Becoming a Pro: Trent Miner’s Path to Success
By Carlynn Claypool
Feb 2, 2026
Pursuing a career in professional hockey seemed natural for Colorado Eagles goaltender Trent Miner. As a Brandon, Manitoba native, Miner grew up playing street hockey with two older brothers, and over time, he fell in love with the sport and the goaltending position.
Now in his fifth full professional season, Miner’s 8-4-1-1 record with the Eagles, multiple call-ups, and first NHL shutout show just how much he has developed as a goalie.
Goaltender development can look different from forwards and defensemen and can even seem longer at times. They are usually later draft picks and often start in the ECHL, making their way to the AHL and potentially the NHL. Roughly 25% of drafted goalies make the NHL, and the average age of goalies for their NHL debut is 24.
“Most goalies come in as maybe younger prospects, draft picks, whatever it is, and they either start in the ECHL or maybe it’s the AHL. It’s all about getting minutes, getting a lot of starts, no matter what league that’s in,” Eagles goaltending coach Matt Zaba said.
“Usually once you get enough games under your belt, you can kind of see the consistency start to come in, their understanding of the position, their goalie IQ.”
Miner is still on this path, having started out as the 202nd overall draft pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019 and then playing 76 games with the Utah Grizzlies over three seasons. With the Grizzlies, Miner had a 39-32-3 record before becoming the Eagles number one goaltender in the 2024–25 season.
With the Eagles, Miner has worked with three different goaltending coaches, including Peter Budaj, Ryan Bach, and Zaba, the current coach.
“I think they've all been amazing for me in their own way. Currently with Matt, I love everything about him and working with him every day, it’s a treat,” Miner said. “I think I’ve been spoiled to have three amazing goalie coaches, and I think I’ve been trying to take advantage of it, and I think it’s worked out well.”
At this point in a goaltender’s career, Zaba emphasizes repetition and watching video so goaltenders can recognize plays and understand what’s coming toward them. With the speed increasing and the playmaking abilities of skaters at the AHL level, it’s important for goaltenders to have good footwork and effective play reading.
“I think the biggest thing is just making sure they’re as comfortable as possible in the net,” Zaba said, “and a lot of that comes down to making sure their footwork’s really sharp because if their footwork is sharp, then usually everything else falls into place.”
Miner’s philosophy in his development is to take it day by day and enjoy the process. For him, it’s about spending every day just trying to get “1% better in all categories.”
Every goaltender goes through stretches where maybe they aren’t feeling great or playing to the best of their abilities, but for Miner, he knows that if he just sticks with it and stays true to who he is, everything will work itself out.
“There’s some games you might have your best games and still lose and there's good games that you aren’t great but still win,” Miner said.
“I think you just learn to play the game, no matter how it goes and never give up. And at the end of the game you see what the score is, and as long as you gave it your best and didn’t shy away, I think it’s something you can be happy with.”
Miner has become part of the 25%, having played four games for the Colorado Avalanche this season, including his first career win and shutout. His call-ups to the Avalanche have only helped his development.
Outside of the staff, Miner said the players on the Avalanche are also a big part of making him feel welcome during his call-ups. He got to work with Avalanche goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood, which he said was “pretty special.”
“I’d say that the team, with the Avalanche, it’s a welcoming group with high-end talent and there’s high expectations when you go up there, same as there is here, to win,” Miner said. “I think you kind of get that craving for winning every day, and I think that’s just installed in the organization.”
Miner’s path reflects the long, often nonlinear development process most goaltenders face. For young goalies wanting to make the AHL and NHL, their paths might vary, but Zaba advises young goaltenders not to skip any steps.
“The biggest thing is just be really good where you’re at and then everything takes care of itself. So, if you’re a high school goalie that wants to get to juniors, make sure you’re the best high school goalie first before you can worry about going to that next level,” Zaba said.
“I think everyone nowadays, they want to skip steps, and it’s just a slow and steady climb, and that’s usually the people who are there at the end.”
Getting to this level, playing consistently in the AHL, and getting called up to the NHL is a process that requires goaltenders to put in work every day. There’s no one-path-fits-all approach. For Miner, it has meant staying true to himself and working every day to get better. If he could go back and give his younger self some advice, it would be to enjoy the process.
“Just get ready to enjoy it, it’s a pretty special part of your life that you only get to experience once,” Miner said. “Everything that I’ve done in my life for hockey has been amazing, and I’ve been happy with it. Just be ready for it.”
