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RSS Feed Our Kids Play Goalie: InGoal’s Dave Hutchison on Goalie Development Done Right
InGoal Magazine co-founder Dave Hutchison explains how parents and coaches can build confident, resilient young goalies without obsessing over stats or mistakes.
Key Takeaways
- Goalie development must start with building confidence rather than focusing solely on technical perfection or critique.
- Young goaltenders need to learn how to separate their overall performance from game wins, losses, and goals against.
- Traditional youth hockey statistics like save percentage can often be misleading and create unnecessary pressure.
- Parents should avoid tearing down the other goalie and instead support both goaltenders to prevent unhealthy rivalries.
- Using video review as a positive teaching tool helps goalies recognize progress rather than just searching for faults.
- Evaluating success beyond the scoreboard helps goalies develop greater resilience and mental toughness.
🥅 What does a young goalie actually need from the adults around them?
More criticism?
More statistics?
More breakdowns of every goal?
Or more confidence, perspective, and opportunities to learn?
In this episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined by Dave “Hutch” Hutchison, co-founder of InGoal Magazine, longtime goalie coach, lifelong goaltender, podcast host, and goalie parent.
Hutch has spent years talking with NHL goaltenders and coaches while also living the youth and junior hockey journey with his own son. That gives him a rare perspective on what goalies experience from both sides of the glass.
The conversation dives deep into how parents and coaches can help goalies develop without turning every goal against into a failure.
🎧 In this episode:
🥅 Why goalie development has to start with confidence
🧠 How young goalies can separate performance from wins, losses, and goals against
📊 Why save percentage and youth hockey stats can be misleading
🤝 How goalie parents can support both goaltenders instead of turning the position into a rivalry
🚫 Why parents should avoid conversations that tear down the “other goalie”
🎯 How to find meaningful wins inside a difficult game
📹 How video can help development without becoming another fault-finding tool
💬 Why positive feedback matters just as much as technical correction
🔄 Why rotating young goalies during games can actually support development
🏒 How coaches can build practices that develop goalies and skaters at the same time
⏱️ Why goalies need quality reps—and rest—during practice
📚 How InGoal Magazine brings lessons from NHL goalies and coaches to developing players
❤️ Why even the best goaltenders in the world experience doubt, pressure, and difficult stretches
One of Hutch’s most important messages is that goalies should learn to evaluate themselves beyond the scoreboard.
A goalie can lose and play well.
A goalie can win and have things to improve.
A shot can go in without automatically meaning someone failed.
Instead of always asking, “What did you do wrong?” parents and coaches can help goalies recognize progress:
What did you read well?
What save did you make because of something you practiced?
Where did you battle?
How did you respond after a goal?
What are you proud of?
Those questions build more than a better goaltender.
They build a more confident, resilient person.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: What Every Goalie Parent Should Know: Confidence, Development, and Letting Goalies Learn
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dave Hutchison and what is his background in hockey?
Dave "Hutch" Hutchison is the co-founder of InGoal Magazine, a longtime goalie coach, podcast host, and goalie parent who brings valuable insights from talking with NHL goaltenders and coaches.
How can parents help young hockey goalies build confidence?
Parents can build confidence by focusing on positive feedback, asking constructive questions about effort and reads, and avoiding conversations that turn every goal against into a failure.
Why are save percentages misleading in youth hockey?
Save percentages in youth hockey can be misleading because the quality and volume of shots vary wildly from game to game, failing to reflect a goalie's actual performance.
How should video be used in youth goalie development?
Video should be used as a constructive tool to highlight good reads, battles, and proper mechanics rather than acting as a fault-finding tool after every game.