Edmonton Oil Kings goalie coach Kurtis Mucha: Positional Adjustments, Reads and Video Breakdowns
- A strong initial setup is the foundation of effective positional adjustments — poor positioning early forces reactive, scramble saves later.
- Threat awareness and reading the play correctly determine whether a goalie needs to adjust at all, making pre-shot reads a critical skill to train.
- Dynamic drills build a goalie's instinctive understanding of when and how to adjust position under game-speed conditions.
- Video review of both correct and incorrect positional adjustments — from your own goalies and NHL examples — accelerates learning by making the 'why' visible.
- Kurtis Mucha developed his coaching approach under Edmonton Oilers goalie coach Dustin Schwartz, bringing pro-level methodology to the WHL level.
Edmonton Oil Kings goaltending coach Kurtis Mucha spent 30-plus minutes reviewing positional adjustments, including 16 minutes breaking them down with video of saves and goals from his goalies and others in the NHL, during the WHL / Hockey Canada Goaltending Symposium, presented by InGoal Magazine.
Mucha still holds the WHL record for games played (245) after breaking into the league at age 15, and went on to win two CIS national championships with the University of Alberta before transitioning into coaching under the mentorship of current Edmonton Oilers goalie coach Dustin Schwartz. His presentation started with a review of what causes positional adjustments, the importance of having a good initial set up, understanding threat awareness and making the right read, and how dynamic drills can help build better understanding of all those elements.
Mucha also talked about using video as part of that ongoing goalie education process, then spends the next 16 minutes breaking down footage of his goalies with the Oil Kings as well as NHL goaltenders facing many of the situations – and necessary positional adjustments – he spent the first half outlining. Some get it right. Some get it wrong. The key is considering why, and trying to learn from it. We sure did. So, make sure you watch to the end, including the question-and-answer session with Mucha and other goalie coaches at the symposium:
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