Have a 10 yr old goalie and looking for opinions...should he play on a good team in good league or bad team in good league. I am thinking the more pucks he sees the better he will get but will it lead to frustration and confidence issues?

It depends on your kid, nobody can answer that question for you. Can you child keep it together if he's seeing 40 shots per game and giving up 10 goals and knowing the chance to win is really slim? If you put him on a .500 team, can he handle the tight losses or will that destroy his confidence? The chances on getting him onto a really strong team are slim as they aren't usually looking to change out kids but if you can, does the confidence he gets from winning most games while only facing 10 shots help him develop?

Are things to think about..who do they use for goalie skills, is it the same group you are using now? Do they even offer goalie skills and is it every goalie in the organization for 45 minutes or private/small group? Do any of the coaches on the prospective team have the ability to help develop your child or are they just shooting pucks at him?

Talk to your goalie coach, talk to your kid and use your parental instincts to make the decision you think is best.

not an easy answer. I have a 14 year old goalie about to embark on the prep school adventure. Started out on a very bad team and got hammered most of the games. but won the team a couple of games too. Moved to one of the better teams around and eventually got noticed. I would say the bulk of the progress came after the move to the better team. but it is also to do with the fact that this move also drove an attitude change from wanting to play goalie, to wanting to be a good/great goalie. With that change in attitude came more goalie skills, outside of the team environment. Which in turn drove the progress.

If he doesn't see quality shots in a bad league he won't get better. if he just gets hammered because there is no team in front of him in a good league he will not benefit. If he is on a great team with a stellar defense,that doesn't allow shots, it doesn't help his progress either. So the answer is it depends.

Definately a good team. The better the team the better for your goalie Here is why. If he is on a truley elite team he will play against top competition some time during the year by going to tournaments against top teams where the games will be tight and the challenges high. Most elite teams will play in 4 tournaments a year which can amount to 16-20 games. He will be challenged to make key saves in key parts of the game. The blowouts come in league play against weak teams. There are also competitive games in league play as well. On this type of team he will be challenged to play in many types of game situations. I am always watching the goalie on the winning side of a blow out. Is he still engaged mentally? Is he playing all the situations that come on him the right way or is he lazy? Believe it or not these will be things coaches look for They look for consistency in goaltenders because they want to know that chances are that they will get the same kid and game every night. The mental aspect and staying focused is huge as they get older

A 500 team is next best choice. He may not face the top competition and have the exposure but he will still see different types of games. Blow outs both ways and competitive games with pressure to perform

You don't want to be on a really bad team where your goalie faces 40-50 shots every game. First off he can get tired in the game and develop bad habits. Think about it. If you were to do a physical activity say run sprints for a long period of time your technique and form will become sloppy. Same thing with a young goalie. As they get tired they lose their form and technique. Finally there is never get any mental development and they never feel the stress of competition and need to make a big save in a key situation. After all what's the difference in a 10-1 loss or an 11 -1 loss? Nothing and it becomes nothing to the goalie as well

Finally practice against good players has its values too. If you practice with and against good players they will push you to be better.

Clearly goalie parents are the most sane of them all. Three solid responses already. Who would've thought?

First off, elite level goalies are at a premium at the younger ages. If you have a 10 year old goalie who is good, not decent, not slightly above average, but good, you will have been sought out by multiple tams in good leagues.

If I am reading between the lines you may have been asked to play for a good team and a bad team in a good league.

Obliviously the easiest answer is the good team, but do not discount the team chemistry, parents and coaching.

I would much rather have my kid on a team with good coaches, good kids and no locker room issues with a 500 record than a team in the same league that has a better record but a toxic locker room, or bad coaching, or bad parents.

In closing, if you have a good 10 year old goalie you are at an advantage and can pretty much pick where you want to play and should be able to get a hefty discount to boot !

I have a 10 yr goalie myself and he has been lucky enough to be on a 500 team. As a poster mentioned above he may not do a lot of high end tournaments but I think because he is in a lot of high pressure situations in a high percentage of their games it makes up for that. The boys win the games they should and compete really well with the better teams and on occasion beat them.

I think what is good for a goalie's development is to have good kids out in front of him. My son gains confidence if he makes a save and his teammates are there to clear the puck out and that's something he may not get on a bad team consistently. On the flip side he would get bored if he only 10 shots a game. He enjoys being the difference maker and having the game on his shoulders. He recently had a game where he saw 37 shots but the team lost 3-2 but he was fine with the loss cause he felt the team played great and he felt individually that he had a good game too so if you have a kid who can absorb those kinds of loses then I think a 500 team is the way to go. You just have to be honest with yourself about your child's skill level. You don't want to put him in a situation where he is overwhelmed

All Great Responses!

Another important consideration is the coach. How does he use the goalies in practice and how does he handle/view goalies? A coach who keeps goalies engaged at one end while team is working on skating/stick handling etc at the other end or are they idle the majority of the time? How does he incorporate goalies into practice? A lot of game like situations or rapid firing on shooting dummies?

I have seen it all. Typically a good coach across the board will also handle his goalies well ( par for the course), Stay away from the coaches who are dismissive if asked these questions or make comments like " They get plenty of attention at goalie training" They just don't get it!!

Goalies are a special breed. God Bless them. It sure ain't easy!


Good luck and enjoy.

Very good response, I am impressed with what the Kings offer Goalies

"Goalies are a special breed. God Bless them. It sure ain't easy!"

words to live by for any coach, parent, teammate, etc......

I have known a great deal of goalies over the years and they all are special. It takes a special kid to be able to play between the pipes.... and they are all special in their own way.

embrace the fact that they are goofballs.... it's what makes them great! It's also why they develop bonds with each other unlike any other position in any other sport.

Coaches usually don't address goalies for one main reason, they have no clue on how to coach it and quite frankly are afraid to. So they do nothing about it. All they know is "can he stop the puck?" They often say brilliant things like "don't give up any rebounds" but don't know how to teach rebound control etc. 2 suggestions I have made to coaches is this. Ask the goalie coaches about drills they can do or what to watch for in practice. Most organizations utilize goalie instructors and the head coach should know what they are reinforcing and teaching. Or, most goalies go to outside coaches. Ask the parents or ask the goalie coach what the kid is being thaught so they can reinforce the lessons. One thing a coach doesn't want to do is contradict the lessons. In other words, get involved and leave your comfort zone. Secondly, ask amongst the parents on the team if anyone has played the position. Sometimes just having someone who knows and can relate to the goalie is a big help in practice and in games. If there is a parent then they can put the kid through drills. This parent will be able to understand what is a bad goal or a good goal and be able to relate and talk to the goalie. Sometimes having this perspective can help as this parent will relate to the kid on a different level. I have found this to be a very productive method

I would second that. most coaches (HC and assistant coaches) have no clue how to develop goalies. and I agree it is difficult. it is difficult to structure practices so that goalies benefit. Sometimes it goes as far that coaches try to tell goalies to do something contradictory of what their goalie coach tells them to do.

I believe it's better to have a Defensive minded coach over an offense minded coach when it comes to goalies. I've seen both and it's pretty obvious the D coach can relate way more to the goalie.

might be true, if so I have not seen a defensive minded head coach in youth hockey. And even so, relating doesn't mean they can set up a practice so it benefits a goalie, nor can they coach goalie skills.

Don't get me wrong I am not upset about it, I just think it is a fact of hockey development.