GoalieU: Read & React with Rick Wamsley
- Position your depth so you can handle both the shot and all identified passing options simultaneously — Andrew Hammond achieves this by staying square to the puck carrier with his skate inside the blue ice lane.
- Identify multiple passing threats before the play develops: on east-west plays near the face-off dot, account for the short-side tip, the slot one-timer, and the far-side one-timer.
- Understanding how shooters perceive and target an open net gives goalies a predictive edge that enables highlight-reel saves rather than reactive desperation moves.
- Recovery mechanics on long east-west passes require deliberate pre-positioning — depth management on the original threat directly determines how quickly and efficiently you can recover across.
- Revisiting 'favourite' clips is a core part of Wamsley's daily GoalieU video process because complex sequences reveal new teaching layers on repeated viewing.
Welcome to Part 8 of our video series with Rick Wamsley, who spent 13 seasons in the NHL as a goalie and another 15 as an NHL goalie coach.
In this new series, Wamsley takes us inside his process for reading the game and making decisions under pressure. Each episode is based off the daily video work Wamsley does at GoalieU, breaking down a real game clip to help you see what the goalie sees – and understand the “why” behind each choice they make. The series will run monthly as Wamsley continues to work through the 10 most common ways that goals are scored.
THIS WEEK: LONG EAST-WEST PASSES and OPEN NET STRATEGY
Today’s breakdown features former Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond, and while first-year GoalieU subscribers may have seen this clip before, Wamsley wanted to break it down again because it’s a “favourite of all time” with “so many positive elements.”
The focus: managing depth on a shooting threat with multiple passing options, recovery mechanics on a long east-west pass, and how understanding the way shooters see and think about an empty net can help you make more highlight reel saves like this one.
🎥 Watch the full breakdown:
About Rick’s Read & React
Each month, Wamsley will dissect a different game situation – from rush chances to net-front battles – showing how elite goalies process the game in real time. Think of it as a “film room” for your goalie IQ. As Wamsley explained on a recent episode of the InGoal Radio Podcast, his approach was influenced by a visit to Europe as part of group of Hockey Canada goalie coaches and learning how Finland broke down the 10 most common ways to score. His analysis is anchored in that philosophy, and how goalies can counter each.
Want More from Rick?
Wamsley’s GoalieU program offers a new video breakdown like this one every single day – 365 days of situational reads, technical tips, and what he calls “Rick-isms” to help you think (and stop pucks) like a pro. InGoal readers can save $50 on an annual GoalieU membership join InGoal Today to reveal the checkout code!
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