Curriculum & Goaltending Principles

Keep your game simple by removing unnecessary movement, bad habits, and extra layers that make goaltending harder than it needs to be. Eli’s system focuses on efficient, repeatable fundamentals that allow goalies to play with more clarity, consistency, and confidence.

Eli’s concept of Path of Direction gives the goaltender the best possible position in the middle of the net as early as possible, allowing them to establish position even when a play develops quickly and there isn’t time to achieve maximum depth. Rather than moving in straight lines and having no true position until every part of the save location is achieved, Path of Direction prioritizes angle first, followed by squareness and depth—the three pillars of positioning—so the goaltender is always working toward the most important part of being in position.

Lead Side Focus means moving in one direction toward your target—never loading up, drifting, or moving away from where you need to go. This principle applies to every skating movement and save, creating more direct, efficient, and repeatable movements throughout the crease.

Neutral Feet means keeping your feet underneath your body so you are always ready to move with the puck and go down to make a save. This balanced position allows you to play bigger, stay patient, and react without having to make unnecessary movements before the play develops.

Carrying the Hands means keeping your hands up and active throughout your stance, as you move down into the butterfly, and while you are in the butterfly. Patient hands are fast hands—by staying quiet, balanced, and ready, you give yourself more time and better positioning to make the save.

Playing With Separation means staying out of a tight, compact position by extending your lead knee and lead arm into the save on the side of your body where the puck is. Practicing separation directly translates to stopping high-danger scoring chances, helping goaltenders react faster and play a more consistent system.

Dynamic Saves are the moments when goaltenders need to break from structure and make game-breaking saves, but the basic principles of goaltending still apply. Even when positioning, balance, or recovery are compromised, goaltenders can continue to apply the principles they’ve developed—Path of Direction, Lead Side Focus, pads flat, and nose to the puck—to give themselves the best chance to make the save and recover.

Keep your head centred while making saves—turn your nose to the puck rather than tipping your body and bringing your head to the puck. Staying centred allows you to react faster, maintain better balance, and make saves with separation instead of chasing the puck with your head.

Eli’s save technique emphasizes keeping both pads flat, with both knees down, to create a consistent and repeatable save position. This allows goaltenders to maintain a strong, predictable structure while making saves and gives them a reliable foundation to build their game around.

Eli’s save technique emphasizes keeping the chest square to the initial shooter and staying as big as possible for as long as possible to maximize net coverage. When goaltenders turn their chest, they become smaller and can actually move their body out of the way of the puck, limiting their ability to make the save.

Eli’s save technique emphasizes keeping the shoulders level throughout the save, allowing goaltenders to maintain balance and stay centred while emphasizing quickness with their hands. Avoiding unnecessary tipping or leaning keeps the body controlled and allows the hands to react quickly and efficiently to the puck.

Eli’s concept of pyramid shapes focuses on creating width and structure through the goaltender’s body position, with the arms extending out and away from the body and the glove and blocker positioned to build the shape. Playing with separation continues that pyramid through the pants and lower body, creating a strong, connected shape that helps goaltenders cover space while staying balanced and ready to react.

Eli’s save technique emphasizes keeping the tops of the pads level throughout the save, allowing goaltenders to maintain the same angle and structure they create in their butterfly while controlling rebounds with separation and purpose. When the top of the pad comes back, the toe extends and rebounds can be kicked into high-danger areas, while allowing the top to move forward can cause the toe to come underneath the body and send the puck directly into the net.