Pro Drills with Calgary Flames Jason LaBarbera
- Stay balanced and patient on spin shots in tight — LaBarbera warns against leaning early before the shooter commits to a direction.
- Collapse into the puck laterally by holding edges rather than shuffling, keeping movement controlled within the crease.
- Avoid over-sliding the play — goalies must stay within their post and crease to handle both wrap and jam options on the second puck.
- The drill chains two plays together: a spin shot from the hash marks followed immediately by a wrap-or-jam attack from behind the net.
- Read the shooter quickly — LaBarbera instructs forwards to commit to one direction immediately, forcing goalies to practice genuine reads under pressure.
The last time we checked in with Calgary Flames goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera and former Flames goalie David Rittich in June, they were working on a Figure-8 Drill that focused on holding edges and lateral movement on an attack from the top hash mark.
This month, we move the attack in a little tighter and add No. 3 goalie Louis Domingue into the mix for a two-part drill that begins with a quick lateral play in tight to focus the goalies on moving laterally under control and managing their crease before switching to a second attack from behind the net that forces them to get organized quickly on their posts.
Unlock the rest of this premium breakdown
Join thousands of goalies, parents, and coaches who train smarter with InGoal.
15+ years as the #1 goaltending resource
Already a member? Log in