Eric Comrie Pro Reads 11 – Avoiding ‘Violent’ Head Movement Looking Past Screens
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Avoiding ‘Violent’ Head Movement Looking Past Screens
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It’s been more than a month since we last heard from Eric Comrie, who made his return to Pro Reads late last summer after almost four years away.
The usual Winnipeg Jets backup is in the spotlight with No.1 Connor Hellebuyck injured, but it’s not like we needed an excuse to go back to Comrie, who has always openly shared how he — and Hellebuyck and Hets goalie coach Wade Flaherty — look at the game, both in real time and in video breakdown sessions like these.
THE SCENARIO
Comrie is facing a late 6-on-5 against the Calgary Flames as Dustin Wolf races to the bench and Nazem Kadri rushes into the zone on left wing, and while there is good insights into how he handles that initial sharp angle attack, the best insights come from how he manages the scramble and screen chance that follows it:
Looking at that freeze frame above, it’s clear Comrie is dealing with a lot of traffic as that puck bounces out to Flames MacKenzie Weegar, but from that camera angle where do you think he should try and re-establish a sight line on the puck?
Does he need to move to his right or his left?
Are there any clues that might help you determine which way to look?
Comrie was also just down on his right post, so if you were him would you be trying to get back up to your skates and coming out to challenge, or staying down?
If your first priority vision or net coverage?
THE SAVE
Now watch the save clip and replays to see how it worked out for Comrie:
Before we get to the screen, what did you make of how he handled the sharp angle rush? He starts out past his post but tucks into a Reverse-VH as Kadri gets close: Can you think of a reason he wouldn’t use an Overlap here, with Kadri on his forehand?
Now for the screen: What did you notice about how Comrie managed to get his eyes on Weegar’s release? Was there a key or clue to why he did it that way?
What about his depth decision?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Comrie and get his thoughts on how he played this:
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- Eric Comrie breaks down his save on a late 6-on-5 screen chance against the Calgary Flames, with Nazem Kadri attacking the sharp angle and MacKenzie Weegar releasing through traffic.
- Comrie chose a Reverse-VH instead of an Overlap on Kadri's sharp-angle forehand rush — a deliberate positional decision he explains in his own words.
- On the screen, Comrie describes avoiding 'violent' head movement as the key to finding the shooter's release point without losing net coverage or depth positioning.
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