CMHA Goaltenders Policy/ Evaluation Process/Expectations
It is mandatory that all goalies REP/AA (imports) & RHL attend each evaluation session.
5 skating drills for technical eval.mp4 - Google Drive
CMHA Goaltenders Policy & Evaluation Process - UPDATED AUGUST 17/2022
U9
- At the Novice level, goaltending is not evaluated.
- It is the policy of the CMHA that each Novice player shall have the opportunity to play the goaltender position. This opportunity will be provided on a regular rotation with each team member taking his or her turn in the rotation. No player shall be forced to participate as a goaltender.
- CMHA recognizes the importance of the goaltender position. Coaches at the Novice level have the responsibility to introduce the position to each player in a manner consistent with the goals of the CMHA. This is a critical step in the development of goaltenders in the association.
U11, U13, U15, and U18 REP
- Each player wishing to play the goaltender position must declare as a goaltender prior to the start of the evaluation process. Players electing as goaltenders will be evaluated at that position and placed on teams according to their ranking versus the other goaltenders.
- CMHA will work to ensure that each REP team will have 2 goaltenders assigned. This will be dependent on registration totals. It is expected that each goaltender will have the opportunity to play in 50% of the team’s games, including exhibition and tournaments. With the best efforts of the coaching staff, this opportunity will be provided on a rotating basis.
- Players electing as goaltenders will not be eligible to play as skaters.
U11, U13, U15, and U18 RHL
- Each player wishing to play the goaltender position must declare as a goaltender prior to the start of the evaluation process. Players electing as goaltenders will be evaluated at that position and placed on teams according to their ranking versus the other goaltenders.
- CMHA will work to ensure that each RHL team will have a minimum of 1 goaltender assigned. This will be dependent on registration totals. If it is possible to have 2 goaltenders on each team, then each will have the opportunity to play in 50% of the team’s games, including exhibition and tournaments. With the best efforts of the coaching staff, this opportunity will be provided on a rotating basis.
U11, U13, U15, and U18 Female
- Each player wishing to play the goaltender position must declare as a goaltender prior to the start of the evaluation process. Players electing as goaltenders will be evaluated at that position and placed on teams according to their ranking versus the other goaltenders.
- CMHA will work to ensure that each Female team will have a minimum of 1 goaltender assigned. This will be dependent on registration totals. If it is possible to have 2 goaltenders on each team, then each will have the opportunity to play in 50% of the team’s games, including exhibition and tournaments. With the best efforts of the coaching staff, this opportunity will be provided on a rotating basis.
Evaluation Process
Technical Evaluations
- Goaltender evaluation technical sessions will be completed over the course of either two 30 minute ice times or a single 60 minute ice time according to the schedule provided on the CMHA website for Goalie Evaluations. The technical evaluation portion will be completed prior to engaging in game play situations.
- The execution portion of the technicals consists of running drills and rotating the goalies through those drills; this will be executed by a professional third party who specializes in goaltender training and development.
- The evaluation sessions will consist of 30 mins with no pucks/shooters and 30 mins with pucks/shooters; wherever possible, we will enlist the support of shooters with the appropriate skill and age level for the given session.
- The evaluation scoring will be performed by a team of up to 5 third party evaluators, all who specialize in goaltender training and development. Scoring will be based on a set list of evaluation criteria determined by the Goalie Director, the evaluators and the person(s) leading the technical sessions on ice. An example of the criteria is provided in Table 1 below.
| Weighting | Criteria |
| 30% | ü Low Shots/High Shots - butterfly technique, rebound control (off stick/off pads/off catcher/blocker/chest), butterfly at appropriate times, maintain balance, quickness of blocker/catcher, position of blocker/catcher ü Use of Stick - passing/clearing, puck playing ability |
| 30% | ü Mobility & Quickness - skating ability, remains on feet, moves with speed and in control when in ready position, reacts well to puck movement in zone, ability to recover from butterfly/side, reacts well to quick/untelegraphed shots, effective in close, relaxed movements, reaction time ü Balance - retains ready position after blocking shots, holds ready position in movement, recovery (retains position after scrambling) |
| 30% | ü Positioning & Angles - knows position at all times, assumes neutral position at top edge of crease, positions self properly prior to shot, knowledge of shooter’s options, lines up properly on puck, works hard to find puck, use of body, rebound control, awareness of other potential shooters/deflectors ü Play at Posts - positions self properly (play behind net, corner), lateral mobility (post-to-post movement), use of stick to decrease scoring opportunities, ability to challenge slot pass |
| 10% | ü Confidence & Discipline - displays on “in charge” attitude, resets after goals against, displays positive body language, displays positive body language, controls emotions |
Table 1 - Goaltending Technical Evaluation Criteria
- At the discretion of the Board, each year CMHA will solicit proposals from qualified parties wishing to conduct CMHA goaltender evaluations. These successful parties will be responsible, with oversight from the Goalie Director, for ranking goaltenders against their peers.
- Each player in the U11, U13, U15, and U18 age groups who declares as a goaltender must attend the technical evaluation sessions. Goaltenders not attending the sessions will receive a score of zero in their technical evaluation score. The technical sessions and 5-on-5 portions of the goalie evaluations will not be equally weighted - Technical Evaluations will comprise 30% of the overall score and 5-on-5 Games will comprise the remaining 70%.
Following the technical portion of the evaluation process, goaltenders will be grouped according to their evaluated technical skill level and placed in the 5-on-5 games accordingly. Every attempt will be made to align with their registration preference(s).
5-on-5 Games (REP/RHL)
- Each goaltender will receive a minimum of two 5-on-5 gameplay evaluation sessions.
- The evaluation scoring will be performed by at least 1 third party evaluator, who specializes in goaltender training and development.
- At the discretion of the Board, each year CMHA will solicit proposals from qualified parties wishing to conduct CMHA goaltender evaluations. These successful parties will be responsible, with oversight from the Goalie Director, for ranking goaltenders against their peers. These rankings will be used by the Goalie Director, in conjunction with the evaluation committee, to place goaltenders on the appropriate teams.
- Each player in the U11, U13, U15 and U18 age groups who declares as a goaltender must attend the 5-on-5 evaluation sessions. Goaltenders not attending the sessions will receive a score of zero in their 5-on-5 evaluation score.
- Scoring will be based on a set list of evaluation criteria determined by the Goalie Director and the evaluators. An example of the criteria is provided in Table 2 below.
| Weighting | Criteria |
| 25% | ü Save Selection - The goalie’s proper save choice in a given situation ü Goalie Reaction/Anticipation - understands offensive team play options, able to pick up open player(s), able to read shooter, finds puck in scramble |
| 25% | ü Mobility & Quickness - skating ability, remains on feet, moves with speed and in control when in ready position, reacts well to puck movement in zone, ability to recover from butterfly/side, reacts well to quick/untelegraphed shots, effective in close, relaxed movements, reaction time ü Balance - retains ready position after blocking shots, holds ready position in movement, recovery (retains position after scrambling) |
| 15% | ü Positioning & Angles - knows position at all times, assumes neutral position at top edge of crease, positions self properly prior to shot, knowledge of shooter’s options, lines up properly on puck, works hard to find puck, use of body, rebound control, awareness of other potential shooters/deflectors ü Play at Posts - positions self properly (play behind net, corner), lateral mobility (post-to-post movement), use of stick to decrease scoring opportunities, ability to challenge slot pass |
| 15% | ü Concentration - alert at all times, follows puck at all times, maintains concentration despite bad plays/weak goals ü Consistency & Desire - able to make key saves, work ethic, never gives up/battles for pucks |
| 10% | ü Puck Handling/Use of Stick - passing/clearing, puck playing ability |
| 5% | ü Fitness Level - physically fit, flexibility, maintains energy level |
| 5% | ü Confidence & Discipline - displays on “in charge” attitude, resets after goals against, displays positive body language, controls emotions |
Table 2 - Goaltending 5-on-5 Game Evaluation Criteria
5-on-5 Games (AA)
- After technical evaluation scoring is complete on the, the evaluation team will select the top 8 goalies from U11, U13, and U15 and the top 4 goalies for U18. These goalies will be invited to the AA tryouts 5-on-5 games. NOTE: In the U18 group, CMHA does not allow U16 players/goalies to try out for AA as they would follow the U16 stream (U17 AAA AC Avalanche/U16 AA Havoc) prior to moving to the REP/RHL hockey stream should they choose to do so).
- The evaluation scoring will be performed by at least 1 third party evaluator, who specializes in goaltender training and development and will utilize evaluation criteria similar to what is provided in Table 2.
- At the discretion of the Board, each year CMHA will solicit proposals from qualified parties wishing to conduct CMHA goaltender evaluations. These successful parties will be responsible, with oversight from the Goalie Director, for ranking goaltenders against their peers. These rankings will be used by the Goalie Director, in conjunction with the evaluation committee, to place goaltenders on the appropriate teams.
- Each player invited to the AA Tryouts must attend the 5-on-5 evaluation sessions if they are to have a chance at making the team. Goaltenders not attending the sessions will receive a score of zero in their 5-on-5 evaluation score.
- After the 5-on-5 tryouts are completed, the top 3 goaltenders from U11, U13, U15 and U18 will be invited to the AA Tournament where a final selection will be made for the team’s 2 goalies.
Overall Score
- Goaltenders will be placed on teams according to their total evaluation score from all Technical and 5-on-5 sessions with the top-ranking goaltenders being placed on the highest-level team for their age group and so forth.
GOALTENDER EXPECTATIONS
Goalies as we get close to evaluations we would like everyone to understand what is being evaluated. These are also key aspects that will help you get noticed by scouts that may be out to see you play in the coming season(s).
A goalie should:
- Play on top of the crease and stay square to the shooter
- Control their rebounds, and follow their rebounds at all times
- Play with Consistency and Confidence!
- Ensure continuous Attention to details
- Communicate! Communication is very important for goalies to help their teammates
- Make the routine saves and, if a goal goes in, refocus and keep battling
- Exude Confidence in all situations while in the net
Pro Tips:
Compete Level - As you grow older and hit the bantam years where scouts start watching for Juniors & NCAA, you typically never know who might be watching you from the stands. Make sure that you are consistently giving 100% every game or practice and you will never have to worry about this tip. Compete level is critical to reach higher levels of hockey. Be consistent and always give your best effort. You cannot control how well you play every game but you can always control your effort.
Be a Supportive Teammate - Your character plays a very important role in how successful you will be as a hockey player. Coaches, scouts, and programs such as ours will always look for players of strong character and leadership qualities. Whether you are helping a struggling teammate or just giving an honest effort every night, these are qualities that will never be overlooked. There are countless times where a scout will recognize a player’s skill but will give him bad marks for his lack of character or bad body language. So just remember to be a team player and that you need your teammates to be successful.
Body Language - Your body language on the ice can be a dead giveaway about your character in a hockey game. Instead of hanging your head low after a mistake or slamming your stick on the ice after a goal against, just shake it off and get ready for the next shot. Scouts want to see a confident prospect, not a goalie who deflates after making a mistake or exhibits bad body language after his teammate screen or tip one in on you for a goal.
Have FUN! - Just like in life, your best performances will always be when you are enjoying yourself. You will not excel in anything you don’t enjoy. Although you are competing against your peers at the tryout, you should make it a personal goal to leave the tryout with some new friends and as a team, win each game that day.
A Goalies Core Values are:
- Hard work
- Enthusiasm
- Team First
- Respect
- Compete
- Initiative
- Challenge Comfort zone
The Board of the CMHA would like to wish you all the best to all participants.
Evaluation groupings, schedules, and drill videos (new for this year!!) are available on the CMHA site.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
