Mitch Harris AKA The Goalie Doctor

While earning your Business Management degree at Ithaca College, did you attend any of the school's ice hockey games or contemplate trying out for the team?  

I played rec league ball hockey (goalie, of course), but outside of that, I didn't have much interest in anything other than watching the NHL on TV.

You didn't start playing ice hockey until you were in your 30s. What was the deciding factor that drove you to finally lace up your skates?  

I enjoyed watching hockey and playing street/ball hockey, though I didn't put on skates until I was almost 40. Hockey has always been a big part of my life. In fact, I met my wife after a street hockey game, and our first date was at a hockey game at the Old Barn in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

My wife and I had season tickets to our local AHL team. We traveled to as many AHL and ECHL arenas as we could, traveling as far north as Portland, Maine, as south as Orlando, Florida, as far west as Grand Rapids, Michigan, and everywhere in between.

We also traveled overseas to attend pro games in Germany. With that in mind, we really wanted our son to play, and having played street/ball hockey all my life as a goalie, I decided that now would be the time that I give it a shot, so I did.  

 

When you ultimately started playing ice hockey, which team did you play for, and what position(s) did you play? 

The only position I ever wanted to play was goalie. I first took skating lessons and then found a goalie coach to begin that journey, leading me to Wissahickon Skating Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I skated anywhere from 2-4 times per week.

 

How did you first get into coaching?

Prior to my first coaching experience, I became involved with a niche goalie equipment company, reaching out to goalie coaches to promote and market products to their players. During this time, I arranged some demo days at some goalie camps. 

After promoting a product at a particular camp, the coach invited me on the ice to observe, but this turned into him asking me to run a station as he had some things to tend to off the ice. 

Mind you, an NHL goalie coach ran the camp, and the other coaches on the ice all had professional playing and coaching experience. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous, but I jumped at the opportunity. After a couple of groups went through, I noticed the coach was watching, so I started to skate away, but he urged me to stay out there. 

At the end of the session, he invited me to stay for the rest of the week. Sadly, I wasn't able to, but I stayed for an extra day. After that, I was excited to be a part of a coaching mentor program in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I learned more about coaching and was on the ice with remarkably talented goalies. 

Fast forward two years, and I happened to be friends with one of the coaches at St. Joe's University and asked if I could come out to help his goalies. The rest is history.

 

 

In 2018, Bryn Athyn College, which competes in NCAA Division III, named you their ice hockey goalie coach. Can you tell me more about that experience? 

I am very thankful to Coach Andrew Burke for providing me with the opportunity to coach at Bryn Athyn, as I don't think many coaches would give someone with zero playing experience the chance to coach at the NCAA level. 

Despite Bryn Athyn's practices beginning at 6:30 AM, I was able to attend virtually every practice and developed a strong relationship with the coaches, goalies, and all the players. I really found my groove at Bryn Athyn, where I was 100% committed to the program. 

 

You currently serve as the men's ice hockey goalie coach at Alvernia University and the boys' varsity ice hockey goalie coach at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. What is it like competing in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council, and how does it vary from coaching at Alvernia University?  

Hill School has a fantastic facility, so it has been an absolute pleasure to step on the ice there. This was my first year being involved with prep school hockey, and while my expectations were very high about the level of play, my expectations were exceeded. I was also very fortunate to work with two outstanding goalies that want to play at the next level, and I look forward to working with them again next year. 

My approach to coaching has remained constant throughout my career. I observe goalies during team drills while identifying one or two elements I feel they can improve upon. I also devote endless time to attending games, reviewing game footage, and writing game reports.

 

What is Goalie Doctor, and what motivated you to offer your coaching expertise to the youth level? 

In my son's pursuit of becoming a goalie, his skating coach suggested connecting with Coach Matt Tendler, who founded Goalie Doctor in 2012. Not only did my son take lessons from Matt, who 10 years later still trains with, but I did as well. 

Despite being in my late 30s, and early 40s, I aspired to be the best goalie I could be. So, I installed synthetic ice in my basement for both my son and I to use, which later became known as the Goalie Doctor Synthetic Studio. 

After a couple of years of coaching, I came up with the Goalie Doctor Junior Mentor program during a late-night drive, shifting my focus to both younger and beginner goalies. Using my son as the "Junior Mentor," it provided him a platform to focus on his fundamentals while equipping beginner goalies with a mentor to look up to as a byproduct.

I went to Coach Matt with this idea, which included using the Synthetic Studio as the home of this program. Using the Studio was ideal because it offered a controlled environment and kept costs low, as getting in-season ice time was nearly impossible.

Coach Matt and I agreed to start a pilot program with only a handful of goalies. Little did we know that we had significant demand for Synthetic Studio Sessions within a month or so, leading to our expansion to include more experienced goalies.

I truly owe most of everything that I have accomplished in goalie coaching to Matt for believing in a middle-aged guy with no playing experience. Five years later, I've been an NCAA and prep school goalie coach and a guest coach at high-level goalie camps, including at the United States Hockey League Goalie Development Camp, all because I had an idea during a late-night drive home.

 

What can goalies expect during an on-ice small group lesson with you?  

The Goalie Doctor Junior Mentor Program has three pillars: Have Fun. Play Happy. Play With A Purpose. With that in mind, goalies can anticipate each concept during all of my sessions, where I expect 100% effort and 100% attitude whenever they step on the ice with me. 

All sessions include fundamental skating, goalie-specific skating, and puck play in terms of actual session structure. I introduce puck play and shooting drills with beginner goalies, focusing on tracking, proper save mechanics, recoveries, and net play. I also implement competitive drills with little to no structure, so goalies are conditioned for the unexpected.

As a coach, I will not hesitate to stop a drill if I notice a goalie struggling, but I will not spoon-feed them all the answers. I ask my players probing questions so that they can problem-solve on their own. 

On top of that, all of my sessions are recorded and posted on our YouTube page for players to reference in the future. If players wish to discuss a specific drill in any particular session, they are always welcome to reach out to me, as their time with me is not limited to the one-hour session.

 

You've become a Goalie Coach Influencer with CoachThem. What first drew you towards CoachThem's state-of-the-art online coaching tools, and how have you implemented their digital platform as a goalie coach?  

I was drawn to CoachThem when one of their social media posts popped up on my Instagram feed. Since I'm accustomed to manually drawing out my drills, I thought this would be a great way to organize my training sessions. 

 At the time, CoachThem didn't offer drills specifically for goalies, so I reached out to see if they had any desire in providing goalie-specific drills, and I was thrilled when they showed interest. Now as a Goalie Coach Influencer with CoachThem, I'm able to offer other goalie coaches with exhaustive goalie-specific drills for their players.

 

What does the future hold for Mitch Harris? Have you ever considered becoming a goaltending coach in the NHL?  

That's a great question. I plan on continuing to coach goalies in the Philadelphia area as long as I can and make guest appearances in the summer with other goalie schools to see what other coaches are accomplishing and work with goalies outside of my geographic area. As I approach my 50th birthday, I don't think the NHL is in reach, but if my phone rings, I'd certainly answer it.