What's wrong with goaltender development in Canada? and why are some countries flourishing?

Goaltending is the most physically demanding position in hockey. Every push, every rotation and every recovery is a loaded athletic movement performed under time pressure — often from an already compromised position.

Off-ice training is not about lifting heavy for the sake of it. It is about building the hip strength, rotational control and single-leg stability that let a goaltender hold posture through contact and recover without losing the puck.

A well-built program addresses three areas: mobility through the hips and ankles, strength in the posterior chain and adductors, and explosive capacity for the first push. When those three qualities improve, technical coaching sticks faster, because the athlete can finally execute the position their coach is asking for.

The takeaway: on-ice reps teach the skill, off-ice work builds the body that can repeat it 60 times a game without breaking down.