Devin Cooley Pro Read 1
Reading Rush Options and Using ‘Old School’ VH
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It’s quickly turning into Devin Cooley week here at InGoal Magazine.
The San Jose Sharks goalie had a memorable debut appearance on the InGoal Radio Podcast over the weekend and followed it up with a Pro Tips video breakdown sharing how he uses his head to seal short-side high in Reverse-VH, so we figured we might as well go for the goalie union hat trick and publish Cooley’s first ever Pro Reads session as well.
THE SEQUENCE
Cooley’s Pro Reads debut comes from his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks and an odd-man rush that included some rookie named Connor Bedard coming over the blue line:
As the Blackhawks gain the zone, with Bedard on the bottom left of the freeze frame above, what information are you looking for as a goalie? What information should you already have in your mind by this point of the sequence? Who is the most dangerous player – and why?
As the play develops, the openings on the ice become clearer, and Cooley enters the chat on the left side of our screen in the freeze frame above. What do you make of his positioning?
What are the key factors when assessing Bedard or his pass option as a threat?
If the pass is made, are you coming across up on your feet or sliding on your knees? Why?
THE SAVE
Of course, pace and timing matters in any rush sequence, so watch the entire thing play out in real time below and ask yourself those same questions about positioning and reads:
Did your answers change after watching the video? What did you like about how Wolf handled this play? Was there anything you might do different? Watch it again, and see if you can identify and things he did before this puck went down low that might have helped his read?
What piece of early information allows Cooley to come across on his feet here?
Was there anything about the shooter that let you know where he was shooting? Any thoughts on what was almost a VH-live save selection, with one knee down and the glove up?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear Cooley on his approach, what he liked, and what he might do different next time:
Watch Devin Cooley break down the full video for you
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- Devin Cooley breaks down his save on a Connor Bedard odd-man rush during his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks.
- Cooley explains what early information allowed him to come across on his feet rather than sliding on his knees during the rush sequence.
- Cooley identifies the specific read on the shooter that helped him anticipate shot location and nearly make a VH-live save with one knee down and his glove up.
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