Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey

New goaltending initiative designed to improve U.S. goaltending from top to bottom

Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey
Fenton native Drew DeRidder at the Warren Strelow Camp. (Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey)

 

By @MichaelCaples –

PLYMOUTH – Fifty-one percent of the minutes played in NHL games in 2030.

That’s the goal for USA Hockey’s new goaltending initiative – American-born goalies claiming more minutes between the pipes than any other country.

“We want 51 percent of the minutes played in the NHL to be played by Americans,” said Phil Osaer, USA Hockey’s American Development Model manager for youth goaltending programs. “We don’t want it to be the goalies in the NHL, because we want our goalies starting in the NHL. We know that all great benefits will be in the wake of that with NCAA goalies and USHL goalies. We’re looking at that, and we truly believe it’s an attainable goal.”

Osaer, a Livonia native and Ferris State alum, and USA Hockey announced the new initiative last week – one that will bring goaltending development coordinators to each region of the country to help at the grassroots level.

The ninth annual Warren Strelow National Goaltending Camp – designed to aid the nation’s elite young goaltenders – served as a perfect launching point for #51in30 initiative, as some of the top goalie minds from the United States gathered in Plymouth.

“When I was hired I started to research what Finland and what Sweden have done as nations with smaller enrollments but have done a good job of developing goalies,” Osaer, who joined USAH last September, told MiHockey during the camp. “One thing we found as a common theme is that they have people in each area that are in charge of goalie development. What we wanted to do was have affiliates nominate, so each affiliate nominated people, and then we went through an interview process, some affiliates had their board of directors do that vetting process and then submit names to us. What these people will do is that they will be out in the field, and they’ll be conducting student coaching clinics, they’ll be reaching out to associations to see what their goalie development culture is, if they need help with it, if they want help.

“We will create a goalie development model that affiliate development coordinators can give to them, and they can come and do coaching clinics and then hand them a structure that’s step-by-step, it’ll help improve the goalie culture. Ultimately we want the goaltending culture to be improved, eliminate coaches who kind of want to wash their hands of it, and empower them to coach their goalies every single day. In my opinion, it’s the most basic position in the game, we need to understand that and embrace it and help all those kids.”


Photos by Michael Caples/MiHockey

Former NHL and Olympic goaltender Darren Eliot – currently a Red Wings analyst with Fox Sports Detroit – will serve as Michigan’s development coordinator. Osaer was on Eliot’s goaltending school staff 20 years ago, and the two have worked together ever since.

“From a USA Hockey perspective, you’re trying to standardize, you’re trying to roll it out so there’s consistency in terms of teaching, all the way from the grassroots level on up,” Eliot said. “And that means the mite hockey where they’ve addressed some of the issues with right-sizing the nets, they have the new equipment that’s easy to put on for the kids, so you don’t forget about goaltending as a position until you turn into a squirt.

“More than that, it’s just to make sure the people who are in the rinks have support in terms of what to teach young goaltenders. You still have to let it happen organically. I’m a big believer for any position in hockey, discovery’s a huge part, letting them find out on their own. But from a coaching standpoint, we’re here to try to let the coaches know what they can do and not have this mystique of, ‘I don’t know anything about goaltending.’ You probably know more than you think.”

Osaer stressed that he has been more than pleased with plenty of youth goaltending situations across the country. The ADM goaltending director simply wants to provide more support for associations through the new initiative, and make sure goalies are getting every opportunity possible for their development.

“One of the things that I found as I traveled around when I first started was that there are a lot of people doing good things, a lot of great goalie coaches in our country doing great things,” Osaer said. “What we want to do is to fill in the gaps and we want to create accountability between goalie coaches and coaching staffs at the youth level. A coaching staff in the NHL or the AHL – those goalie coaches are working with their staff, they are integral parts, and there is a lot of communication. We want to create that environment at the youth level, so that these goalie coaches who are doing great things with their goalies, they’re making sure that the time they leave the goalie coach until the next time they come back isn’t wasted, and there is coach integration, there are drill suggestions, and those are all things we’re going to provide. We want to empower the goalie coaches to take one more step forward and the head coaches and assistant coaches to do the same.”