USA Hockey Goaltending Coach Certification Courses Help Develop Elite Talent

This year demonstrated the depth of elite goaltending talent the U.S. possesses. Aerin Frankel, Connor Hellebuyck, and Griffin LaMarre all played vital roles in helping Team USA win gold at the Olympics and Paralympics, respectively.

Developing that talent begins at the youth level, which is why USA Hockey created its Goaltending Coach Certification courses, now available to coaches nationwide. The programs are designed to help coaches better understand the goaltending position, improve how they support their goaltenders, and ultimately help grow and retain goaltenders across the country.

“One of the biggest benefits of the program is just improving the coaching that’s available to goalies across the country,” said Rick Murray, associate coach-in-chief of goaltending for the Southeast District.

“In order to develop a world-leading program, we need top-notch goalie coaches from the beginning until they reach the highest levels, and we don’t know where those kids are going to be. Bringing up the level of all our coaches will hopefully help us develop the best goalies in the world.”

The certification pathway consists of three courses – bronze, silver, and gold. These courses are designed for all coaches, not just goalie coaches or former goalies.

Courses must be completed in order, starting with bronze, and coaches may complete only one pathway per season.

“There are a lot of situations around the country where people don’t have access to a specialized goalie coach,” Murray said. “When we put our program together, we wanted that bronze level to bring everybody to a base minimum level that supports development of goaltenders.”

The bronze level is designed for head coaches, assistants, goalie coaches, parents, and more. To be eligible, participants must have completed their Level 1 coaching certification.

“Every coach is a goalie coach because you have goalies that you’re responsible for,” said Brad Johnson, associate coach-in-chief of goaltending in Michigan. “The bronze course is designed to start the mental process of being able to consider your goaltenders in everything you do as a coach. As a goalie coach, my perfect world is that every coach takes the bronze course, or one coach on every staff is bronze certified.”

The bronze course consists of two 3.5-hour online classes. Topics include goaltending growth and retention, age-appropriate goaltender training, equipment, fundamentals of the position, and drill design with goalies in mind.

The bronze course is worth five continuing education credits for Level 4 coaches but does not count as advancement throughout Levels 1-4.

“We look at our curriculum and tweak things every year to make it more engaging and interactive,” Johnson said. “We break down the basics of playing the position and focus on making coaches better coaches to their goaltenders. We encourage as many coaches to take the course.”

The silver course builds on the concepts introduced at the bronze level. To be eligible for the silver level, participants must have earned their bronze certification.

Silver features both virtual and in-person classes, as coaches must attend all three online classes, complete and submit assigned homework, and participate in the in-person weekend event to receive the certification.

“At the silver stage, we’re much more focused on developing the best goaltender coaches that we can develop,” Murray said. “It’s a much more extensive course.”

In one virtual class, coaches must create and submit a season plan for their goaltenders. Another involves drill design where participants must design, record, and submit a goaltending drill. In the final virtual course, coaches must evaluate their goaltenders during a game and submit a report.

“We make our coaches get out there and become practitioners of the ideas we’re talking about,” Murray said. “I’m a college professor and this is one of the best programs we have in USA Hockey for education. The information, homework, follow-up, and application is a wonderful learning experience for our coaches.”

The silver course concludes with an in-person weekend in Dallas, taking place Jan. 21-23 2027, in partnership with the Dallas Stars. Coaches participate in local goalie clinics and Try Goalie for Free events while also learning from additional experts within the goaltending community.

“We bring in fantastic speakers, and often the local NHL goalie coach talks to us,” Murray said. “We want to help our coaches become experts at designing and executing these on-ice practices and activities.”

The gold course is the highest level of the USA Hockey goaltending coach certification, and it’s offered once every two years. The next gold course will take place during the 2027-28 season and applications open in August 2027. Coaches must complete bronze and silver before applying for gold.

Murray said the program involves a year-long research project that the candidates must perform. They then execute the project with the help of a mentor.

Murray added that throughout the last four years, the organization has supported 10 coaches with 50 to 100 applications for the spots.

“It’s a very competitive program,” Murray said. “But we support these coaches, and some of the projects that have come out of this have been amazing. It’s a very tough process, and it’s a master’s level education project that we do in goalie coaching, but it will hopefully develop our top goalie coaches in the country.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.