I had the opportunity to be part of two USA Hockey goalie clinics this past weekend, one in Duluth and one in Brooklyn Park. The clinics were designed to teach youth hockey coaches of all skill levels how to effectively work with and develop goalies.
The clinics included a series of classroom presentations as well as an on-ice sessions where the coaches ran a goalie practice with drills they developed at the clinics. They also had a chance to try various goalie-specific skating movements.
Presenters included:
- Phil Osaer, USA Hockey ADM manger for goaltending
- Emily West, USA Hockey ADM manager for female hockey
- Paddy Elsmore, goalie coach for College of St. Scholastica women’s hockey team
- Justin Johnson, former University of Minnesota men’s goalie coach
- Brennan Poderzay, regional scout for USA Hockey’s National Development Program.
The clinics are latest in the series of initiatives focused on boosting the recruitment and development of goaltenders in Minnesota.
More than 60 coaches from Minnesota and Wisconsin attended the goalie coaching clinics.
