The evolution has already occurred in men's hockey, and with the calibre of the women's pro game skyrocketing, larger goalies will be coming to women's hockey as well.
The evolution has already occurred in men's hockey, and with the calibre of the women's pro game skyrocketing, larger goalies will be coming to women's hockey as well.
There was a time, when the smallest kid on the ice would be put into goalie equipment and stuffed into the crease.
Last season, the average height of an NHL goaltender was over 6-foot-2. It hasn't always been this way. Looking at Vezina Trophy winners through history, George Hainsworth who was awarded the trophy the first three years of its existence in 1927, 1928, and 1929, stood 5-foot-6. In 1931 the award was earned by 5-foot-3 New York Americans goalie Roy Worters. Four time winner Tiny Thompson was 5-foot-10, among the tallest of his peers at the time.
When Bill Durnan of the Montreal Canadiens went on a six-time winning run, he stood six-feet even. Terry Sawchuk, Tony Esposito, and Johnny Bower sat at 5-foot-11, Gump Worsley was only 5-foot-7.
The first truly "big" goaltender to rise to NHL stardom was Ken Dryden at 6-foot-4. By the 1980s, the trend of taller goaltenders began, but it wasn't until the 2000s that teams truly started searching for skyscrapers to block the view of shooters. Of the last six Vezina Trophy winners, four stood 6-foot-4 or taller. The others were the diminutive 6-foot-1 Igor Shesterkin and 6-foot-2 Marc-Andre Fleury.
The trend, until recently, had remained one tied to men's hockey alone, but we're now seeing bigger and bigger goaltenders minding PWHL, NCAA, and SDHL creases.
The reason is simple, larger goalies cover more space, and take away angles more effectively. Before, goaltenders were also trained as "stand up" goaltenders, but with the implementation of the butterfly, and goaltenders often staying on their knees longer and longer with pucks behind the goal line, or in scrambles, size is becoming a factor. The other aspect impacting the change is the rapidly improving calibre of shooters. In women's hockey, shooting was at times an issue, and that often related to equipment manufacturers not making sticks built for women. With those factors gone, smaller goalies are being exploited more often, and it will become an even larger consideration as the PWHL continues to evolve.
There remains small goaltenders in the league including Aerin Frankel (5'5"), Maddie Rooney (5'5"), Nicole Hensley (5'6"), Emerance Maschmeyer (5'6")
The line for upcoming goalies appears to be drawn at no less than 5-foot-8. It's a category that would include current PWHL netminders Ann-Renee Desbiens (5'9") and Kristen Campbell (5'9").
The big goaltenders in the league include Corinne Schroeder (5'11"), Abbey Levy (6'1"), and Sandra Abstreiter (5'11").
Looking at goaltenders coming out of the NCAA, many fall into the short to middle range. Looking at the wave that comes next however, there will be a marked change in the height of elite goaltenders challenging for spots in the PWHL. Moving forward, it's likely fans won't see many netminders under 5-foot-7 or 5-foot-8 entering the PWHL, and it's more probable goalies like Cornell's Annelies Bergmann (6'1"), Wisconsin's Ava McNaughton (6'), and Colgate's Hannah Murphy (5'10") earn extra looks for the one attribute you cannot teach, size.
There will of course always be exceptions, and many goalies in the mid-range, including NCAA standouts like Michelle Pasiechynk, Eve Gascon, Sanni Ahola and Kayle Osborne will all continue to be looked at highly by PWHL teams.
But as shooters and the calibre of play continue to improve, quickness, and skill will not be the only factor that defines a successful PWHL goalie. With certainty, that will trend toward larger goaltenders with these traits in the future.