Annual Goaltending Camp Allows the Country’s Top Netminders Learn What Works Best for Them
PLYMOUTH, Mich. — It’s been a busy spring for Ava McNaughton.
In March, the 20-year-old goalie closed out her sophomore season at Wisconsin with 20 saves in a 4-3 overtime win in the national championship against Ohio State, closing out a year where she posted a .944 save percentage and 1.24 goals against average in 39 games.
McNaughton then got her first call-up to the U.S. Women’s National Team not long after, making her senior international debut in group play of the Women’s World Championship and being part of the team that won a gold medal against Canada on April 20.
“It was a little bit of a learning curve at first, but I was just so happy to be in the jersey,” McNaughton said. “To be representing something bigger than myself, and it just made me really grateful for the opportunity.”
McNaughton is part of a rising tide of American goalies, and she was one of 24 netminders to partake in USA Hockey’s 2025 National Goaltending camp last week in Plymouth, Michigan.
The camp brought together 12 of the top men’s and women’s goaltenders between the ages of 16 and 22 for three days of ice time, film study, and off-ice training at USA Hockey Arena.
It’s an annual event for USA Hockey, which focuses on providing the goalies with tools and lessons after their seasons and building into their offseason workouts.
“It’s a good opportunity to hear from a lot of different coaches and perspectives and get things to the goalies ourselves,” McNaughton said. “You kind of take that knowledge around and you find bits and pieces that you might use in your game, work on them now, and then maybe it becomes part of your game next season.”
This was McNaughton’s third time attending the camp. While she took instruction from the camp, she also provided inspiration for some of the younger goalies who are looking to replicate her path to both NCAA success and potentially being selected for a national team.
“With those older goalies, they are in my group, and I get to watch their every step,” 17-year-old Morgan Stickney said. “They’ve had success at the level I want to play at and being around them is a great experience for me.”
Stickney is fresh off her own international success, as she was the starter for the U.S. team that earned a silver medal at the Women’s Under-18 World Championship in January. She is committed to Penn State for the 2026-27 season.
For Steve Thompson, USA Hockey’s manager of player development – goaltending, these interactions and crossovers are an important part of camp.
“We have goalies come together, and we have the men’s and women’s groups mixed for this reason, where everyone can learn and take from each other,” Thompson said. “That’s part of goaltending that’s really important, being able to learn and find what works for you.”
Thompson said it’s one of the reasons the camp focuses more on presenting problems than specific solutions to the goalies with the drills.
“You want goalies to work on finding what works best for their game, not being programmed to do one thing,” Thompson said. “The technical parts are important, and you should teach those, but you also have to make sure you're doing what’s best for you to stop the puck.”
It’s something that Anders Miller has taken to heart in his goalie development.
The 18-year-old Alaska native took his own unique path this season, getting cut from two teams in the NAHL before finding a spot with the Loydminster Bobcats in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and then finishing the year as the starting goalie for the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League.
Miller’s path is a journey in patience and adaptability. He played both goalie and forward up until he was a teenager, and even with that journey, he’ll likely be selected this June in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Miller said this camp was a good exercise in adaptability and finding ways to make sure his game continues to evolve.
“The big thing is taking the coaching and instruction, but also realizing it’s a conversation about how I can best stop the puck, not just learning one way to do it,” Miller said. “Like I know my stance looks a bit different, but no one is trying to get me into a box, instead it’s how I work to get better at stopping the puck.”
David Lassonde, USA Hockey’s national goaltending coach, explained the camp is about building the goaltending depth across the country. The country’s wealth of talent at the position was on display when the U.S. had one of the toughest decisions of any country to make at the 4 Nation’s Face-Off over who should start in net between Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger.
Lassonde said the overall depth of USA goaltending is what he’s most proud of.
“You have those top guys and they are great, but you need the depth in your country pool, the players that push each other at every level,” Lassonde said. “Getting the top goalies for this age group here all together, it’s a chance for them to develop, but also push each other. It works well for everyone involved.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
Source: usahockey.com