Devin Cooley Pro Read 5
Knowing when to Flatten out in Reverse-VH
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Devin Cooley was named the American Hockey League Player of the Week on Monday, becoming the first goalie to win the award this season after posting a couple of shutouts and a .976 save percentage over four appearances.
The award continues the great first impression Cooley has made with his new team, the Calgary Flames, and their fans, which followed an equally great first impression on the InGoal Radio Podcast over the summer, shortly after his first season in the NHL ended with the San Jose Sharks. He is 8-2-0 with a .954 save percentage in the AHL this season and was just as good in our Pro Reads format over the summer.
Just because Cooley is no longer with the Sharks doesn’t mean we want to lose his in-game insights from San Jose, so we’re going back to the late-blooming 27-year-old for another segment from our hour-long video session early this offseason.
THE SEQUENCE
Cooley is once again facing the Chicago Blackhawks, this time off a turnover that leads to a play behind the net with Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard out front:
Looking at the freeze frame above, it’s not hard to see Bedard as the primary passing threat, but what do you make of Cooley’s decision to be in reverse-VH at this point? What reasons would he have for being down here?
THE SAVE
Now watch the entire sequence and ask yourself the same question. As the play continues, does anything stand out about how Cooley navigates his reverse-VH?
Did you notice anything he does before the turnover that helps him make this save?
What about the save itself and the rebound chance? Can you see anything he could have done differently to make either save easier on himself?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Cooley on what he saw, what he liked — and again, 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 reverse-VH save against Connor Bedard off a Chicago Blackhawks turnover that left Bedard as the primary passing threat out front.
- Cooley explains the specific reasoning behind committing to reverse-VH with a shooter behind the net and a dangerous player at the front of the crease — including when that positioning helps and when it creates vulnerability.
- Cooley identifies what he did before the turnover that directly set up his ability to make the save, and what he would change about the rebound to reduce the second chance.
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