Short Answer
VERY IMPORTANT.
At U16–U18, Goalie Size and Projection can become a significant factor in determining whether a goalie advances toward AAA, Junior, college and eventually professional hockey.
That can be difficult for families to hear because size isn’t something a goalie can practise.
A smaller goalie may currently have better technique than a larger competitor. They may be quicker, more experienced and even outperform that goalie today.
However, higher-level coaches aren’t evaluating only the goalie standing in front of them today.
THEY ARE ALSO PROJECTING THE GOALIE THAT PLAYER MAY BECOME.
For goalies pursuing elite hockey, we believe families need to understand that reality rather than discovering it after years of additional expense and expectations.
Why Trust This Hockey Answer?
Our hockey development people include a former owner of the Kenesky Goalie School, along with decades of minor hockey coaching and player-development experience.
In addition, our hockey-management background includes Junior hockey ownership and management, where player evaluation and roster decisions become part of building a competitive team.
That experience has shown us that goalies face a particularly difficult advancement problem.
Nevertheless, we don’t rely on experience alone.
Before publishing this Hockey Answer, we tested our conclusions about Goalie Size and Projection against established development information, elite goalie scouting information and actual higher-level goalie profiles.
What Did We Find?
THE EVIDENCE STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE CONCLUSION THAT SIZE MATTERS IN ELITE HOCKEY GOALIE EVALUATION.
Smaller goalies certainly advance.
However, recent elite scouting information shows a clear preference for larger physical profiles, particularly when those goalies also possess the athletic and technical skills required at higher levels.
Therefore, families should not treat size as an insignificant detail.
Why Does Hockey Goalie Size Matter?
The explanation is partly geometry.
A BIGGER GOALIE NATURALLY COVERS MORE NET.
That becomes increasingly important as shooters improve.
At younger ages, players may miss openings or take additional time to release the puck.
By U16–U18 and beyond, skilled shooters become much more dangerous.
They can:
- Pick corners
- Change shooting angles
- Release quickly
- Shoot through traffic
- Use screens
- Create lateral plays
- Attack rebounds
- Exploit small openings
Consequently, less uncovered net can provide a meaningful advantage.
A large goalie in an efficient position can take away substantial portions of the net without making an extraordinary save.
Does Being Big Automatically Make Someone a Better Hockey Goalie?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Size creates an advantage.
It does not replace ability.
A high-level goalie still needs:
Positioning
Edge work
Tracking
Rebound control
Lateral movement
Recovery
Balance
Anticipation
Competitiveness
Mental strength
Athleticism
A 6’5″ goalie who cannot move effectively isn’t automatically an elite prospect.
However, when two goalies possess similar ability and one provides substantially greater net coverage, the larger goalie may have an important evaluation advantage.
That’s the uncomfortable part families need to understand.
What Does Hockey Goalie Size and Projection Mean?
At U16–U18, coaches may evaluate more than the player’s current height.
They may also consider:
HOW BIG IS THIS HOCKEY GOALIE LIKELY TO BECOME?
Nobody can predict final adult height perfectly.
However, growth history, physical maturity and family characteristics can contribute to an overall projection.
That’s why the physical size of parents may occasionally become part of the informal evaluation surrounding a developing goalie.
It isn’t destiny.
A tall parent doesn’t guarantee a tall child.
Likewise, shorter parents don’t make additional growth impossible.
Nevertheless, when coaches are comparing young goalies with similar ability, physical projection may influence which player they believe has greater long-term upside.
Could a Bigger hOCKEY Goalie Get an Opportunity Over a Better Goalie?
YES.
And parents need to understand why.
Suppose two U16 goalies attend AAA or Junior evaluations.
Goalie A is technically stronger today but has a smaller physical profile.
Goalie B is larger, athletic and technically less polished.
A coach may sometimes choose Goalie B.
Why?
Because the coach may believe:
We can improve the technique.
The physical frame, meanwhile, is already there.
That doesn’t mean the smaller goalie was evaluated incorrectly.
Instead, the organization may be selecting for future projection rather than current performance alone.
Don’t Use Exceptional Smaller NHL HOCKEY Goalies as the Standard
Smaller goalies have reached the NHL.
That’s indisputable.
However, families should be extremely careful about using those exceptional players as evidence that size doesn’t matter.
Recent NHL information has placed the average goalie at approximately 6’3″.
Meanwhile, goalies around 5’11” or 6’0″ are considered unusually small by modern NHL standards.
Think about what that actually means.
If only a tiny number of smaller goalies reach an already extraordinarily selective level, those players demonstrate that advancement is possible.
THEY DO NOT DEMONSTRATE THAT THE ODDS ARE EQUAL.
In fact, their rarity may demonstrate the opposite.
A smaller goalie may need to be exceptionally athletic, technically advanced and consistently outstanding simply to overcome a physical factor that a larger goalie doesn’t face to the same degree.
DON’T BUILD YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT PLAN AROUND BECOMING AN EXCEPTION.
Why Does Age Make Hockey Goalie Size Even More Important?
Size doesn’t exist in isolation.
At U16–U18, another major change occurs.
The goalie is approaching Junior hockey, where the competition may include players several years older.
A 16-year-old goalie may therefore find themselves competing against physically mature goalies who have already developed their adult frame.
Now imagine the comparison:
Younger smaller goalie
versus:
Older 6’3″ or 6’4″ goalie with additional experience
The younger player may be extremely talented.
However, the older goalie may provide:
Size
Strength
Maturity
Experience
Established higher-level performance
That’s a significant competitive disadvantage to overcome.
Why Are Hockey Goalies Different From Skaters?
Goalies face another mathematical problem.
A team needs many skaters.
It needs very few goalies.
Therefore, higher-level organizations can choose from a large goalie pool while filling only a small number of positions.
If several technically capable goalies are available, physical projection can become one more way to separate them.
SIZE MATTERS MORE WHEN THERE ARE VERY FEW JOBS.
That’s one reason the goalie pathway can narrow so dramatically as players approach Junior and college hockey.
Should Parents Ask Their Goalie Coach About Physical Projection?
YES.
By U16–U18, a serious goalie coach should be capable of having an honest pathway conversation.
Parents might ask:
How does our goalie’s size affect the next level?
What parts of the game compensate for a smaller frame?
Does our goalie have the athleticism required to overcome that disadvantage?
Are higher-level teams showing legitimate interest?
What does our goalie need to improve over the next year?
Most importantly:
WHAT LEVEL DO YOU REALISTICALLY BELIEVE THIS GOALIE CAN REACH?
A useful goalie coach should not guarantee outcomes.
However, families deserve an honest assessment.
What If Your Goalie Is Smaller?
DON’T STOP DEVELOPING. CHANGE THE QUESTIONS.
A smaller goalie should continue improving:
Athleticism
Positioning
Reading the play
Edge work
Speed
Recovery
Tracking
Technical efficiency
However, the family should also watch what the hockey marketplace is telling them.
Is the goalie receiving AAA interest?
Are Junior teams calling?
Are legitimate higher-level opportunities appearing?
Is the goalie being invited to meaningful camps?
If those opportunities aren’t developing despite strong performance, that information eventually needs to become part of the family’s pathway decision.
Does Goalie Size Affect AA Versus AAA?
IT CAN.
This is where the size discussion becomes extremely practical.
Suppose a U17 goalie has legitimate physical projection, strong athleticism and higher-level interest.
AAA offers a backup position.
AA offers the starting position.
For that goalie, remaining inside the AAA environment may be valuable because the player remains exposed to higher-level practices, coaching, scouting and potential Junior opportunities.
Now consider another U17 goalie.
The player is technically strong and loves playing goal. However, physical projection and the absence of higher-level interest increasingly suggest that elite advancement is unlikely.
Would spending the season as a AAA backup really provide the best hockey experience?
Maybe not.
STARTING AA MAY PROVIDE MORE HOCKEY, MORE COMPETITION AND MORE ENJOYMENT.
That’s why we cannot answer AA versus AAA based solely on the letters on the jersey.
Goalie Size and Projection: Our Hockey Answer
SIZE MATTERS AT U16–U18.
We should not pretend otherwise.
However:
SIZE ALONE DOES NOT CREATE A HIGH-LEVEL GOALIE.
The serious prospect needs a combination of:
Physical projection
Athleticism
Technical ability
Mental strength
Quality coaching
Game performance
Higher-level exposure
Continued development
For a smaller goalie, the pathway can remain open.
BUT THE PATH BECOMES NARROWER.
Families should therefore evaluate the goalie they actually have rather than planning around an exceptional professional player who overcame unusually difficult odds.
That’s not giving up on the goalie.
THAT’S MAKING BETTER HOCKEY DECISIONS WITH BETTER INFORMATION.
We Report What the Research Finds
Hockey rarely produces 100% agreement.
Before publishing, Search the Hockey Answer™ tests experience-based conclusions against established hockey information and real-world hockey experiences.
For this question, the elite scouting and goalie information reviewed provided strong support for our conclusion that physical size and projection materially influence high-level goalie evaluation.
However, smaller goalies continue to demonstrate that size isn’t an absolute barrier.
Therefore, our conclusion is not:
Small goalies cannot advance.
It is:
SMALLER GOALIES GENERALLY FACE A MORE DIFFICULT ELITE PATHWAY.
EXPERIENCE IDENTIFIES THE QUESTION.
RESEARCH TESTS THE ANSWER.
WE REPORT WHAT WE FIND.
Have Another Hockey Question?
Maybe your goalie is entering U16–U18 and physical projection is becoming part of the conversation.
Perhaps you’re trying to decide between AAA, AA, Junior camps or another development route.
Contact The Hockey Resource™ with your hockey question.
Your situation may become another Search the Hockey Answer™ and help another goalie family make a better decision.
Search Other Hockey Answers
USE GOALIES AS YOUR SEARCH TERM:
What Changes at U16–U18?
Why Does the Path to Junior Hockey Get Harder at U16–U18?
Should U16–U18 Teams Have a Clear Starting Goalie?
Should Your Goalie Move Up When Scheduled to Be the Backup?
GOALIES: How Important Is Size at U16–U18?
Short Answer
VERY IMPORTANT.
At U16–U18, Goalie Size and Projection can become a significant factor in determining whether a goalie advances toward AAA, Junior, college and eventually professional hockey.
That can be difficult for families to hear because size isn’t something a goalie can practise.
A smaller goalie may currently have better technique than a larger competitor. They may be quicker, more experienced and even outperform that goalie today.
However, higher-level coaches aren’t evaluating only the goalie standing in front of them today.
THEY ARE ALSO PROJECTING THE GOALIE THAT PLAYER MAY BECOME.
For goalies pursuing elite hockey, we believe families need to understand that reality rather than discovering it after years of additional expense and expectations.
Why Trust This Hockey Answer?
Our hockey development people include a former owner of the Kenesky Goalie School, along with decades of minor hockey coaching and player-development experience.
In addition, our hockey-management background includes Junior hockey ownership and management, where player evaluation and roster decisions become part of building a competitive team.
That experience has shown us that goalies face a particularly difficult advancement problem.
Nevertheless, we don’t rely on experience alone.
Before publishing this Hockey Answer, we tested our conclusions about Goalie Size and Projection against established development information, elite goalie scouting information and actual higher-level goalie profiles.
What Did We Find?
THE EVIDENCE STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE CONCLUSION THAT SIZE MATTERS IN ELITE GOALIE EVALUATION.
Smaller goalies certainly advance.
However, recent elite scouting information shows a clear preference for larger physical profiles, particularly when those goalies also possess the athletic and technical skills required at higher levels.
Therefore, families should not treat size as an insignificant detail.
Why Does Goalie Size Matter?
The explanation is partly geometry.
A BIGGER GOALIE NATURALLY COVERS MORE NET.
That becomes increasingly important as shooters improve.
At younger ages, players may miss openings or take additional time to release the puck.
By U16–U18 and beyond, skilled shooters become much more dangerous.
They can:
- Pick corners
- Change shooting angles
- Release quickly
- Shoot through traffic
- Use screens
- Create lateral plays
- Attack rebounds
- Exploit small openings
Consequently, less uncovered net can provide a meaningful advantage.
A large goalie in an efficient position can take away substantial portions of the net without making an extraordinary save.
Does Being Big Automatically Make Someone a Better Goalie?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Size creates an advantage.
It does not replace ability.
A high-level goalie still needs:
Positioning
Edge work
Tracking
Rebound control
Lateral movement
Recovery
Balance
Anticipation
Competitiveness
Mental strength
Athleticism
A 6’5″ goalie who cannot move effectively isn’t automatically an elite prospect.
However, when two goalies possess similar ability and one provides substantially greater net coverage, the larger goalie may have an important evaluation advantage.
That’s the uncomfortable part families need to understand.
What Does Goalie Size and Projection Mean?
At U16–U18, coaches may evaluate more than the player’s current height.
They may also consider:
HOW BIG IS THIS GOALIE LIKELY TO BECOME?
Nobody can predict final adult height perfectly.
However, growth history, physical maturity and family characteristics can contribute to an overall projection.
That’s why the physical size of parents may occasionally become part of the informal evaluation surrounding a developing goalie.
It isn’t destiny.
A tall parent doesn’t guarantee a tall child.
Likewise, shorter parents don’t make additional growth impossible.
Nevertheless, when coaches are comparing young goalies with similar ability, physical projection may influence which player they believe has greater long-term upside.
Could a Bigger Goalie Get an Opportunity Over a Better Goalie?
YES.
And parents need to understand why.
Suppose two U16 goalies attend AAA or Junior evaluations.
Goalie A is technically stronger today but has a smaller physical profile.
Goalie B is larger, athletic and technically less polished.
A coach may sometimes choose Goalie B.
Why?
Because the coach may believe:
We can improve the technique.
The physical frame, meanwhile, is already there.
That doesn’t mean the smaller goalie was evaluated incorrectly.
Instead, the organization may be selecting for future projection rather than current performance alone.
Don’t Use Exceptional Smaller NHL Goalies as the Standard
Smaller goalies have reached the NHL.
That’s indisputable.
However, families should be extremely careful about using those exceptional players as evidence that size doesn’t matter.
Recent NHL information has placed the average goalie at approximately 6’3″.
Meanwhile, goalies around 5’11” or 6’0″ are considered unusually small by modern NHL standards.
Think about what that actually means.
If only a tiny number of smaller goalies reach an already extraordinarily selective level, those players demonstrate that advancement is possible.
THEY DO NOT DEMONSTRATE THAT THE ODDS ARE EQUAL.
In fact, their rarity may demonstrate the opposite.
A smaller goalie may need to be exceptionally athletic, technically advanced and consistently outstanding simply to overcome a physical factor that a larger goalie doesn’t face to the same degree.
DON’T BUILD YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT PLAN AROUND BECOMING AN EXCEPTION.
Why Does Age Make Goalie Size Even More Important?
Size doesn’t exist in isolation.
At U16–U18, another major change occurs.
The goalie is approaching Junior hockey, where the competition may include players several years older.
A 16-year-old goalie may therefore find themselves competing against physically mature goalies who have already developed their adult frame.
Now imagine the comparison:
Younger smaller goalie
versus:
Older 6’3″ or 6’4″ goalie with additional experience
The younger player may be extremely talented.
However, the older goalie may provide:
Size
Strength
Maturity
Experience
Established higher-level performance
That’s a significant competitive disadvantage to overcome.
Why Are Goalies Different From Skaters?
Goalies face another mathematical problem.
A team needs many skaters.
It needs very few goalies.
Therefore, higher-level organizations can choose from a large goalie pool while filling only a small number of positions.
If several technically capable goalies are available, physical projection can become one more way to separate them.
SIZE MATTERS MORE WHEN THERE ARE VERY FEW JOBS.
That’s one reason the goalie pathway can narrow so dramatically as players approach Junior and college hockey.
Should Parents Ask Their Goalie Coach About Physical Projection?
YES.
By U16–U18, a serious goalie coach should be capable of having an honest pathway conversation.
Parents might ask:
How does our goalie’s size affect the next level?
What parts of the game compensate for a smaller frame?
Does our goalie have the athleticism required to overcome that disadvantage?
Are higher-level teams showing legitimate interest?
What does our goalie need to improve over the next year?
Most importantly:
WHAT LEVEL DO YOU REALISTICALLY BELIEVE THIS GOALIE CAN REACH?
A useful goalie coach should not guarantee outcomes.
However, families deserve an honest assessment.
What If Your Goalie Is Smaller?
DON’T STOP DEVELOPING. CHANGE THE QUESTIONS.
A smaller goalie should continue improving:
Athleticism
Positioning
Reading the play
Edge work
Speed
Recovery
Tracking
Technical efficiency
However, the family should also watch what the hockey marketplace is telling them.
Is the goalie receiving AAA interest?
Are Junior teams calling?
Are legitimate higher-level opportunities appearing?
Is the goalie being invited to meaningful camps?
If those opportunities aren’t developing despite strong performance, that information eventually needs to become part of the family’s pathway decision.
Does Goalie Size Affect AA Versus AAA?
IT CAN.
This is where the size discussion becomes extremely practical.
Suppose a U17 goalie has legitimate physical projection, strong athleticism and higher-level interest.
AAA offers a backup position.
AA offers the starting position.
For that goalie, remaining inside the AAA environment may be valuable because the player remains exposed to higher-level practices, coaching, scouting and potential Junior opportunities.
Now consider another U17 goalie.
The player is technically strong and loves playing goal. However, physical projection and the absence of higher-level interest increasingly suggest that elite advancement is unlikely.
Would spending the season as a AAA backup really provide the best hockey experience?
Maybe not.
STARTING AA MAY PROVIDE MORE HOCKEY, MORE COMPETITION AND MORE ENJOYMENT.
That’s why we cannot answer AA versus AAA based solely on the letters on the jersey.
Goalie Size and Projection: Our Hockey Answer
SIZE MATTERS AT U16–U18.
We should not pretend otherwise.
However:
SIZE ALONE DOES NOT CREATE A HIGH-LEVEL GOALIE.
The serious prospect needs a combination of:
Physical projection
Athleticism
Technical ability
Mental strength
Quality coaching
Game performance
Higher-level exposure
Continued development
For a smaller goalie, the pathway can remain open.
BUT THE PATH BECOMES NARROWER.
Families should therefore evaluate the goalie they actually have rather than planning around an exceptional professional player who overcame unusually difficult odds.
That’s not giving up on the goalie.
THAT’S MAKING BETTER HOCKEY DECISIONS WITH BETTER INFORMATION.
We Report What the Research Finds
Hockey rarely produces 100% agreement.
Before publishing, Search the Hockey Answer™ tests experience-based conclusions against established hockey information and real-world hockey experiences.
For this question, the elite scouting and goalie information reviewed provided strong support for our conclusion that physical size and projection materially influence high-level goalie evaluation.
However, smaller goalies continue to demonstrate that size isn’t an absolute barrier.
Therefore, our conclusion is not:
Small goalies cannot advance.
It is:
SMALLER GOALIES GENERALLY FACE A MORE DIFFICULT ELITE PATHWAY.
EXPERIENCE IDENTIFIES THE QUESTION.
RESEARCH TESTS THE ANSWER.
WE REPORT WHAT WE FIND.
Have Another Hockey Question?
Maybe your goalie is entering U16–U18 and physical projection is becoming part of the conversation.
Perhaps you’re trying to decide between AAA, AA, Junior camps or another development route.
Contact The Hockey Resource™ with your hockey question.
Your situation may become another Search the Hockey Answer™ and help another goalie family make a better decision.
Search Other Hockey Answers
USE GOALIES AS YOUR SEARCH TERM:
What Changes at U16–U18?
Why Does the Path to Junior Hockey Get Harder at U16–U18?
Should U16–U18 Teams Have a Clear Starting Goalie?
Should Your Goalie Move Up When Scheduled to Be the Backup?
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