In the Crease with NHL Goalie Joey Daccord: How VR Training Is Changing Goalie Prep
When Seattle Kraken goalie Joey Daccord stopped by NHL Now to demonstrate NHL Sense Arena’s VR hockey training drills, it wasn’t just for show, it was a real look at how one of the league’s smartest netminders sharpens his game off the ice.
Goalie training is all about reps. You need to see pucks (lots of them), read shot releases, and react quickly in tight spaces. But ice time can be limited by schedules, travel, and physical wear. For many goalies, including Joey Daccord, that’s where virtual reality goalie training with NHL Sense Arena comes in.
In a recent segment on NHL Now, Daccord discusses how he got started with NHL Sense Arena and walks through the VR drills that he uses to warm up and stay sharp. In these drills, he can see NHL-speed shots from all angles and working on split-second reads and saves — skills that translate directly to game night.
This isn’t hypothetical. Off the ice and before every start, Daccord makes NHL Sense Arena part of his routine. He’ll put on a Meta Quest headset about an hour before warmups, fire up VR drills that get his brain firing, and take hundreds of virtual shots so he has already “seen pucks” once he steps on the ice.
He’s talked openly about how that preparation helps him read the release and track the puck, two goalie-specific skills that can be the difference in close games. In fact, he’s even used VR between periods to refocus during games, putting the headset on in the locker room to make glove and blocker saves before heading back out to finish a game strong.
What makes this especially powerful is that VR hockey training lets goalies replicate real-world scenarios without the physical strain of on-ice reps. You’re reacting, tracking, and reading shots from NHL-level shooters in a goalie-focused environment designed to improve positioning, timing, and confidence.
That’s why players like Daccord are at the forefront of this new era in goalie training, proving that mastering the mental side of hockey can start right from your living room.
Check out the video linked in this article to learn more and see how Joey Daccord uses VR goalie training to see unlimited shots, stay sharp, and level-up his skills anytime, anywhere.
