AAA Goalies

Vinko Bogataj · Post by **Vinko Bogataj** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:40 am

Wondering what AAA programs offer for goaltender development. My son plays in a program that offers us about 10 goaltender specific sessions either within our team practices or another level practice. Goalies get below a blue line for work at about a 4:1 GT/Coach ratio for 2/3 of practice, then get some practice action. Goalie coach is a solid, played college at a high level. In our regular/non-goaltender session practices, the goalies get some but not a lot of instruction (any work is good work generally I know). We really like our goalie sessions (and the coach) and so far the program, but for the coin I lay out I am wondering what the best programs for/what else is out there for goalie development and what other AAA teams offer. Also, hear about the Blades, Machine et. al and wondered how those teams pick kids/handle goalies. Am new to AAA so please don't club me over the head with snarky comments, just trying to educate myself. Thanks!

P.S. Pre-emptive comment- we called the Wolfpack, but didn't know the secret password and later found out Gump Worsley and Tretiak's daughters lovechild already had the spot.

jpiehl · Post by **jpiehl** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:43 am

Realistically, if you are truly looking for goalie development, your money is better spent on goalie training than AAA hockey. AAA is fun for them, but it isn't generally the best return on investment for the goalie outside of the fun. That said, I do know the the MN Black Bears have a good goalie development program with Dave Rogalski as part of the program.

MnMade-4-Life · Post by **MnMade-4-Life** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:59 am

I agree with jp. AAA is not the place to find goalie specific training ... unless you fall into a special situation. But it is definately the exception, not the norm.

From what I've heard around the rinks ... these two are very well respected.
M.E.G.A. out of super rink
Devinir out of Mn Made

also, any 3v3 league for the "live-action" ... typically see upwards of 40-50 shots per game.

... for what it's worth anyways.

Vinko Bogataj · Post by **Vinko Bogataj** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 1:42 pm

jpiehl wrote:Realistically, if you are truly looking for goalie development, your money is better spent on goalie training than AAA hockey. AAA is fun for them, but it isn't generally the best return on investment for the goalie outside of the fun. That said, I do know the the MN Black Bears have a good goalie development program with Dave Rogalski as part of the program.

Thanks for your reply. I should have mentioned in my original post that we are indeed doing our own outside goalie training. AAA we are playing for more fun/action, but if I can get more bang for my buck on the instruction side...well, I'd be interested in seeing who does what elsewhere. That said, sounds like we actually have a pretty good deal in place judging from early returns. I guess I'm more curious what other programs do/offer than anything else. Like I said, so far we like our program, the coaching and what they've offered thus far. Appreciate the thoughts.

jpiehl · Post by **jpiehl** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:02 pm

Vinko Bogataj wrote:
jpiehl wrote:Realistically, if you are truly looking for goalie development, your money is better spent on goalie training than AAA hockey. AAA is fun for them, but it isn't generally the best return on investment for the goalie outside of the fun. That said, I do know the the MN Black Bears have a good goalie development program with Dave Rogalski as part of the program.
Thanks for your reply. I should have mentioned in my original post that we are indeed doing our own outside goalie training. AAA we are playing for more fun/action, but if I can get more bang for my buck on the instruction side...well, I'd be interested in seeing who does what elsewhere. That said, sounds like we actually have a pretty good deal in place judging from early returns. I guess I'm more curious what other programs do/offer than anything else. Like I said, so far we like our program, the coaching and what they've offered thus far. Appreciate the thoughts.

No problem. Most of the AAA programs will give you a handful of goalie specific sessions, and the rest of the time the only real benefit will be from seeing a higher quality shot than they may be used to and learning to adjust to that. But goalies are generally expected to already be at that level for AAA, and development is kind of a secondary thought, while the players tend to get more attention for development in a AAA environment.

Another Goalie Dad · Post by **Another Goalie Dad** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:08 pm

I agree with the other replies. My Son is now a goaltender in high school and AAA hockey is in the rear view mirror. When he was in youth hockey, he played everything from AAA, High Performance 15, 3x3. At the AAA level we had several programs inquiry about him playing for them and learned not everyone is truly focused on goalie skill development. He had a fun experience and played against some good competition. Unfortuanatley, you'll need to open the wallet and look for goalie specific training. I do feel 3x3 was good for him. He continues to play 3x3 and focuses on goalie only training now. Besides seeing LOTS of shots in 3x3, the small area aspect helped on developing his quickness and recovery. Good luck. It is a fun and expensive journey.

JSR · Post by **JSR** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:17 pm

MnMade-4-Life wrote:I agree with jp. AAA is not the place to find goalie specific training ... unless you fall into a special situation. But it is definately the exception, not the norm.

From what I've heard around the rinks ... these two are very well respected.
M.E.G.A. out of super rink
Devinir out of Mn Made

also, any 3v3 league for the "live-action" ... typically see upwards of 40-50 shots per game.

... for what it's worth anyways.

Totally agree with the 3on3 comment. I run a winter 3on3 deal for kids on Sundays for those who want to skate a little more. We usually play the "check up" style of 3on3 where both teams face one goalie on one half of the ice. I started tracking shots on goal. During a one hour session we play 6 periods of hockey, each period 7.5 minutes each. Line switches every 45 seconds via a horn sound. Kids play fast and hard. So anyway I started tracking shots on goal for our goalies who were playing with us and on AVERAGE our Squirt and Pee Wee goalies were facing roughly 150 shots per sessions over the six periods. And those shots were coming fast and furious as that type of hockey encourages. Goalie parents that participate are extremely happy and they tell me with frequency that their kids come off those sessions sweatier and having worked harder than anything else they do. Couple that with a good goalie coach/goalie training sessions and you've got a good recipe for building good goalies IMHO. Just my two cents

InThePipes · Post by **InThePipes** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 4:02 pm

Thanks for your reply. I should have mentioned in my original post that we are indeed doing our own outside goalie training. AAA we are playing for more fun/action, but if I can get more bang for my buck on the instruction side...well, I'd be interested in seeing who does what elsewhere. That said, sounds like we actually have a pretty good deal in place judging from early returns. I guess I'm more curious what other programs do/offer than anything else. Like I said, so far we like our program, the coaching and what they've offered thus far. Appreciate the thoughts.[/quote]

Also, I'm not sure about the 2003 level, but as you child gets older most of the teams will carry two goalies so your son may only play 2 games on a tournament weekend. So factor that into your decision too and this is another reason why 3X3 may be more bang for your buck (and fun) than being on a AAA team.