Goalie skating is often taught as if the objective is simply to move faster. Although that is a great outcome, it is not the only objective. The goal is to become more efficient: recognize the play sooner, begin moving sooner, arrive under control and stop in a position that allows the goaltender to immediately respond to whatever happens next.
This approach to movement does not look at the feet in isolation.
Tracking and posture affects movement. How quickly a goalie recognizes what is happening affects movement. Positioning, depth and the ability to stay balanced all determine what movement is actually required.
- A goalie who sees the play earlier does not need to push harder. They can start sooner.
- A goalie with good posture can react immediately instead of first having to reorganize their body.
- A goalie who understands how to stop properly can arrive balanced and immediately move again instead of making another adjustment before the next play.
Those small differences are what make a goalie look fast.
These sessions will focus specifically on those connections: skating mechanics, posture, tracking, starts, stops, transitions, balance and how each applies to actual goaltending situations. It will be a skating session, but it will not simply be an hour of skating drills. The objective is for each goalie to understand why they are moving, how to make that movement more efficient and where that efficiency creates an advantage in the game.
- U12 and Younger Goalies:
- U13 and Older Goalies:
About Charlie
Charlie McTavish currently works in Scouting & Development with the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL and has spent more than 20 years developing goaltenders across minor hockey, major junior, Hockey Canada, the AHL and NHL. He spent three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes organization in goaltending development while also coaching with the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL, and has previously worked within Hockey Canada’s U17 and U18 programs.
Movement has long been one of Charlie’s primary coaching specialties. His work focuses on how skating mechanics, posture, tracking, positioning and play recognition connect, with an emphasis on helping goaltenders move more efficiently rather than simply move faster.
Throughout his career, Charlie has worked with goaltenders ranging from developing minor hockey players to elite international and professional athletes, including Andrei Vasilevskiy, Olympic gold medalist Geneviève Lacasse and AHL All-Star Matt Villalta.