Finding a System, Part II: Building Structure Into Goalie Evaluation
Building Structure Into My Method to Cover Goalie Evaluation
In my first Finding a System article, A Starting Place on the Road to Developing as a Scout, I compared scouting to Dungeons & Dragons. Just as characters are built around ability scores; Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, and so on. Hockey players can be broken down into core skills like Skating, Shooting, Passing, and Vision. That system helps scouts (and readers) see the full picture instead of just calling someone “a good defenseman” or “a fast forward.”
But what about goalies? They don’t quite fit into the same Skater ability-score list. You can’t grade a goalie’s shot or stickhandling the way you would a winger. Their job is different, their tools are different, and their path to the NHL is often longer and less predictable. To evaluate them properly, we need a framework tailored to their position.
Elite Prospects uses six core categories for goaltending: Skating, Transitions, Hands, Tracking, Post, and Depth. These work like “ability scores” for netminders. They simplify a chaotic position into consistent, scannable skills that scouts can grade and readers can understand. That’s what this article is about, building a system for goalie evaluation that I can use across reports, especially in my Finnish prospect scouting, to give a clear and structured snapshot of every netminder I watch. You can also use this article to always go back on my prospect reports to better understand any grade that I have given.
Six “Prospect” Categories for Goalies
Just as I created a framework for evaluating skaters, I’ve built one for goalies that mirrors the ability-score system. Again, I leaned on Elite Prospects for the backbone of these classifications, then fleshed them out with what I look for when scouting. Together, these six categories define the full range of a goaltender’s toolkit:
Skating: Lateral pushes, edge work, recovery speed, balance, and economy of motion.
Transitions: Shifting between stances (standing, butterfly, Reverse Vertical Horizontal (RVH)) and recovering cleanly.
Hands: Glove confidence, blocker control, rebound steering, and puck-handling ability.
Tracking: Eye discipline, puck focus through traffic, rebound recognition, and calmness under screens.
Post: Execution of post-integration techniques (VH/RVH), seal strength, and recovery out of the post.
Depth: Angle management, situational aggressiveness, crease positioning, and adjustments on the rush.
Each of these categories will be graded on a 1–9 scale, providing a quick and consistent snapshot of where a goalie excels, where they need development, and how they compare across peers.
If you want to check how these scores align into the greater overall picture of U16 player to NHL go check out my first article
Related: Finding a System: A Starting Place on the Road to Developing as a Scout
Skating
Everything starts with skating. For goalies, this isn’t about breakaways down the wing, it’s crease control. Shuffles, T-pushes, butterfly slides, and edge work are the engine that powers every save.
As Hockey Canada’s goaltending guides put it, goalie skating must be trained separately from players, because balance and edge precision are their foundation. Scouts echo this: if a goalie can’t move efficiently, they can’t stop higher-level shooters.
Video Breakdown: This video shows goalies running through crease-specific skating drills. Watch the edges. Do they glide smoothly or stumble through pushes? Are their recoveries crisp? When you’re evaluating, inefficient skaters usually over-slide or get caught scrambling. Calm, controlled skaters stay square and ready.
Transitions
Transitions are how a goalie shifts between stances: standing, butterfly, reverse-VH, recoveries. These movements are constant, and when they’re sloppy, you notice—open holes, late reactions, pucks leaking through.
Goalie coach Steve McKichan notes that clean transitions “turn chaotic scrambles into controlled saves” (InGoalMag). Scouts watch how fluidly a goalie pops back up or drops into reverse-VH without wasting motion.
Video Breakdown: This drill highlights post integration and recovery. Watch the timing. Does the goalie seal the post smoothly, or does it look like a crash landing? When scouting live, focus on rebounds and quick reversals. A goalie who transitions seamlessly will be set for the second shot before it arrives.
Hands
Gloves, blocker, and stickwork. A goalie’s hands can make them look calm and controlled, or like they’re fighting the puck all night.
Strong hands don’t just make saves, they steer play. Good glove confidence ends a chance with a whistle. A firm blocker push can angle a rebound safely into the corner. And in today’s game, puck-handling is as important as making the save; as NHL analyst Kevin Weekes explains, “the goalie’s the third defenseman now.”
Video Breakdown: This clip breaks down how NHL goalies handle the puck under pressure. Watch for poise. Are they making clean passes, or panicking into turnovers? When you’re scouting, note how the goalie handles rimmed pucks, does it settle the breakout or spark chaos?
Tracking
Tracking is the ability to follow the puck from the shooter’s stick, through traffic, into the save, and onto the rebound. Good trackers look calm. Poor trackers lunge, guess, or lose the puck in scrambles.
Goalie consultant Maria Mountain says that tracking drills are the single biggest differentiator for consistent goalies (Goalie Training Pro).
Video Breakdown: This clip demonstrates training drills where goalies keep their eyes locked on the puck despite traffic. Watch their head movement. Is it steady and disciplined, or jerky and reactive? When watching games, check scrambles around the crease. The goalies who consistently find the puck early are the ones who will survive at higher levels.
Post Play
Post mechanics have changed the position more than almost anything else in the past 15 years. The RVH (Reverse Vertical-Horizontal) has become standard, but like any tool, it’s only effective if executed properly.
As InGoal Magazine has detailed, RVH done wrong leaves goalies vulnerable to being beaten high short-side or caught stuck when the puck moves out front.
Video Breakdown: This breakdown shows proper RVH mechanics. Watch the seal. Does the pad, skate, and glove create a wall, or are there gaps? When scouting, look at sharp-angle plays, especially wraparounds. A strong post player makes those routine. A weak one bleeds goals.
Depth
Finally: depth. How far a goalie plays out from the crease, and when they retreat. This is angle management 101, but it’s highly situational.
A study by Michael Schuckers showed that accounting for shot quality and positioning is more predictive of future performance than raw save percentage. In other words, depth management matters.
Video Breakdown: This video explains how goalies use depth to manage angles. Watch the aggressiveness. Do they challenge shooters, or sit deep? And more importantly, can they adjust when the puck moves laterally? When evaluating, focus on rush chances and power plays: goalies who balance challenge with reaction time thrive.
Conclusion
Goaltending can feel like chaos, especially for someone like me who learns by doing. Which is why I picked up hockey at age 32, I realized that action often drives my understanding. Scouting goalies, though, has always been more intimidating. (My wife would probably kill me if I suggested dropping $2,500–$3,000 on goalie gear just to get better at scouting.) By breaking the position into smaller, scorable pieces, the job becomes less overwhelming and much more scoutable.
When you’re watching a goalie prospect, don’t just look at the save percentage. Look at the movement behind it. The calm glove save, the smooth recovery to a rebound, the sharp angle seal, that’s where future NHL goalies separate themselves.
This system will give me a consistent lens to apply across reports. And as with skaters, context matters: age, level, and team strength all play into what you see. But with this framework, you’ll always have a way to cut through the noise and evaluate what really matters.
If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to me via email or find me on X. Also if you are missing my article updates also check me out on TheHockeyWriters.com.
Email: AndrewPEpps@yahoo.com
X: https://x.com/epps_andrew
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