Pro Drills with San Jose Sharks
- Position two shooters above the face-off dots, number them one and two, and have the goalie push to the called shooter — keeping the puck already on the stick forces goalies to resist the instinct to slide.
- Eyes-first tracking is the core skill: Sharks coach Thomas Speer teaches goalies to find the puck with their head before their body reacts, which keeps them upright and over the puck.
- Staying on your feet under pressure requires deliberate practice — when the puck is already loaded on a shooter's stick, goalies naturally want to panic and drop, making this drill essential for breaking that habit.
- James Reimer describes the drill as demanding flawless technique: pulling off the puck even slightly gets exposed immediately due to how quickly the shot comes.
- Keep the movement short and precise — the drill reinforces that lateral pushes in the crease should be driven by the skates, with the body and gloves following the eyes to the puck.
This drill from the San Jose Sharks is so simple you don’t even have to count to three to do it.
Sharks goaltending coach Thomas Speer simply positions two shooters just above the face-off dots on either side, gives them each a number (one or two, we told you it’s simple) and then with the goalie positioned in the middle of the crease, calls out “one” or “two” and the goalie pushes to that shooter, who is loading up to score almost as soon as their number is called.
The focus is on making that push on the skates rather than sliding across.
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