Pro Drills (+ tips) with Ville Husso and David Alexander
- Avoid static shooting in game-day warm-ups — Blues coach David Alexander keeps Husso's feet moving from the first drill.
- Use face-off dot positioning to add game-realistic elements to morning skate shooting routines.
- The face-off warm-up drill originated from Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur during his time with the St. Louis Blues.
- Husso's .941 save percentage led the NHL and his +5.1% adjusted save percentage confirms the numbers are not inflated by team defense.
- Dynamic crease movement, not anchored stance work, is a cornerstone of the Blues' game-day goalie preparation.
Ville Husso Photo Devin Manky/Icon Sportswire
How does the hottest goalie in the NHL get ready to play on game days?
St. Louis Blues goaltending coach David Alexander gave us the answer by sharing insights into the morning skate routine of Ville Husso, who is 10-3-1 and leads the NHL with a .941 save percentage this season, as well as being atop the charts on Clear Sight Analytics adjusted save percentage (+5.1% so no, it’s not about team defense), and fifth in goals-saved above expected (21.33) despite playing less than half as much as everyone else in the top-10.
For Husso, those performances start with some unique warm-up drills at morning skate that include adding game-like elements to the typical static shooting routines.
“One of the things I’ve learned in the League and that’s where you grow as a coach too is you start to understand there’s never really static shooting in the NHL,” Alexander said. “Feet and hands are moving all the time, so on a game day I don’t like to have a goalie’s feet anchored into the ice receiving shots. If we can get them moving right off the hop, that’s important.”
First Drill: Face-offs to shooting
In the first game-day drill, Alexander starts with pucks at the face-off dot, one shooter behind him closer to the top of the circle and another in the same spot on the other side:
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