ADM Kids

What we think of as universal truths about goaltenders don’t hold up to scrutiny.

No, not all of them are quirky or superstitious.

No, they aren’t necessarily less athletic than skaters nor does one size define the position.

But there is one thing that does hold true across all levels: Every hockey goalie had to start somewhere, and their stages of development along the ways are critical to success.

Their evolution has different markers at different youth age groups. Steve Thompson, USA Hockey’s Manager of Goaltending Development since 2019, recently shared some age-specific goaltender development tips.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways for the 6U/8U levels:

A lot of players at this level haven’t been on skates for very long and are learning basic hockey fundamentals.

Adding a dimension like an entirely new position with different equipment can be daunting, which is why Thompson stresses keeping the idea of trying goalie as pressure-free as possible.

“We're not trying to put too much pressure on them,” he says of 6U and 8U players. “We're just trying to introduce the position to them slowly and celebrate all the great things that come with the goalie position.”

To do that, Thompson says he strongly encourages the use of Quick Change goalie equipment at the youngest levels. That type of gear slips on and off over regular equipment easily, allowing many different players to rotate in at goalie during a practice or game.

“One of the bigger benefits to that is it's really non-committal, and there's a lot of fear that comes with that position, especially when you're playing games,” Thompson says. “By being able to be goalie for two or three shifts and then be able to go back and score some goals, that's really what we're looking for at that age group.”

Rotating many different players through the position has multiple benefits, including the possibility of scoring what Thompson calls the “Goalie Howe Hat Trick.” Unlike the old-school Gordie Howe Hat Trick for which it is modeled after (a goal, an assist and a fight), the amended version replaces the fight with a save at goalie.

“We've seen some associations that create a little sticker that celebrates the Goalie Howe Hat Trick to see which 6U and 8U kids can get the most stickers on their helmet by the end of the season,” he says. “In our minds, the perfect 6U and 8U experience is that you play all three positions every single time you go to the rink.”

Doing so creates more well-rounded players in the long run, Thompson says.

“Just from a long-term athlete development perspective, we really want the kids to play all three positions so that if they do decide to specialize later in life, then they understand the game of hockey better,” he says. “They're better play readers and they can communicate to their teammates better because they've been in those roles before.”

Giving a lot of different young players a chance to try goalie at the youngest ages also can help an association avoid having a goalie shortage in future years.

“If you only give the opportunity to one or two kids in a birth year and you know, for whatever reason they move towns or they decide to like soccer more or whatever else, then they get a massive shortage in the position,” Thompson says. “We really start to narrow that pyramid at the base so early and we just don't have the numbers later.”

As with most lessons at this age group and across youth hockey in general, it all comes back to keeping things fun. Thompson said some young goalies at that age like to have custom pad stickers of their favorite NHL team or superhero to keep things fun.

But mostly it’s about emphasizing the things that are inherently enjoyable about the position without having kids dwell on the idea that allowing goals lets their team down – a pressure that can keep young players from wanting to try playing goalie in the first place.

“I think naturally it's a pretty exciting position. Kids love making saves. They love butterflies, because they think it's fun to take on that challenge,” Thompson said. “If it's practice, everyone is excited to try it but in the real game on Saturday morning nobody wants to do it anymore because they’re afraid of letting their buddies down. So if everybody's sharing that responsibility and keeping it fun, that's a benefit.”