After spending last weekend (Friday through Monday) as a guest coach at Mitch Korn’s goalie camp in Edina, I woke up early Tuesday morning and drove to Madison, Wisconsin in order to attend the Elite Goalies Mentorship Camp. I missed the first day of this camp, but will be here scouting, evaluating and learning as much as possible, until it ends on Friday afternoon.

Founded and run by NHL goaltending coach Mike Valley, this camp is an extremely intense and intricate five-day pro-level camp that is limited to only four high-level goalie prospects. It includes four hours of ice time each day, along with off-ice fitness training, private dinners, “team-building” experiences, and plenty of video analysis.

The best part of this camp is the attention to detail. With only four goalies on a full sheet of ice, every prospect in attendance gets amazing detail-oriented and individualized verbal and visual feedback. No stone is left unturned, both technically and mentally, when a goalie is selected to participate in this mentorship program.

This year’s Elite Goalies Mentorship Camp includes Josh Robinson (ECHL/AHL), Landon Peterson (NCAA), Adam Clark (BCHL), and Nick Taylor (BCHL).

The chance to work for five full days with one of the NHL’s best goalie coaches is clearly a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity, so the wait list is long, and the approval process is in-depth. These kids are destined to improve by leaps and bounds in just one week, and they usually learn more in a week than in almost an entire summer.

For myself, being able to attend this camp and shadow Valley and assistant coach Shane Connelly (a former Wisconsin Badger and ECHL goalie) is a dream come true. They run this camp just like an NHL goalie prospects development camp, so to be on the ice and see how fast things move at the pro level is one of the most valuable scouting and learning experiences I’ve ever had.

What makes this mentorship program so special is that it’s as detail-oriented as humanly possible. From the frame-by-frame video analysis, to the running through tactical muscle memory drills, to the instant video feedback on the ice, to some of the most unique off-ice martial arts training I have ever witnessed, from the intro session on Day 1 to the exit meetings on Day 5, this camp is bursting at the seams with intense goaltending development.

Every day this week (Tuesday through Friday), I will be posting a profile on each of the four goalie prospects in camp. This will not only provide you with in-depth scouting and evaluation notes heading up to the 2012 NHL Draft, but it will give you a real good look at what makes the Elite Goalies Mentorship Program so unique.

The Goalie Guild’s premium members will also receive a private report on the four goalies next week. These kids have pro potential, and my first profiled prospect, Josh Robinson, just signed a pro contract with the Idaho Steelheads and Texas Stars (ECHL/AHL deal).