For New Mexico youth hockey players looking to hone their goaltending skills that don’t want to travel far, Elite Concepts Goalie Training offers in-state coaching and teaching.

Based in Santa Fe, Elite Concepts Goalie Training is run by owner-director Shelley Payne.

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“Elite Concepts is founded on the belief that while certain movement patterns and technical skills make goaltending easier, and while styles of play and points of emphasis may change, the most successful goalies are the ones who can combine individual athletic strengths with technical mastery across styles, who can read, react, and influence situations in real time, and who see save selections as simply tools to stop the puck,” said Payne. “Goaltending is simple – keep the puck in front of you.”

Payne has played professionally with the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, as well as in Sweden. Prior to that, she was a Clarkson Cup champion with the Minnesota Whitecaps and played four years at NCAA Division III Colby College.

“My mom moved to New Mexico while I was playing college hockey, so I have been training on and off in Santa Fe since around 2007,” said Payne. “New Mexico has some good facilities and I think a lot of underappreciated talent and potential among its players. I think you have to have a comfort level with a location and I’m really excited to commit to basing things out of New Mexico.”

Elite Concepts hosts Santa Fe Youth Hockey Association clinics on Mondays at the Chavez Center and summer clinics started June 9 with a camp scheduled for July 27-29, also in Santa Fe.

“I love goaltending and I bring a true passion and intellectual curiosity about the position to my coaching,” Payne said. “I always try to connect drills to actual game situations that correlate to whatever level the goalie is aspiring to playing. My career has been varied and I think that I can also bring perspective and guidance to goalies looking to compete at the higher levels.”

— Matt Mackinder

(June 18, 2018)