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RSS Feed Our Kids Play Goalie: NHL Veteran Andrew Raycroft on What Really Makes a Great Goalie
NHL veteran Andrew Raycroft explains why skating, perseverance, resilience, hockey IQ, confidence, and healthy parenting matter in goalie development.
Key Takeaways
- NHL veteran Andrew Raycroft emphasizes that perseverance, skating ability, and mental resilience are far more important for young goalies than simply being the biggest player on the ice.
- Youth hockey coaches and parents must avoid the trap of prioritizing size over skill, ensuring that smaller, highly athletic goaltenders still receive genuine opportunities to develop.
- Handling failure is a critical skill in the crease, and young goalies must learn how to reset quickly after letting in a bad goal without losing confidence.
- Social media can severely damage a young athlete's confidence by creating unrealistic comparisons through heavily curated highlight reels of other goaltenders.
- Parents should focus less on game outcomes and the traditional post-game critique, ensuring instead that their child still genuinely loves coming to the rink.
🥅 What really separates a great young goalie from everyone else?
According to former NHL goaltender, Calder Trophy winner, coach, and analyst Andrew Raycroft, it is not just size, technique, or flashy saves.
It is perseverance.
It is skating.
It is belief.
It is learning how to handle failure.
And sometimes, it is being just a little bit delusional.
In this episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, Christie Casciano-Burns, and Andrew Raycroft dive into what young goalies and their parents should actually focus on as they develop.
Andrew shares lessons from his own journey from minor hockey to more than 100 NHL wins, explains why he worries that youth hockey sometimes prioritizes size over skill, and talks about why smaller, athletic goalies still deserve real opportunities.
The conversation also goes deep into the mental side of the position: how goalies respond after bad goals, why resilience matters, what parents should do during tough stretches, and how social media can quietly destroy confidence by making every other goalie look perfect.
🎧 In this episode:
🥅 Why perseverance may be the most important goalie trait
⛸️ Why skating ability stands out immediately in young goalies
📏 Why coaches should not automatically choose the biggest goalie
🧠 Why some goalies naturally handle failure better than others
💪 How to build resilience after rough games and difficult stretches
🚫 Why parents should avoid overanalyzing the car ride home
📱 How social media creates unrealistic comparisons for young goalies
🔥 Why belief and even a little “delusion” can be powerful
🎯 How to judge your performance beyond just the final score
👀 Why hockey IQ becomes a major separator as goalies get older
📺 How actually watching full hockey games can improve goalie instincts
❤️ Why parents should focus less on outcomes and more on whether their child still loves coming to the rink
One of Andrew’s most important messages is simple: you cannot force the path.
One kid may develop faster.
Another may be smaller.
Another may struggle for a month and then take a huge step forward.
The goal is not to compare your child to every highlight clip online.
The goal is to help them keep showing up, keep learning, keep believing, and keep enjoying the position.
Because the lessons a goalie learns in the crease—resetting after failure, owning mistakes, competing through adversity, and believing in yourself—go far beyond hockey.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: What Really Makes a Great Young Goalie? Lessons from Andrew Raycroft
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a great young hockey goalie according to Andrew Raycroft?
According to NHL veteran Andrew Raycroft, a great young goalie is defined by perseverance, elite skating ability, mental resilience, and the belief to handle failure rather than just physical size.
How should parents handle the car ride home after a youth hockey game?
Parents should avoid overanalyzing the game or critiquing every play during the car ride home, focusing instead on supporting their child and ensuring they still enjoy playing.
Why is skating ability important for youth hockey goalies?
Skating is a foundational skill that immediately separates elite young goalies from their peers, allowing them to move efficiently and position themselves properly in the crease.
How does social media affect youth hockey goalies?
Social media creates unrealistic expectations and pressure by constantly exposing young goalies to highlight-reel saves, making them compare their everyday development to perfection.