Think my memory has flushed out that disaster season but I feel like people were saying UPL should be the starter in late November because he played well enough, then he lost his grip on it in December when the team faltered and then obviously lit the world on fire January on.He was sitting around collecting dust while the organization tried to force Levi as the starter. The only reason he started to play was because Comrie got injured. Then it took until sometime in December for KA to realize Levi wasn't ready, or that UPL was clearly better. The team basically had to be slapped in the face to see that UPL should be starting.
Not a huge sampling, but he he looks like a completely different goaltender last year compared to the year prior when you look at it side-by side like that. He used to overcommit way too early and seems to have mostly fixed it.
Not a huge sampling, but he he looks like a completely different goaltender last year compared to the year prior when you look at it side-by side like that. He used to overcommit way too early and seems to have mostly fixed it.
That's not an agent thing. That's PR training. Now, could the agent hook a player up with a PR trainer? Sure. But a lot of these guys (just like in real life) are set to not show emotion/personality by default.I wish agents worked with their players about how to show personality in videos so that they stop recording messages that look and sound like they were done under duress
That's not an agent thing. That's PR training. Now, could the agent hook a player up with a PR trainer? Sure. But a lot of these guys (just like in real life) are set to not show emotion/personality by default.
The other thing is that UPL is doing the video in a language that is not his native tongue. Tons of Europeans can sound stiff when doing all kinds of media just because of the language barrier.Most agencies have PR folks either on staff or a consultancy. But it's not like most of these guys are much more than anyone else when doing this sort of thing.
Not a huge sampling, but he he looks like a completely different goaltender last year compared to the year prior when you look at it side-by side like that. He used to overcommit way too early and seems to have mostly fixed it.
The year prior, the team was leaving back door unattended every game. I think it was a result of the horrendous D-zone coverage that brought a bit of panic into UPL and Comrie's game. Anderson was different just because of his experience.Yeah, I had completely written him off. I didn't think you could make big gains in things like Puck tracking and "playing bigger" in net.
Glad I was wrong...
For those taking a look at goaltending, please go read about the "royal road." It's the new butterfly pad height. And it's changing the way goaltenders are playing the game.
Back in the 90's and early 2000's, pad height and the butterfly was the rage. If a goalie went into the butterfly, chances are the shooter could not score due to pad height. Some insanely high number of goals were scored from the ice to the top of the pad while a goalie was in the butterfly. So all goalies learned the butterfly.
Mobility is now the new thing. Shooters adjust, and instead of trying to power pucks through a giant goalie with giant pads, they are passing east-west and making goalies move. Hence the 'royal road' idea. Goalies are adjusting but some are re-learning the position. And we are seeing it now.
Eg:
- Wide butterflies don't matter as much as both knees touching. The knees touching gives the goalie the natural ability to widen their stance, as well as get back to their skates.
- Goalie sliding is going out of style. Getting back to skates is the new thing.
- Leaning forward and putting weight on toes is now preferred for mobility.
- Downward tracking with the upper body is now the preferred rebound control method
So, what we are seeing are goalies that can adjust to mobility changes are having success. Those that are not are struggling. UPL is going through this transition right now, as a pro goalie. Levi is a mobile goalie, so when he arrives, he may be able to keep up right away. Portillo may not be the once touted prospect, as he's big but he may not have the ideal mobility to play right away.
Just some thoughts as we watch goalies. It's a very similar time to the 1990s, when smaller goalies like Vernon, Richter, JVB, Joseph, etc. all retired and left the game, and were replaced by Kolzig, Snow, etc. By the time the lockout ends, it's hard to find many young goalies coming into the NHL who were not over six foot tall.
I think we will see a bit of that transition now, where height and size are good, but mobility is going to be more and more important.
UPL looks like a goalie who is struggling with a new technique and is getting into his head. That 4th goal against Nyqvist was an easy save. But he's making other big time saves. Tell tales signs that he's struggling with technique.
When you see him hunched over a bit, that's the new technique which is being coached. Goalies are being taught to enhance mobility, which means they have to lean forward and get more on their toes.
The technique alone isn't the issue. It's doing the proper technique at an increased speed. Goalies "feel" rushed and then they get out of sorts.
I re-read the goalie thread. There are some doosies in there about UPL.Answer to the question about how you scout goalies, etc.
At the youth levels, prior to juniors, you're looking for physical traits as well as the baseline mental traits. It's takes time because the kids grow at such different rates and times. But it's pretty simple at that level. My own criteria is coachability. It's a hard position, the kid needs to be capable of growth.
At the junior level, you start to look at the ability to mentally read and react to shooters in that age bracket. Technique starts to really matter here. Goalies with bad form can still save pucks in youth hockey. Not so much in juniors. Coachability becomes even more important here, because they have to begin to perfect technique they have learned.
There's some overlap with NCAA goalies between juniors and lower levels of pro goalies.
ECHL, SHL, Liiga, AHL goalies: you start to look for the ability to mentally match you opposition. You assume that if the goalie is at this level, techniques are simply being fine-tuned. But the goalies have to really pay attention to the mental side of the game. It's why you can see an ultra-talented goalie like UPL win OHL player of the year, and then struggle in Rochester. The physical talent is there.
What you look for in these leagues is the ability to rebound from a mistake, the ability to adjust goaltending to style of play of the opposition, the ability to be in the position to make a save prior to the shooter having the puck ready. It's all mental.
At the NHL level, it's all modifying your game for the opponent. Teams play different, and using one goaltending style won't work for 82 games against 31 teams. Matt Murray never adjusted his game, so once teams figured his style out, they took advantage. It's how you go from 2xCup winning goaltender who was a huge part of the Pens' teams, to traded as a cap dump twice.
Part of the reason fans have such a difficult time assessing pro goalies is because it's 95% mental. And we don't get to be part of it, we just see the outcome. But a solid pro goalie has to adjust his style to the team he plays. So UPL, coming to the NHL, had to adjust for game speed, and then adjust by team. A team like Boston plays a lot different than a team like Colorado. So you have to adjust parts of your game.
This part is really tough. It's why there's only a handful of elite goalies as any one time. And right now, goalies are in the midst of a significant technique change, where goalies used to be more blockers. With shooters being so athletic now, and the concept of the royal road being used by teams, movement is now paramount for goalies. And that also plays into the mental side significantly.
Hope this helps. Goalies aren't voodoo. It's just mental and fans don't get to see that part.
How is UPL's skating from your POV?I re-read the goalie thread. There are some doosies in there about UPL.
Patience was always the key. It's a mental position more than a physical position.
He's made the transition to more of a modern game, and you can see some of his saves look a lot like what we saw from Levi in college and some in the pros.How is UPL's skating from your POV?
Interesting - thanks! This part here, I can 100% see illustrated in the video, so it makes perfect sense.UPL is also a far better on staying on his toes. You see his skates are closer together now, and he fights to stay on his feet. By doing so, he's maintaining his lateral mobility with his hips forward. By default, shoulders will be more forward until the goalie masters the technique. You can also see that his lateral pushes are far more effective. By maintaining a narrower base, it's a lot easier to push laterally, even when you incorporate dropping into a slide. On the two shoot out saves, you can see the really small shuffles he uses just prior to the shooter committing, and then he commits to the save technique and still is able to push effectively.
I support this message. I initially titled this thread 6K signed but thought I would get too much flack to stop trying to make "6K" happen.The main negative is that the UPL nickname won out over 6K.
He’d be much more cool as 6K
I support this message. I initially titled this thread 6K signed but thought I would get too much flack to stop trying to make "6K" happen.
I also will die on the hill that Samuelsson should only be referred to as Cobra.