The following lists the different attributes and their relative importance for goalies. A goalie’s main job is to keep the puck out of the net! Using manual goalie can make the worst goalies still play great, and some of these attributes are more important for manual goalie control than others. Two goalies absolutely dominate the ratings in ’94 — Patrick Roy and Ed Belfour. Grant Fuhr is not nearly as great as those two, but also stands a cut above the rest.
Weight
Weight plays a factor in how quickly a goalie can move side to side, the lighter the quicker. It also determines how susceptible a goalie is to the “ram” from opposing players. A heavier goalie has more resistance.
IMPORTANCE – MED
Players who are great at manual goalie enjoy the lightweight goalies like Jon Casey (2), Chris Terreri (2), Andy Moog (4), because they can get from one side to the other quicker than heavier goalies. However, weight only plays a part in a goalie’s ability to move. The more important attribute is…
Agility
How quickly a goalie can move around the crease.
IMPORTANCE – HIGH
This is the most important attribute for goalies. It is the major determinant of how quickly a goalie and get from one side to another, and move around the net.
There are only 2 goalies with 6 agility:
- Patrick Roy (MTL)
- Ed Belfour (CHI)
And 1 with 5 agility
- Grant Fuhr (BUF)
The rest of the goalies worth noting all have 3 or 4 agility, and the bottom of the barrel of starters have 2 (Guy Herbert, Arturs Irbe).
Speed
Speed has an effect on goalie mobility, but not as great as agility because you are never trying to accelerate to top speed! You’re only moving short distances, where agility factors in most.
IMPORTANCE – LOW
Every goalie in the game has either 3 or 4. Not factored into the overall rating by the game, and generally not big enough factor to worry about.
Puck Control
This determines how likely a goalie is to give up a rebound. High puck control will mean the goalie is “sticky”, low means he will give up rebounds. Also thought to prevent 5-hole shots from going through.
IMPORTANCE – HIGH
Similar to agility, only 3 goalies have high puck control!
- Patrick Roy (6)
- Ed Belfour (5)
- Grant Fuhr (5)
The rest of the goalies have 4 and below.
Stick L/R — Glove L/R
Generally believed to influence the save ability of goalies at the stick and glove sides. The higher rating will lead to more AI saves on slapshots
IMPORTANCE – MED
When all else fails, start looking at stick and glove ratings! Some people have said that glove ratings matter more than stick, but again nothing definitive.
Defensive Awareness
Undetermined as to what Defensive Awareness does for goalies. It’s a major factor in the default overall ratings calculations for a goalie, but we’re not sure what it actually affects.
IMPORTANCE – LOW
What’s interesting is that there is a direct correlation to the goaltender’s save% from the ’92-93 season and awareness. The data is below, and the exceptions highlighted (thanks for JF@^ for the find!):
Offensive Awareness
Undetermined
IMPORTANCE – N/A
Not exactly sure what Offensive Awareness affects for a goalie. Not factored into the overall rating by the game, nor is it displayed. All offensive awareness equals defensive awareness ratings for goalies.