Eric Comrie and Buffalo Sabres Goalie Coach Mike Bales Share Skating Drills for Goalies

Eric Comrie has simple advice — and thankfully for us, a few simple drills — for young goalies who want to make it to the NHL: never stop working on your movements.

It’s advice we’ve heard before from Carey Price, and Comrie believes deeply in it.

“I honestly think basic footwork patterns, basic skating is the most important thing you can do,” Comrie said. “Look at the NHL nowadays, you look at Devon [Levi], who is not a huge goalie, but he can skate the lights out. You can look at Dustin Wolf, who has come into the League, and it’s not about how big you are. It’s about how well you move. How well you move is going to put you in a better position and if you’re set in a better position that puck is going to find you more times than not. So, the basics of moving around your crease, gaining angle, make sure you’re always in the right position and getting there and set as fast as you can gives you the best opportunity to make the save because you give shooters nothing.”

With that in mind, we present a couple of drills Comrie did with Buffalo Sabres goalie coach Mike Bales, who used pucks to change the angle and path of the movements: