Minnesota Hockey is moving in the right direction when it comes to goalie development.  

There are now programs in place for developing goalies and educating youth hockey coaches on how they can do a better job of teaching goalies the proper fundamentals. 

For the last two years, Steve Carroll, USA Hockey's Minnesota  District Goalie Coach-in-Chief, has traveled throughout the state providing two-hour goalie coaching clinics for youth hockey coaches.

In 2010, goalie coaching clinics were held in Litchfield, Delano, Forest Lake and Hermantown. At the clinics, coaches were taught effective ways to help development today's goalies.

Following a classroom presentation, coaches took the ice and had an opportunity try some basic goalie-specific movements and techniques as well as watch youth hockey goalies demonstrate a vareity of drills.

The message delivered to the coaches was to encourage them to change the way they do business so they make goalies first. The clinics have been very well recieved.

GOALIE COACHING WORKSHOPS

In 2010, USA Hockey/Minnesota Hockey goalie coaching workshops were at St. Louis Park Rec Center and South St. Paul's Wakota Arena.

These workshops included a three-hour classroom presentaion followed by a one-hour on-ice demonstration session. Coaches earned their USA Hockey Level 3 recertification or a skills workshop sticker by attending. More than 50 coaches participated in these workshops.

DAVE PETERSON ADVANCED GOALIE CAMP

Minnesota Hockey’s Dave Peterson Advanced Goalie Camp has turned into a solid development program that goalies want to attend and our top coaches want to be a part of.

The 2011 goalie camp is scheduled for July 28-31 at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine. Goalies will be invited to participate based on their play in the Minnesota Hockey Advanced 15-16-17 Festivals which are held in the spring.

In 2010, 50 high school goalies from around the state attended the Dave Peterson Camp. We had 17 different college/high school goalie coaches sharing their expertise with the participants.

We also had four current college goalies serve as counselors and on-ice demonstrators. It was great combination of talent that made for our best camp to date. I hope we can continue to build on the program which was created in 2005 to help meet the skill development needs of goalies in the 15-to 18-year-old range.  

Past Dave Peterson participants include several goalies now playing in the WCHA including Mike Lee, Roseau, St. Cloud State; Austin Lee, Bloomington, Minnesota State-Mankato; Nikki Kaasa, St. Cloud, Wisconsin. 

At least one other participant is on his way to playing Division I hockey. Zane Gothberg from Thief River Falls High School plans to play at the University of North Dakota after finishing his career in the USHL. Gothberg was named 2010 Minnesota High School senior goalie of the year.

Many other participants are enjoying successful high school and collegiate careers. 

GOALIE PAGE

Minnesota Hockey has a goalie page on its website at www.minnesotahockey.org.

There are a number of resources available here for goalies and coaches including drills, videos, and a current list of Minnesota goalies playing college hockey.