Unmasked: Goalies can learn valuable lessons from NHL debuts

Late-season NHL debuts are more than a milestone for many goalies.

Playing that first NHL game, even if it's just one-off, is an important measuring stick that can spark a significant change in a career arc. Win or lose, lessons from a League debut can provide a better-defined purpose in offseason training and propel goalies to new heights as early as the following season.
"I felt way behind," Thatcher Demko said of getting called up from Utica of the American Hockey League by the Vancouver Canucks to make his NHL debut, a 26-save effort in a 5-4 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 31, 2018. "I got called up, I played and I got sent down the next day, and I definitely felt like I had a lot to do. But knowing that and experiencing it is a lot different than just thinking it, and instead of trying to guess what you should be doing, you have an idea of specifics, a blueprint to follow."
Those specifics can vary from goalie to goalie, but often involve adapting to the speed of an NHL game.
That was the case for Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers, whose first NHL game was an 8-5 win against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 31, 2021, one of the best recent examples of the potential impact of a single game.
Skinner made 33 saves in that game, but after a brief celebration, his first words to goalie coach Dustin Schwartz were about recognizing how much work he had to do to be NHL-ready.
"The first thing Schwartz said to me was 'Congrats, that's awesome, so happy you got to win,' and then we looked at each other and we both kind of had that look in our eyes like, 'We've got some work to do' just to grow and get better so that I am able to stay there," Skinner said.
"I will say after that game, though, getting scored on five times and knowing there was a lot of growth for me to take got me super, super excited. I couldn't wait to get on the ice the next day, because all I wanted to do was work on the things we were talking about so that one day I could potentially stay in the NHL."
To that point in his pro career, Skinner had failed to post a save percentage above .900 in his first two AHL seasons with Bakersfield. After being sent down after his NHL debut, he finished that season with a .914 save percentage and improved to .920 last season in 35 AHL game, along with 13 with Edmton. This season, Skinner graduated to the NHL and has recently inhabited the role of No. 1 goalie, ahead of Jack Campbell.
"That one game gave him experiences that are invaluable," Schwartz said last season. "He sees parts of his game that need work, he understands the pace, he understands the preparation, he understands a little bit of pressures, so he starts to build that in and now he gets in some games and shows that he can play at this level."
For Schwartz and Skinner, the biggest lesson from that first game involved each managing his stance and skating to stay ahead of the quicker pace of passing in the NHL, especially when facing a power play.
Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators doesn't recall as many specifics after his one-game NHL debut in 2015-16, when he made 20 saves in a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 28, 2015, but playing it helped him feel comfortable the following season, when he appeared in 21 games.
"First time is always exciting," Saros said, "but then you kind of see how it is and you get to know guys a little bit and I think it always helps in the future, too. The pace is faster and shots are harder and more accurate and all the guys are so skilled that they're going to find ways to score on you if you don't do everything detailed. The margin of error is smaller when you come from the minors, I feel."
Some goalies don't have to wait until the following season to try and apply those lessons again.
Lukas Dostal won his NHL debut with the Anaheim Ducks last season, making 33 saves in a 4-3 shootout victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 9, 2022, and got into three more games before the season ended. Even though he'd played in preseason games and faced Ducks shooters in practice, Dostal quickly recognized the differences in a regular-season NHL game.
"The puck is moving much quicker," said Dostal, who at age 22 has already played in 11 games this season. "I wasn't intimidated with the speed of the players but more the way the puck is moving, how crisp it is from tape to tape and what stood out a lot compared to the AHL was the power plays and the traffic in front of the net. It feels sometimes like there is a bus parked right in front of you."
Knowing that helped prepare for it.
"It was a big learning experience, especially going into the summer," he said. "I knew what the League required. I could see where I need to get better."
Canucks prospect
Arturs Silovs
didn't have to wait for the offseason to make adjustments. After allowing five goals on 27 shots in a 6-4 loss to the New York Rangers on Feb. 15, the 21-year-old stopped 35 of 37 for his first win three days later in a 6-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers and is 3-2-0 this season.
"First game in NHL, like, wasn't easy," Silovs said. "Different style of game, skilled guys, but you just have to build until you get comfortable in the League."
Getting that first taste can also provide a confidence and motivational boost for a young goalie.
"It makes you hungry for sure," said Demko, who split the following season between the NHL and AHL before graduating permanently to the NHL in 2019-20. "You go back down and you're not being a bad teammate but you have a little bit of internal swagger and you want to get back up as quickly as you can."
Lessons from that first NHL game usually help in that journey.