There's a new face around the Arena these days: Goaltending consultant John Stevenson, who has been hired by Ottawa to spend this week in Binghamton.

The plan right now is for Stevenson to then return each month until the end of the season. (The big club, you'll remember, fired its goaltending coach Eli Wilson in mid-January.)

So, some things to know about the newcomer:

-- He is currently the goalie coach for the WHL's Saskatoon Blades, with whom he's spent the past three years. Past and present students of his include Hershey goalie Braden Holtby and 2009 Flyers draft pick Adam Morrison.

-- He and Ottawa coach Cory Clouston go way back. About 20 years, in fact. Stevenson was the goalie coach at the University of Alberta when Clouston was a player there. He then worked for the WHL's Kootenay Ice for four years, during which time Clouston and Ottawa assistant Brad Lauer both coached there as well.

-- He worked as a scout with the Edmonton Oilers for six years, over which time Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk were two of the players he helped draft.

-- He's worked previously as goaltending coach for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.

-- And he has a sport psychology practice in his hometown of Edmonton.

Asked for his goal for this first week in Binghamton, Stevenson said:

"All three guys are great guys. They're just awesome guys. They want to get better. So a lot of it was, I hadn't ever seen the guys before, to be honest. So a lot of it was just doing video, looking at their strengths, looking at their weaknesses. And a lot of it is just getting back to basics.

"I'm a big believer in footwork and angles, and teaching the guys to read the play. I won't really do a lot of style stuff. I mean, everybody's got their own unique way of stopping the puck. But there's basics like tracking the puck, seeing the puck into your body. I've never worked with a goalie who couldn't say that they couldn't get better at their footwork. And at this level, your positioning is so important, and being aware of where guys are, open men are. And just helping the guys to read the play a little bit better.

"That was kind of my goals for the week, is just to get to know the guys and for them to get to know me, and develop some good things going down here."

pressconnects.com | Binghamton PluckPersona | Press & Sun-Bulletin

__________________

Great read thank you for the heads up

good stuff.
i know one of his current students, adam morrison personally.
he was my TA for gym last year at school