How Youth Hockey Coaches Should Include Goalies in Practice

Most youth hockey coaches care about their goalies. The problem is not effort. The problem is planning.

In too many practices, goalies are treated like equipment. They stand in the net, face a stream of shots, get very little feedback, and are expected to “just stop the puck” while every other player works through a designed skill objective.

That is not fair to the goalie. It is also not good for the team.

Goalies are not separate from player development. They are part of it. When goalies are included properly, shooters get better, defenders get better, rebound habits improve, communication improves, and practices become more game-like.

The Common Problem: Goalies Become Targets

The most common mistake in youth hockey practice is using the goalie only as a shooting target. A line of players skates in, shoots, misses, retrieves the puck, and goes back in line. The shooter may get a rep. The goalie often gets chaos.

That kind of drill usually creates several issues:

• The goalie has no time to reset.
• Shots come from unrealistic angles or distances.
• Players shoot without looking for rebounds.
• There is no screen, pass, movement, or read.
• The goalie gets tired but not necessarily better.
• Confidence can drop quickly when the drill becomes a shooting gallery.

Goalies need repetition, but repetition alone is not enough. They need reps with purpose.

Start With a Better Goalie Warmup

A goalie warmup should help the goalie feel the puck, track shots, move into position, and build confidence. It should not be a competition to see who can pick corners before the goalie is ready.

Better goalie warmup rules

• Start with controlled shots from reasonable distance.
• Shoot to pads and body early, not immediately high glove or blocker.
• Let the goalie see the puck.
• Give the goalie enough time to reset between shots.
• Add movement gradually.
• Tell shooters the purpose of the warmup.

The warmup is not for shooters to show how hard they can shoot. It is for the goalie to get ready to practice.

Build Goalies Into Team Drills

Most team drills can include goalies better with small adjustments. You do not need to stop practice and run full goalie-specific training. You just need to make the goalie’s role intentional.

When running shooting drills

• Add a pass before the shot so the goalie has to move.
• Require shooters to shoot with their head up.
• Build in rebound responsibility.
• Have the next shooter wait until the goalie resets.
• Tell shooters where to shoot during warmup reps.

When running small-area games

• Let goalies play live, but keep shifts short.
• Encourage rebound battles without crashing recklessly.
• Make players retrieve pucks quickly so goalies stay engaged.
• Use small games that create traffic, tips, lateral movement, and second chances.

When running defensive-zone drills

• Include goalie communication as a teaching point.
• Have defenders box out after shots.
• Teach players to clear sticks and rebounds.
• Give goalies a chance to track through traffic.

The best team drills help everyone. Goalies should never be an afterthought.

Give Goalies Time to Reset

One of the simplest ways to improve goalie development is to slow down the shooting sequence. That does not mean the practice becomes slow. It means the goalie gets enough time to recover, find the puck, and prepare for the next rep.

Rapid-fire shooting might look energetic, but it often teaches bad habits. Goalies start guessing, scrambling, and reacting from poor positions. Shooters also stop thinking and simply fire pucks.

A better rep gives both the shooter and goalie a real hockey problem to solve.

Teach Shooters to Help Goalies Develop

Shooters are part of goalie development. A coach can improve goalie reps by teaching skaters how to shoot with purpose.

That means shooters should understand when to:

• Hit the goalie during warmup.
• Shoot low for rebounds.
• Change the angle before shooting.
• Wait for the goalie to reset.
• Create traffic without running the goalie.
• Follow their shot for a second chance.

This helps the goalie, but it also develops better shooters. Players learn that scoring is not only about shooting hard. It is about reading the goalie, changing angles, creating rebounds, and making the next play.

Give Goalies Feedback They Can Use

A non-goalie coach does not need to teach advanced goalie mechanics. But every coach can give useful feedback.

Useful goalie feedback

• “Great job tracking that puck through traffic.”
• “Take your time to reset before the next shot.”
• “Nice compete on the rebound.”
• “Good communication with your defense.”
• “Stay with it. That was a tough second chance.”

Feedback to avoid

• “You have to stop that.”
• “Don’t let those in.”
• “Why did you go down?”
• “Just cover the puck.”

Goalies already know when the puck goes in. They do not need obvious criticism. They need specific coaching, confidence, and a next rep.

Simple Practice Templates That Include Goalies

Template 1: Team Practice With One Goalie

Template 2: Team Practice With Two Goalies

Template 3: No Goalie Coach Available

How to Include Young or New Goalies

Young goalies need encouragement, safety, and manageable reps. If a player is new to the position, do not throw them into high-speed drills immediately and expect them to figure it out.

For new goalies:

• Start with predictable shots.
• Avoid heavy traffic early.
• Keep shots low and controlled at first.
• Celebrate saves, tracking, and effort.
• Let them reset without pressure.
• Keep the experience positive enough that they want to try again.

The goal is not to create a finished goalie in one practice. The goal is to make the position feel learnable.

What Goalies Need From Team Coaches

Goalies need to know they are part of the team’s development plan. They need coaches who see them, talk to them, and plan for them.

That means:

• Include them in teaching moments.
• Give them feedback beyond goals against.
• Protect them from reckless traffic.
• Teach players how to screen and battle without running them.
• Give them meaningful reps during team drills.
• Ask them what they saw during defensive-zone work.

A goalie who feels included will usually compete harder, communicate more, and stay more engaged. A goalie who feels ignored may simply survive practice.

Recommended Next Shift Hockey Resources

Use these pages to build better practices around your goalies and skaters: