Pro Drills with Philipp Grubauer
- Grubauer's NHL warm-up replicates real game situations—angles, post play, movement—that standard morning skates and team practices rarely cover.
- Start warm-ups with static puck-tracking shots from center and the angle, since a high volume of game shots come from off-angle positions.
- Progress through low glove, low blocker, and body saves with an emphasis on physically feeling the puck to sharpen tracking and confidence.
- Finish the sequence with shots fired while the goalie is sliding across the crease, training eyes and hands to work together during lateral movement.
- Grubauer and Joey Daccord run this identical routine before every game and practice—consistency in warm-up preparation is a deliberate NHL-level habit.
InGoal Magazine caught up with Philipp Grubauer during a recent visit to Seattle and among the various parts of a lengthy discussion that included going over his unique custom stick grip and he holds it (more on that later) was a chance to review his game day warm up from a trip to Vancouver the previous season.
Interestingly enough the simple drill work they did ahead of that game against the Canucks was the same he and Daccord did at one end of the ice while players warmed up using the rest ahead of that practice we dropped in on.
“It hasn’t changed. It’s the same stuff every morning,” Grubauer explained. “We go through different game situations that we won’t have in a normal team practice or morning skate. Especially morning skate, there’s not a lot of post play other than maybe power play work. It’s one or two flow drills and then one other shooting drill, the power play and that’s it. You don’t mimic game situations.”
Giving goalies a chance to warmup with situations they might face in a game clearly has benefits, so we wanted to walk you through the Kraken routine with Grubauer. It starts simply but includes a more dynamic move at the end.
Like most NHL goalie warm-ups, it starts with static shooting:
Unlock the rest of this premium breakdown
Join thousands of goalies, parents, and coaches who train smarter with InGoal.
15+ years as the #1 goaltending resource
Already a member? Log in