A good goaltender in ice hockey can be the most important player on the team. When a team finds itself getting outplayed, outskated and outshot, an outstanding goaltender can keep his team in the game and steal a win or two when his team is not playing well. One of the most overlooked characteristics of a goalie's game is his ability to skate. Drills to improve a goalie's skating will improve his ability on his feet, help him get to a loose pucks quicker and make him a more effective player.
Side Board Sprint
The side board sprint drill helps the goaltender work on his speed and skating confidence. In this drill, the coach will shoot the puck around the boards. He will set up two cones on the boards on the opposite side. As he shoots the puck in, the goalie will sprint toward the cones and then retrieve the puck after it stops. He will then shoot the puck out of the zone. The key is to go as fast as he can so he can mimic game conditions. Do this five times to the right and then five times to the left to improve skating speed.
W-Drill
A goaltender regularly depends on his agility when it comes to skating. Going forward and backward while moving up and down to stop pucks is essential. In this drill, the goalie starts at the left edge of the crease and moves forward 25 feet and then backward the same amount. He then goes to the right edge of the crease and skates 25 feet and back. This will resemble the letter W, which gives this skating exercise its name.
Triangle Agility Skating
Long skating is not a goaltender's forte, but he must be able to move quickly over short bursts. Set up three cones in the form of a triangle on the ice. Start at the first cone and sprint to the next cone 15 feet away. When you reach that cone, push off hard with your skates and go to the next cone. When you reach that cone, finish the last side of the triangle. Do five laps going left around the cones and then five laps going right.
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