Devin Cooley Pro Read 3
Skate-or-Slide and Other Odd-Man Rush Keys
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Devin Cooley made a great first impression on the InGoal Radio Podcast shortly after his first season in the NHL ended with the San Jose Sharks, then followed it up with an excellent Pro Reads debut, as well as a great Pro Tips on using your head to take away space in the RVH.
Cooley has since signed with the Calgary Flames but we don’t want to waste any of his in-game insights from San Jose, so we’re going back to the late-blooming 27-year-old for another Pro Reads segment from our hour-long video session early in this offseason.
THE SEQUENCE
Cooley is once again facing a rush chance against the Chicago Blackhawks:
Taking a look at the freeze frame above, what options does the puck carrier on the left wing have? What information about the passing options do you need to have in mind already as a goaltender? For example, how would the handedness of the player skating down the right win possibly affect how you would play this as a goalie?
Lastly, what do you make of Cooley’s stance and positioning at this point?
THE SAVE
Because this is a rush chance, pace is often a factor, so rather than sharing more freeze frames, let’s go to the video of the save sequence.
See how early you can identify what play is coming, pause the video there, and ask yourself how you would move on this play – and more importantly, why?
Once you recognized where the pass was going, did you choose the same movement as Cooley? Why? What did you make of his choice to come across on his skates?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Cooley on what he saw, what he liked — and to some degree disliked — about how he played it, and his thought process throughout:
Watch Devin Cooley break down the full video for you
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- Cooley breaks down his save on a left-wing rush chance against the Chicago Blackhawks, walking through his real-time read of three puck-carrier options.
- Cooley identifies that the middle player driving through the zone is the key trigger — it pushes the defenseman back and opens the weak-side passing lane he ultimately has to defend.
- Cooley explains his decision to cross on his skates to make the save, detailing the reasoning behind that movement choice over other options in the sequence.
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