Joel Hofer, Team Canada 2020 World Junior Championship, Pro Read 2
Post detail and tracking behind the net
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With the World Junior Championships underway in an Edmonton bubble, we’re going back-to-back with Pro Reads from last year’s gold-medal winner and top goaltender, Joel Hofer.
The Team Canada goalie is currently preparing to start his first season with the St. Louis Blues, so it still qualifies as a Pro Read but we’re looking at plays against Finland in the semi-final of last year’s tournament in the Czech Republic. Hofer, who was named the tournament’s top goalie after going 5-0-0 with a .939 save percentage, broke down a poke check on a sharp-angle attack last week. This time the 20-year-old walks us through a play behind the net.
The Scenario
The play starts below the goal line in the Canadian zone with a Finnish player driving behind the net from Hofer’s right, and with both passing options still on that same side:
Taking a quick look at the situation above, what stands out to you as the biggest threat, and how would that affect the way you come across in terms of managing your vision — and when to temporarily give up that visual attachment by switching sides?
Once Hofer does get across with the puck carrier, the biggest threat has changed:
What do you think of using paddle down here? Can you see the benefit? What about risks?
The Save
Now take a look at the entire save sequence. Much like last week’s Pro Read with Hofer, the end result of the play might surprise you based on the build-up above:
Now that you’ve seen how this play ends, it’s time to hear from Hofer as he walks us through several important elements of his post-play preferences, including stick position:
The Pro-Read
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- Hofer breaks down his save on a behind-the-net play against Finland in the 2020 World Junior Championship semi-final, where he went 5-0-0 with a .939 save percentage and was named the tournament's top goaltender.
- Hofer explains moving his head first before pushing across when the puck carrier came back to his glove side, a habit that prevents goalies from committing too early and being beaten by a pass back.
- Hofer discusses the benefits and risks of using a paddle-down position once he crosses to the puck carrier's side behind the net.
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