USA Hockey Magazine

18 // AUGUST 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM B ET W E E N T H E P I P ES P R E S E N T E D B Y E ACH SUMMER IN AMHERST, N E W Y O R K , a s e l e c t g r o u p donning an array of colorful gear takes over the Northtown Center for four days in between the USA Hockey-BioSteel Boys 15 and Boys 16 Player Development Camps. The Boys 15 Goalie Camp is a major shift from a typical day at camp, where games are played all day as hundreds of players take the ice. Instead, a significantly smaller group comprised of 24 goaltenders rotates through on- and off-ice stations, with development taking center stage at the camp. " We wa n t t h e k i d s t o h ave f u n a n d w e w a n t t h e m t o g r o w t h e i r g a m e s ," s a i d David Lassonde, USA Hockey 's national g oaltending coach. "It's a big evaluation piece, and it's not just us evaluating them, but it's them evaluating themselves, their individual games, and competing with their peers from across the country." T h e g r o u p o f g o a l t e n d e r s t h i s y e a r i n attendance also participated at Boys 15 Camp the following week, but the few days before then allowed for a much more personal, hands-on experience between the goalies and coaching staff. " We 'r e ove r w h e l m e d by t h e q u a l i t y o f coaching that these kids are getting because of the individual attention with the station- based practices. The stations break down t h e d i f f e r e n t s k i l l s o f a g o a l t e n d e r, a n d the coaches do a phenomenal job," Gump Whiteside, who served as Boys 15 Goalie Camp director, said. "The players get to know the coaches, and the coaches get to know them, not just on the ice, but off the ice. You want to develop not only the hockey player, but the person too." T h e c a m p a l s o p r o v i d e d p l a y e r s w i t h a n e x p e r i e n c e t o w o r k o n e - o n - o n e w i t h U.S. Men's National Team and Montreal Canadiens goaltender Casey DeSmith. DeSmith was once in their shoes as an up-and-coming young goaltender attending USA Hockey Player Development Camps. Now, the eight-year pro, is focused on giving back to the g oaltending community as a coach in the offseason. DeSmith offered a unique perspective of someone who has been in the players' position before and reached the highest level of the game. His insight can offer the "why" when the young goalies are being pushed outside their comfort zone at camp. "I just think back to when I was involved with the USA Hockey camps when I was younger, those were some really important development weeks for me," said DeSmith. "It's great to see USA Hockey focusing so much on goalie development and curriculum." The individualized training gave a great framework for the goalies to not only develop each aspect of their game, but to also take back different drills and tactics to utilize throughout the season. It's not just on-ice work that was a focus at the camp. Coaches also emphasized the importance of the cerebral aspect of the position, working hard to ensure players trained their mind in a variety of ways during the week. One station at the facility was a virtual reality training station, hosted by Sense Arena, where goaltenders strapped on a VR headset and went through various drills to work on reaction time and positioning. Coaches also worked with goalies off the ice on mental skills and performance. One of the biggest points of emphasis for the coaches was to create a positive environment at the camp to help reinforce the importance of having a positive mindset between the pipes. "As competitive that the environment we put them in is, it's still a positive environment. There's no yelling, no screaming. We're only here to make them better," said DeSmith. "Maintaining that positive environment while they are faced with difficult situations, allowing them to fail and learn is what you want, and what will bring them to that next level." The combination of all the unique factors that make up the goalie camp all boil down to one goal. " We m a k e t h e m c o m f o r t a b l e b e i n g uncomfortable," said Lassonde. "Our whole thing is we tell them it's going to be hard. You want them to get comfortably uncomfortable because it's a challenging, but rewarding, position to play." P PHOTO BY Seamus Kelley USA Hockey-BioSteel Boys 15 Goaltending Camp pushes goalies to the next level By Seamus Kelley Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

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