WGMHA Goaltender Development Pathway
WGMHA has partnered with SHFT Hockey and its Head Coach, Jory Elliott, to deliver an organization-wide Goaltender Development Pathway (see the
program pamphlet), aimed at achieving key metrics for the organization in that area of player development.
The multi-year plan will put WGMHA at the forefront of goaltender and coach development in the female game, commencing with tryouts in the spring of 2023.
The core outcomes of the partnership are aimed at increasing participation, extending playing careers, generating more homegrown elite level talent, and creating a coaching culture that nurtures goaltending.
The ways in which these outcomes will be achieved is through a robust and inclusive plan, including U9 to U22 goaltenders and coaches.
To start the season, an Introduction to Goaltending clinic will take place, providing U9 & U11 players who would like to try goaltending under the guidance of professional coaches, the opportunity to do so. That will be followed by 10 development clinics, running weekly from October through December, that will invite those new goaltenders, along with those already playing the position at the U9 to U15 levels, the opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge under the guidance of elite level coaches.
A coaches clinic will take place, also at the start of the season, and will include both classroom and on-ice time for coaches to better understand the organization’s needs from top to bottom and showcase how easily goaltender development can be integrated into existing drills and practice plans to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
The High Performance Training Program will see an expanded reach, with an elite level goaltending coach running a training session weekly at team practice for Tiers 1 & 2, from U11 to U15, as well as Tier 1 at the U18 level, while U18 Tier 2 will see a modified delivery of this same program. Deliverables will include elite female coaching at at least one of those practices each month, as well as the creation of a yearly development plan for each goaltender, and game film analysis on a monthly basis for teams utilizing Hudl video analysis software.
Additionally, goaltenders at all levels will be educated about and provided guidance to help them realize and navigate the options that exist for them to advance to higher tiers of play, and to continue playing beyond their time in minor hockey.
Lastly, goaltenders participating at the elite levels of U15, U18 and U22, will be invited and trained to participate as coaches at clinics and team sessions, at levels appropriate to their knowledge and experience, thus generating the future stewards of elite level goaltender development for WGMHA.
