Eli Wilson is one of the
most interesting instructors in
the game of hockey. He’s also
one of the best. Of course,
when you consider that among
his students are Montreal’s
Carey Price, Boston’s Tuukka
Rask, New Jersey’s Cory
Schneider, Philadelphia’s
Brian Elliott, Minnesota’s
Devan Dubnyk and Winnipeg
Jets’ Eric Comrie and Jamie
Phillips, you have to figure
that he’s easily one of the best.
However, Wilson didn’t
even start to play hockey until
he was 12-years-old and never
made it to the NHL. Still,
under his tutelage, Eli’s camps
have produced more than 50
NHL draft picks, more than
60 Division I or Canadian
University goaltenders, and
more than 200 players drafted
by Major Junior teams. His
goaltenders have gone on to
win numerous prestigious
awards and championships:
Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe
Trophies, Vezina Trophies,
World Junior Gold Medals,
American Hockey League
championships, AHL Playoff
MVPs, WHL Goaltender of the
Year, Ontario Hockey League
Goaltender of the Year, and
Canadian Hockey League
(CHL) Goaltender of the Year.
In 2004, Eli was named to
Hockey Canada’s goaltending
consultant group. Since 2004,
he has consulted with Creative
Artists Agency Sports during
their summer development
camps for top young prospects
in Los Angeles, California. In
2007, Eli traveled to South
Korea to work with the
Kangwon Land Ice Hockey
ERIC COMRIE OF THE MANITOBA
MOOSE AND WINNIPEG JETS
team and other young
goaltenders in the country.
From 2007 through 2010,
Eli was the goaltending coach
for the Ottawa Senators,
where he was responsible
for the Senators goaltenders
as well as for all the goalies
playing for their AHL affiliate,
the Binghamton Senators.
But in 2010, Eli established
Eli Wilson Goaltending
and today Eli Wilson
Goaltending is a world leader
in goaltending development.
“I emphatically believe
the best way to develop
goaltenders is by teaching
a system within a system,”
he says. “Quality drills,
attention to detail,
repetition and simplicity
are major factors in building
successful goaltenders.
The goaltender must learn
needed skills in a progressive
manner in a contr olled
environment. This will allow
the goaltender to develop at
the quickest rate possible.
9 4 | G AME ON | PL AYOF F EDITION 2018
“Our structure and the
system supplies a basis for
these goaltenders that is so
simple and easy to follow that
they can coach themselves.
We simplify things instead
of adding more. In fact, I
take things away in order to
simplify the approach so that
you can actually self-coach.”
Wilson came to hockey
in a strange way. He really
didn’t care much for the
game itself but he was
fascinated by goaltending.
“I started playing organized
hockey in PeeWee when I was
12-years-old,” he explained.
“When I was growing up, I
wasn’t into hockey, it was just
goaltending. I wasn’t drawn
to the game, I was drawn
to the position. Fact is, if
there wasn’t a goaltender in
hockey, I wouldn’t have been
interested in the sport.”
From August 7-11, 2018,
Wilson will bring his unique
approach to goaltending to
Winnipeg when he holds an Eli
Wilson Goaltending Camp at
Seven Oaks Sportsplex in the
northwestern area of the city.
For Muys, whose son Cole
has a record of 14-1-0 with a
goals against average of 2.90
for the Canadian Sport School
Hockey League’s Yale Hockey
Academy Prep in Abbotsford,
B.C., this season, has long been
an admirer of Wilson’s skills
as a teacher and innovator.
“We’ve been to a lot of
goaltending coaches,” said
Muys, “and Andy Kollar right
here at the Bell MTS Iceplex is
one of the best there is. Andy
is very good and Cole loves
working with Andy. But Eli
Wilson is in a class by himself.”
The fact that Wilson is
the man who taught Carey
Price and Devan Dubnyk
from their early days and is
now working regularly with a
dozen NHL goaltenders, says
a lot about his skills. His new
book, Hockey Goaltending,
written with Brian van Vliet,
has become the definitive
guide to stopping pucks.
“We’re very pleased with the
book.” Wilson said. “It came
out just before Christmas and
already, it’s getting into the
hands of goaltenders all over
the world. It really is pretty neat
to see goalies in every corner
of the world using the book.”
This summer’s camp in
Winnipeg August 7-11, 2018
at Seven Oaks Sportsplex, will
be one of more than a dozen
camps Wilson will hold across
Canada and into the United
States. Based on the list of
goaltenders who already come
to Wilson for advice, this is a
camp worth attending. ❍