you are motivated to make the team through hard work (give you best effort every game & practice)

3. Battle to stop every puck & never give up on a shot, “ANYTIME”

4. Don't be intimidated by others.  Make sure you get your share of shots.  You need to warm up as much as the next guy/girl. But don’t be a “net hog”

5. Head up, shoulders square.  Project a confident image...even if you aren’t

6. Watch the body language...throwing your hands up on a goal, snapping your stick against the post, shrugging your shoulders or glaring at your defensemen DOES NOT earn you "brownie" points with the coaches

7. DO NOT shoot pucks at the boards or go into some elaborate skating drill while waiting for your turn to receive shots.  Simply grab a knee and wait or do a little stretching & WATCH THE SHOOTERS & the other goaltenders in net

8. RELAX

9. Listen more than you talk, especially in the dressing room

10. On the ice, be a loud communicator of traffic and situations for your D and supporter of your team mates

11. On the bench be “a team player”

12. Be intense but under control

13. DO NOT attempt to change your game from how you did things all season just because you're in a try-out

14. The number of goals you give up is not as important as WHY THE PUCK WENT IN

15. Even in warmup be enthusiastic & upbeat...a tryout is no place for negative talk (either self-talk or otherwise)
    

HAVE FUN! 

“SIZE" “SIZE” “SIZE"

<sub>Normally this is not a factor at a young age, but, unfortunately, as you move up the hockey chain, some coaches believe it is a factor. I have seen it creep into decisions at the U13 & U15 level and most certainly it becomes a major factor at U18.
But don’t despair. Not everyone grows at the same rate & oftentimes, those who are above average height at 12 – 14 years will not grow at the same rate as they get older or may even stop growing.  And those who are average height or less at those years will catch up or exceed the norm.
In any event, there is room for the smaller goaltender beyond Minor/Youth Hockey or High School.   And, there is still a place in Major Junior/Tier I for the smaller goaltender &, most certainly, the smaller goaltender can flourish at the Junior A or Junior B/Tier II level.

Beyond that, U Sport, NCAA, ECHL, AHL and European teams are options open to those who have the skill but do not achieve the "supposedly ideal" 6' 2" height for an NHL goaltender.  Understand, reaching the NHL is no easy task, even with the size factored in.
On any given night, there are only 64 goaltenders on NHL team game rosters and they come from every part of the world.  So, your competition is not only the kid on the next block or in the next town, but the kid playing minor hockey in Switzerland, Sweden, Finland or Germany or the US.</sub>

_{My advice to any goaltender, who is shorter in stature than your peers, is to not bury your dreams, but understand what your situation is and take steps to improve your chances at playing at a higher level (if that is truly what you want) by working on and improving those parts of your game to get you there.
So, here are some things you need to be to maximize your ability to compete at any level, no matter what your size.  If you are really motivated, you can likely achieve proficiency in a short period of time with the help of an experienced goaltending coach.}

_{- athletic (possess incredible agility, balance & co-ordination with speed) These elements can be developed away from the ice surface, but a certain amount requires on-ice time (see the next element below) *not all goaltenders will have the physiological capabilities to achieve a high level of athleticism.  So then, positioning becomes a much more important factor}

<sub>- a superior skater (a master at using inside edges to position, or reposition on skates in control and on balance)
Spend on ice time working on inside edge control, crease skating drills & team skating
- unmatched in lateral movement (controlled speed & power in lateral movements on skates or in a slide)
- a student of the game (watches games played at all levels; observing player tendencies and play patterns and how shots are generated and the locations in the defensive zone from which they originate)
- excellent at reading the shot release (using complete puck focus and shooter information such as hand/puck/shoulder position to determine height, velocity and shot location immediately as the puck is leaving the stick blade)</sub>

<sub>- near perfect at tracking shots (actually sees pucks make contact with their equipment (stick, pads etc.) & rebounds moving away from your equipment & can FIND the flight path of the puck through screens & front net traffic situations)
- a master at being patient & staying up and on skates (patient and confidently remaining on skates and only moves to make the save after the PUCK HAS LEFT THE STICK BLADE when the velocity & trajectory is known) The exception being close in, tight, shot situations where the higher percentage play is to use a down, butterfly or RVH, blocking position
- near perfect at positioning (an angle first mentality always. Plus proper depth whenever possible.  Must arrive "on time", every time, so feet are set and skates, hips & shoulders are square to the puck "BEFORE" the shot released – in the case of a lateral slide the same squareness must be prioritized)</sub>

_{- strong mentally (develop your mental toughness & “grit” to handle the ups & downs of goaltending)}

_{A few other non-technical, non-tactical necessary elements.}

has a “never give up” attitude  

ENJOYS PRACTICES AS MUCH AS THE GAME

The difference between something "good" and something "great" is attention to detail. 
Charles M. Swindoll

 
Yes, the attention to DETAILS require discipline. But, understand that, from attention to DETAILS (or not), you develop habits whether good or bad.  And that strong, good habits formed from mindful attention to DETAILS are the foundation of a successful, elite goaltender.   Yet, day in and day out, goaltenders neglect to pay attention to them.  Hopefully YOU are not among THOSE

(Before I begin, I want to emphasize that none of what I describe below is possible without the use of video) 

In our sport of hockey, it is common to lump shots on goal into one “basket”.  Of course, this is makes it easier to compare apples to apples (or goalie to goalie) without having to dig too deeply into any details. And, if you aren’t prepared to dig deeper, then this becomes your only means to determining a goaltender’s save efficiency.  After all, there was a shot, and the goaltender prevented it from entering the net.  Simple, right? But really, these stats are just numbers and have relatively little significance to what happened.  For example, I saw this article in our local newspaper a short time ago that a particular goaltender has a .917 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average.  Most everyone will look at these numbers & will either agree or disagree that the numbers are good or as good as or worse than so & so goaltender.

But, as I said right off the top, not all shots are equal.  So, let’s take a closer look at shots on net.  Recorded shots (which are not terribly accurate at any level) can be from any location on the ice.  For example, it might be a clearing attempt from the opposite end of the ice, or a dump in from the neutral zone. Or it could come from any point in the defending zone (and, sometimes, even from below goal line).

And this is where things get a little tricky. Because, for a true evaluation of a goaltender’s performance every shot should carry some “weight” or quality depending on the circumstances surround the shot. For example. Does a clear-sighted shot from the perimeter (outside the scoring box) have the same degree of difficulty for the goaltender as a shot from the low slot? Is a shot from a net drive equal to a wraparound attempt?  Where does a slot line possession carry inside the scoring box stack up against a breakaway? How about a one timer from inside the scoring box where the pass crosses the slot line? How about a 2 on 1 and the puck carrier shoots? How about a 2 on 1 where the puck carrier passes & his partner shoots?  And the shot from the point with a static screen, moving screen or layered screen? Etc. Etc. By the way, we could throw in 5 on 5 shots versus penalty kill situations, but let’s not complicate things further.

It is not that easy then to evaluate a goaltender’s true performance just simply based on a save percentage (shots minus goals divided by shots)

If you are a hockey fan, this information is probably more than adequate.  But if you are a coach or recruiter or scout, you need to dive a little more deeply into the quality of shots on net to really understand just how efficient a goaltender really is. Otherwise, you might be shortchanging one goaltender over another.  

Put in the work - Every day

  
"List 6 things you feel a goaltender must have or develop as they move up those three levels”.  Obviously, there are others, but these were the first that came to mind for the coach & goaltender 
 
(Coach Perspective) 
 
- need to develop their anticipation of play in the defensive zone 
- ability to recognize and be able to react to opposition systems such as (PP) zone entries etc. 
- excellent rebound control 
- ability to find loose pucks in traffic (the amount of front net traffic increases as you move up each level) 
- the physical strength to handle traffic to fight for loose pucks when play is in tight to the net (not only is there more front net traffic, but the players get bigger as you move up each level) 
 
(A goaltender's perspective) 
 
- able to balance (time management) all facets of their life 
- keep the different aspects of their life separate (hockey time is hockey time, study time is study time, off ice training time is off ice training time etc.) 
- confidence in their skills (confident that all the work & practice will make for a successful transition to the game) 
- a short memory (live the game in the present) 
- deep motivation to succeed  
- knows game time is battle time 
 
I think you can see, from the responses, there are some key things you need to understand about moving from level to level.  One thing, I would like to add is "SPEED".  Everything gets faster moving from level to playing level...shots travel faster, passes are quicker, players skate faster, plays happen faster.  The whole game moves faster. 
 
And to quote the goaltender who helped me out, "many times, especially at the start of your first season at a higher level, it is as much about being able to "keep it all together" as it is about how well you stop a puck" 

Well, here we are again.  Back to practice only & games cancelled because of the virus.  Understanding this is incredibly disappointing for everyone in hockey, we

goaltenders need to turn this negative into a positive & look at this “hiccup” as an opportunity to really build the technical part of our game. This will all start with a  

commitment to “get better at getting better” & an understanding that even a 5% improvement in skills over this down time will translate into a substantial uptake in

your game play when the season resumes.

​​Before I move on to the best practice "practices", I want to emphasize that the saying "you play like you practice" is exactly true.... if you give your best effort in

practice, you'll do the same in the game; if you pay attention to details in practice, you will in a game.  For the goaltender, this so much more important because your

play, good or bad, can determine the outcome of a game.  Every goaltender needs to take responsibility for their development & engage in a certain amount of self-

coaching. Practice is the only opportunity a goaltender gets to really work on skill development.
 
So, here are best practice practices for goaltenders:

- prepare for the ice time: make sure your body is warmed up and stretched before you get on the ice.  Time on ice is meant for developing skills, not for warming

up and stretching

- drill explanations: potentially you DO NOT need to be at the board for every drill explanation (unless head coach insists) unless it involves breakouts, power play or

penalty kill.  So, ask head coach to signal you when these are up next, so you can jump in.  During these times, think about the role you could play in drill (don’t

hesitate to ask your coach how you could be a part of the drill, particularly in the case of a transition or zone exit). Use the times when drill explanations don’t

involve any of the above to work on some technical details... movements into & out of RVH, tracking pucks behind the net, using rink markings to find angle & depth,

etc. 
- have a plan for each practice: you need to go on the ice with a goal or an objective.  Otherwise, you will tend to just “float” through practice & come off ice without

really producing any positive result except for a bit of perspiration (maybe). Discuss this with your position/goaltending coach, if you have one, before going on the

ice.  Perhaps he/she has something in mind.  Or, if not, suggest something you want to improve on from your last game such as keeping your hands ahead of your

body in stance, keeping your stick on the ice and in your 5-hole.  Basically, anything you want to become better at

- get your skating in first: as soon as you step on the ice, take two HARD, QUICK LAPS AROUND THE ICE & head for a crease to work on footwork drills.  You need to

work on skating/footwork every practice.  Ask head coach first so he can keep one net clear from player shooting at the beginning of each practice

- puck tracking: from the time it leaves the shooter’s stick, as it comes into your body, and you smother it or catch it or direct the rebound away with your blocker,

pad or stick keep your eyes focused on & your nose pointed to the puck.  Remember puck tracking includes plays which cross behind the net below the goal line
 
- physically reposition on rebounds: if you cannot, (sometimes the spacing between shots does not permit time to physically reposition on rebounds) at least

continue to visually track pucks after you make the save 
 
- work on your in-game communication skills: vocalize information to your team-mates when the team is working power play or penalty kill or breakouts.  It will be

easier to transfer this skill to games if you have already practiced it.

  
- battle hard to stop every shot: even those you know you don't have a chance to stop.  Your team-mates will appreciate your effort when you challenge them (plus

it helps them improve their puck skills) & it will show your commitment to improving.  Secondly, your “battle mentality” will transfer to your game play & help you

make that "game saving" stop from time to time

- handle pucks every practice: make it a point to get out & stop, set, or play any rims or pucks that come near the net to get a feel of how you want to react in

different situations.  Better to make a mistake in practice, than in a game. (ask your coach to put a plan together with your teammates on how you should handle

rimmed pucks or dump-in situations to help your team make zone exits easier)

Enjoy your summer.  Prepare early & prepare well.  Next season is just around the corner!