Hockey YouTubers are a huge reason why I decided to come back to hockey. They’re also a valuable resource for helping me improve.
In case you’ve forgotten, I returned to the net after giving up roller hockey about 20 years ago. Not only that, but I made the switch from roller hockey to ice hockey. I also had to learn all about the new style of equipment and the current methods of goaltending. Goalie YouTubers have been a great technical and motivational asset for me.
With that in mind, I’d like to call out a few of my favorites. I’ll also break down what value I see in them.
1. Goal Crease Guardian
This list isn’t in any order. But if it was, Matthew Schnoes would still be high up there. Known as Goal Crease Guardian on YouTube, he breaks down his men’s league game’s in helpful and honest detail. Lets in a goal? He dissects where he went wrong without pointing fingers. He’s also very specific on plays he’s happy about and those he’d also like back. That’s a huge help for me because I mentally catalog what Matthew says for when I wind up in similar situations.
Matthew has the occasional game where his team is overmatched, but he’s just an excellent goalie. He previously played college hockey for Adrian College and is now an emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) for a pro team.
He’s also funny and self-deprecating. I get the impression that he’d make an excellent goalie coach (he occasionally runs goalie clinics in the Detroit area). Matthew’s channel is stuck just below 1,000 subscribers, which is also one of the thresholds to meet so he can start making some money on his content. His video and overall vibe deserves to hit way more than that, so go subscribe!
2. Hockey Reviews
I always enjoy seeing a game recap from Matt, who runs the Hockey Reviews channel. He’s not quite as high-level as Matthew Schnoes, but he’s prolific and completely willing to show himself in action for better or worse. I watch his videos to get ideas for positioning and movement in certain situations (especially breakaways and 2-on-1s).
Matt also reviews gear. My favorites are when he gets into overlooked brands like JRZ, Passau and even Miklin. He gets a commission if you buy gears to certain stores using his link — since a lot of those stores don’t carry some of the more unusual brands, you can’t necessarily help him out if you stray from the big brands.
Style points for Matt: He has some custom gear with crazy graphics and colors.
3. Future Pro Goaltending
Steve McKichan made it to the NHL and has the most-impressive resume of all the hockey Youtubers on my list. A lot of what he talks about on his Future Pro Goaltending channel is honestly aimed more at elite up-and-comers than guys like me. He does have some beer league goalie-focused content, though.
Steve’s videos have provided me with some helpful drills and mechanics for my power push, which was one of the toughest things to learn coming from roller hockey. His breakdowns of NHL goalies is also enlightening — they may be light years ahead of me, but there are still nuggets I can apply to my games. You’ll also learn a lot of helpful vocabulary from Future Pro Goaltending.
4. RetroButterfly
There’s a lot to be learned from a hockey YouTuber who is at my level. Kate and I have remarkably similar stories: We both played awhile back, stopped and then decided to get back in the net.
Kate’s RetroButterfly content is almost entirely game recaps with what she likes to call “dorky commentary.” A lot of her content and comments mirror what goes through my head during games, open hockey and training sessions. There’s something comforting about knowing that someone else out there has so many of the same questions and reflections.
It’s also really cool to see so many women like Kate involved in hockey. My roller hockey league had exactly one woman back in the day. Now, I frequently see women in the net and skating out. I’m absolutely here for it.
5. GoalieTrainingProTV
Ask 10 goalies about their favorite mask, catch glove or toe ties and you’ll get a head-spinning number of answers. Ask those same 10 about the most-valuable resource for goalie warmups, and you’ll get seven blank stares and three goalies who say “Maria Mountain.”
Maria is largely known for her free Butterfly Challenge program and app than for being a hockey YouTuber. I follow this program most days of the week and supplement it with things I’ve picked up in more than 25 years of practicing yoga.
Her GoalieTrainingProTV Youtube channel dives even further into the physical side of being a goalie. Like FuturePro, there’s a lot here that’s aimed at high-level goalies or up-and-comers. But there’s plenty of value here for beer league goalies — stretches, warmpus, strength training, stamina workouts, you name it.
6. Kasimir Kaskisuo
I’m sure plenty of people know about Kasimir Kaskisuo from Finland. He’s one of the rare hockey YouTubers pushing hard to hit the highest level. He’s currently fighting for the starting job at Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League.
First of all, Kasimir seems like a genuinely good dude and a good dad (his daughter is a frequent visitor in his videos). Also, I love the insights about how hard someone at his level works and some of the things he can do — I saw him do this hand-eye juggling exercise that involved moving side-to-side while bouncing balls off a wall, and I’m still not sure how anyone can do that! And keep in mind, he’s this good and never been an NHL regular.
The videos about playing and living in Sweden are also extra-entertaining for people who like traveling and experiencing other cultures
Got A favorite Hockey YouTuber?
Got a favorite goalie running a great channel? I’m always up for supporting more goalie friends, especially at the beer league level.
If I subscribe to you and didn’t mention you on the list, sorry! There’s a lot of you, and I only have so much writing time. Trust me, you’re all making my return to hockey a better experience. I’ll look for a way to mention you in the future.
But I will give a quick plug to my defender, Matt. He shares full games of his various teams on his MightyMatt14 channel. He even lets me grab some of his footage to turn into cheesy game recaps like this one!
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