By Lisa Parent

Hockey camp highlights the importance of goalie-focused training

Aug 14, 2023 | 8:46 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A five-day hockey camp wrapped up in Medicine Hat on Saturday. This camp had a specific focus on goaltending.

At the event, there were three young goalies with big dreams for the future and a plan on how to get there.

“I hope to make the NHL and get to play hockey my whole life,” says the young goalie Bryden Tschritter.

Lily Smith says, “I wanna try to make team Canada,” after wrapping up her last on-ice training of the week.

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“I’m gonna try to go professional one day,” says Tate Martin.

It’s the coaches of the World Pro Goaltending camp that were there to guide the kids a step closer to that goal. Marcus Beesley was one of the coaches out on the ice.

As the senior head instructor, Beesley helps organize drills and technical practice, but also fun competitions like the coach versus student shootout.

“We try to play a game every day of some sort, I think through that goalies learn to have a lot of fun and compete at the same time, and that’s when most goalies are at their best,” says Beesley.

Besides games, the camp also focuses on off-ice training, video analysis and fundamentals that are all goalie specific. He says this is important, because goalies can often feel left out from their regular teams by playing such a unique position.

“To be at this camp and to be able to interact with all their fellow goalies who all kind of understand where each other are coming from, I think that’s really important,” he explains.

In the end, Beesley says the main point of the camp is to bring a group of people together that love hockey, and a specific position in hockey.

“We as a coaching staff try to have a lot of fun, right? We want to make sure that it’s a fun environment for the kids because we enjoy coaching as well,” he says.

Beesley says if the kids are having fun, they are more likely to buy into training and learning.

“They make the camp what it is with their work ethic and their commitment and their good attitudes.”

Beesley hoping this coaching style will ignite young players passion for the game, and it does seem to be working.

Bryden Tschritter says, “I love being on the ice. I love the adrenaline rush. Having all eyes on you and just making the save.”

The World Pro Hockey has been hosting camps in Medicine Hat for years, and plans on coming back next year.