Beginner Goalie Clinics

Learn the Position. Love Being a Goalie.

Q: Does my child need their own equipment?

Goalies need full goalie equipment to participate. [[NEEDS: equipment requirements and any rental or borrowing options]]

Our beginner goalie clinic gives first-time and early-stage goalies positive, position-specific coaching. Your child learns stance, movement, and save basics with two goalies per coach, in a setting built to make them want to come back.

Book a Beginner Clinic Is This Right?

Beginner Clinics at a Glance

Who

First-time, rotational, and early-stage goalies, about ages 7–10

Experience

First season through about three seasons in goal

Session length

60 minutes on ice

Ratio

2 goalies per coach (2:1)

Booking group

Mite–Squirt

Schedule

Year-round, single sessions or packages

Locations

Blaine, Plymouth, Hudson (WI), STMA

A Real Beginner Goalie Clinic

Why Start With MEGA

Your child asked to play goalie, or their team started rotating kids into the net. Now they are facing shots at practice without anyone teaching them how to stand, move, or where to be.

MEGA Beginner Clinics start at the beginning. Coaches use simple language, controlled shots, and small wins so young goalies build skills and confidence together. Mistakes and goals against are treated as part of learning, never something to be embarrassed about.

Book a Clinic

Goalie coach in a black cap skating beside a young goalie in front of a red net

Fundamentals First

What Your Goalie Learns

Every beginner clinic builds on a simple foundation. Drills move from controlled instruction to age-appropriate challenge, so goalies are never simply shot on.

A balanced athletic stance that feels comfortable in the gear
Basic crease movement, including shuffles and T-pushes
Where to stand: squareness, angles, and depth in plain language
Tracking the puck from the stick into the body
Simple recoveries and getting set for the next shot
A next-save mindset after a goal

Is This the Right Level?

Beginner Clinics are a good fit if most of these describe your goalie. Participants are required to bring their own goalie equipment; MEGA does not supply goalie equipment for clinics.

Brand new to goalie or trying it for the first time

No experience needed

Rotating into the net with their team

Learning the basics before the next game

In their first one to three seasons in goal

Has had little position-specific coaching

Nervous about the puck or unsure in the equipment

Excited to learn and wants to keep playing goal

Not the right fit if:

Goalies who move confidently and want consistency in games (see Intermediate Clinics)
Bantam and older goalies seeking advanced detail (see Advanced or High School Clinics)
Skaters looking for general hockey skills

Not Quite the Right Fit?

Other Levels

Every goalie develops at a different pace. Compare the other MEGA Clinic levels.

Intermediate

For Squirt and Peewee goalies who know the basics and want more consistent games.

See Intermediate

Advanced Youth

For qualified goalies, most often Bantam, ready for more pace and detail.

See Advanced

High School

For JV and varsity goalies building a repeatable game.

See High School

How Beginner Clinics Work

Three steps shape every beginner experience.

Learn the foundation

Stance, balance, basic movement, positioning, tracking, and age-appropriate save skills.

Build confidence through repetition

Controlled shots, achievable progressions, and positive coaching after both saves and goals.

Leave with a next step

One or two clear priorities and a recommendation for what fits next.

Goalie coach in a black MEGA jacket holding a stick and glove while talking to a goalie in black

Coached by People Who Know Goalies

Beginner clinics are led by MEGA's full-time goaltending staff, who understand both the technical and emotional side of learning the position.

Goalie-only training brand, established 2010

Lead instructors at every MEGA clinic location

Meet the Coaches

Beginner Clinic Schedules

Choose a location and book in the Mite–Squirt group.

Blaine

Schwan Super Rink, National Sports Center · North metro

1850 105th Avenue NE, Blaine, MN 55449

Beginner Goalie Parent FAQ

Questions new goalie parents ask most. Need more help? Contact us.

My child has never played goalie. Is that OK?

Yes. Beginner Clinics are designed for first-time and early-stage goalies and start with the most basic movements.

My child is afraid of the puck. Will the shots be too hard?

Shot speed, distance, and drills are matched to the group's age and experience. Coaches use controlled progressions and never treat fear as something a child should simply push through.

Does my child need their own equipment?

Goalies need full goalie equipment to participate. [[NEEDS: equipment requirements and any rental or borrowing options]]

Will there be individual attention?

Yes. Clinics run at two goalies per coach, so every goalie gets direct feedback.

Will my child actually improve?

Clinics focus on recognizable foundations like stance, movement, and positioning. Progress depends on age, attendance, and practice, so we share realistic priorities rather than one-session promises.

Will it still be fun?

Yes. Instruction is mixed with games, challenges, and achievable wins, because a positive first experience matters.

What happens after the clinic?

Your goalie leaves with priorities to keep working on and a recommendation for the next MEGA step, such as more beginner sessions or Intermediate Clinics.