Photo courtesy of fotogenic © 2009.

Say what you will about kids, but they always give it to you straight. When I recently asked Daniel Dolliver, a bantam goalie for the Richmond Royals, his initial reason for playing the position, his answer was the equipment.

It was not exactly the response I was expecting, but I had to admire his honesty, nonetheless. Fortunately for Daniel, his interest in playing goalie is no longer tied to the equipment, though it is still cool to have.

Daniel has been playing in net since day one of his youth ice hockey career, which began as a mite. He has worked with Darren Hersh, a former professional goaltender who now runs the Goalie Academy in Sterling, Virginia, ever since then. Through Darren’s help and the assistance of others, Daniel has developed into a fundamentally sound butterfly goalie, and a pretty talented one at that.

For example, Daniel attended the Elite Prospects Showcase in Detroit last spring. The event has seen several of its participants move on to the professional ranks, particularly the NHL. This is not to say that Daniel is NHL bound, but he managed to hold his own against some of the top North American players in his age group (1996), so it was mission accomplished for him.

Daniel’s tour of duty was not done though. He made the Washington All-Stars ’96 team for the second year in a row and, as the lone goalie, led the squad to a championship at the Philadelphia AAA Shootout in May. Daniel registered a goals-against-average and save percentage of 2.60 and 0.904, respectively, and helped the Washington All-Stars become the first team south of Philadelphia to ever capture the title.

Daniel has also been recognized by the Goalie Academy on several occasions. During the 2008-09 season, Daniel won the “Wimpy Award,” which is given to the top Goalie Academy player who demonstrates commitment, effort and desire to improve, strong work ethics, excellent sportsmanship and potential.

Furthermore, Daniel is now considered to be an advanced-level goalie and was invited to attend the academy’s elite camp this past summer, which is designated for goalies who are close to mastering the fundamental skills of the position. The invitation-only camp was limited to 21 players, and Daniel was one of only four ’96 goalies invited from the region.

However, his season was not complete until he visited Culver Military Academy, which is one of the top hockey prep schools in the country. Daniel attended Culver’s invitation-only “Hockey Open House” in August and received positive feedback from the team’s goalie coach. He was also acknowledged by Head Coach and Athletic Director Al Clark.

“Daniel looks to be pretty sound technically,” Clark said in his post-evaluation assessment. “Our goalie coach was positive about his potential, and we would certainly encourage him to pursue Culver if he is interested in doing so.”

Daniel’s style of play most closely resembles that of Montreal Canadians goalie Carey Price. He is relaxed and patient in net, enjoys quality skating skills, possesses fluid and efficient movement (very little, if any, wasted movement) and takes the proper angles on shots, which means he is consistently square to the puck and in position to make the save.

The only problem with this style of play is that it can look a little nonchalant to people who do not know better. More specifically, because Daniel is economical in his movement, he can make saves look easy or effortless at times. Additionally, since he has a strong positional game, Daniel rarely puts himself in a situation where he has to make a diving save.

In an age where size and reflexes (dramatics) tend to take center stage, the technically sound goalie is sometimes overlooked. However, it seems foolish to disregard the fundamental skills of the position. Max Giese is the former Director of Scouting at McKeen’s Hockey and now acts as a scout for Red Line Report, as well as the expansion Chicago Hitmen of the NAHL. Since Max is a former goaltender, I asked him for his thoughts on this topic.

“Reflexes and the ability to make the dramatic save can only get you so far,” Giese said. “At some point, you need to be efficient. A great example of this is Alex Stalock in Worcester (AHL) right now. When he was in the USHL/NCAA, it was obvious he was a gifted athlete, but he was so erratic and all over the place that he really struggled at times. Now Stalock is controlled between the pipes and is one of the top goaltending prospects in the AHL. He still has the athleticism to fall back on, but he also makes it look easy. If a goalie is making every save look hard, something is wrong. Plus, who cares how big a goaltender is if he plays small.”

Andy Holmes, President and Director of Hockey Operations for Five Hole Hockey, is a former goalie too. He played Division I prep hockey at Choate, as well as in various Junior A leagues across North America. He had a similar take on the subject.

“Fundamental skating and positioning are key attributes for success in goal,” Holmes noted. “Without either, a goaltender is limited. In my experience, big goalies who cannot move or do not position themselves well get exposed at higher levels of hockey. The same is true of goalies who rely solely on athleticism or reflexes. As you move up the ladder and players shoot harder, faster and more accurately, you cannot rely solely on reflexes or size. Goaltenders that are constantly making acrobatic saves are generally using pure athletic ability to compensate for poor skating, poor positional play, poor technique or some combination of these items. Such goaltenders may look good one night, but they are generally inconsistent over time or when moved to a higher level. I would say the Hasek’s of the world are few and far between.”

Studies have shown that an NHL goaltender only has a fraction of a second to react to a 90 mph slap shot from the high slot.

“A fast release or a fast, hard, accurate shot will beat reflexes or size alone. It certainly proves the point that solid fundamentals and angle play are key components of the position,” Holmes added.

Daniel actually possesses good reflexes and athleticism, which he can fall back on when needed. However, his game is a positional one first and foremost. Daniel is also mentally tough, as he does not display frustration or get down on himself after giving up a goal. His level-headedness, poise and confidence in net allow him to play at the same high level regardless of the situation.

“Goaltending is more mental ability than physical, especially the higher in the game you go,” Holmes said. “You get to a point, I would say in juniors, where anybody can stop a shot. The goalies making teams, playing and moving on are not merely getting in the way of shots. They are also strong in the mental aspect of the position.”