More Than the Scoreboard: A Conversation with Goalie Coach & Former Pro Amanda Leveille

This post is part of a four‑part series highlighting some of the Eden Prairie girls’ hockey assistant coaches — the women shaping the next generation of players through leadership, connection, and community.

Read the full series: 

• Paige Sorenson  
• Nora Wagner
• Kim Abrahams

When you talk to Amanda Leveille, you immediately understand why so many young goalies in Eden Prairie look up to her. She’s warm, grounded, and deeply passionate about the position she’s spent her life mastering. But more than anything, she’s committed to helping young athletes understand that goaltending — and hockey in general — is about far more than the numbers on a scoresheet.

In our conversation, Amanda shared wisdom from her playing career, her coaching philosophy, and her love for the Minnesota hockey community. What emerged was a portrait of a coach who sees the whole athlete — not just the goalie in the crease.

The Mental Game: Where Goaltending Truly Begins

Amanda didn’t hesitate when I asked what she hopes every goalie takes away from a season working with her.

“There’s so much more to being a goalie than just how they perform in a game.”

She talked about the hours of unseen work — the reps, the drills, the film, the quiet persistence — and how those moments matter just as much as game-day performance. For her, the mental side of the position is the foundation everything else rests on.

Goalies, she explained, often tie their identity to results. A good game means they’re good. A bad game means they’re not. But Amanda pushes back on that thinking.

“Every hour they put in counts for something… it’s not always shown right away, but it tends to show up.”

Mistakes, she emphasized, aren’t just inevitable — they’re essential. They’re how goalies learn creativity, adaptability, and resilience.

Confidence, Consistency, and the High School Goalie Mindset

Working with high school athletes, Amanda sees firsthand how confidence can fluctuate.

“You don’t suddenly lose all those skills, but you do oftentimes lose confidence.”

Teenage goalies often feel responsible for everything that happens on the ice — especially when their team doesn’t score much. Amanda works hard to help them understand the truth: hockey is a team sport, and their value isn’t determined by a single goal against.

She teaches her goalies to stay level — not too high after a big win, not too low after a tough night.

“The best goalies are the ones who don’t get too high and don’t get too low.”

Her coaching is equal parts technical and emotional. She gives honest feedback, but always in a way that builds, not breaks.

Understanding Goaltending Helps the Whole Team

One of the most insightful parts of our conversation came when Amanda talked about how goaltending is often misunderstood — not just by players, but by coaches, too. She explained that many head coaches assume the position is too technical or specialized for them to fully grasp. But in her view, that misconception can hold teams back.

Amanda believes that at the youth and high school levels, every coach can — and should — learn the fundamentals of goaltending. Not to become goalie experts, but to better support the athletes who play the position and to run more effective practices.

She gave a simple example: when three players rush in and shoot at the same time during a drill, the goalie isn’t actually getting meaningful reps — and neither are the shooters. A little understanding of goalie mechanics and readiness can make practices more intentional for everyone on the ice.

For Amanda, helping coaches understand the basics isn’t just about improving goalie development. It’s about strengthening the entire team. When coaches and players understand what a goalie needs to succeed, the whole group becomes more connected, more efficient, and more confident

A Community That Feels Like Home

Though Amanda grew up in Canada, Minnesota has become her hockey home. She still remembers the first time she attended the Minnesota State Tournament as a Gopher freshman — the packed Xcel Energy Center, the electricity, the sense that hockey here is woven into the fabric of everyday life.

What keeps her here now is the community.

She spoke with gratitude about mentors like Winnie Brown, who helped her stay in the U.S. after college and opened doors for her in coaching and professional hockey. Now, Amanda pays that forward — helping young players climb to whatever level is possible for them.

One of her favorite parts of coaching in Eden Prairie is watching long-term development unfold. She lit up telling the story of a goalie she’s coached since U10 earning her first varsity shutout this season — and the entire team sprinting toward her in celebration.

Moments like that, she said, are what make coaching special.

Learning From the Best: How Her Playing Career Shapes Her Coaching

Amanda’s playing career gave her a rare perspective. She’s been a starter, a backup, and a third-string goalie — each role teaching her something different.

As a freshman at the University of Minnesota, she backed up legendary goaltender Noora Räty. It was a shock after playing nearly every game in high school, but it taught her humility, patience, and the importance of team-first mentality.

Later, in the PWHL, she found herself in a third-string role behind Olympic goalies Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley. Watching each of them — all elite, all different — shaped how she coaches today.

“There are so many different possibilities of being a goalie.”

She doesn’t try to mold young goalies into one style. Instead, she meets them where they are and helps them grow into the version of themselves that fits their instincts and strengths.

The PWHL Effect: A New Era for Girls’ Hockey

Amanda’s excitement about the PWHL was unmistakable. The visibility, the media coverage, the accessibility — it’s all changing the landscape for young players.

“Now almost every young girl knows what the Frost is — and that’s really, really cool.”

She contrasted that with her time on the Minnesota Whitecaps, when awareness of women’s pro hockey was far more limited. Today, girls walk into the rink wearing Frost jerseys, talking about their favorite players, and seeing a future in the sport that feels real and reachable.

A Coach Who Sees the Whole Athlete

What struck me most in our conversation was Amanda’s deep care for her players — not just as goalies, but as people. She wants them to feel valued, confident, and supported. She wants them to understand that their worth isn’t tied to a stat line. And she wants them to experience the joy, community, and lifelong connections that hockey has given her.

Her impact on Eden Prairie hockey — and on the many young goalies she mentors — is already profound. And it’s clear she’s just getting started.