Goaltending Director
Girls Goalie Coach
Jeff Dotson was born in the sunny Hawaii, raised in the cold winters of Minnesota, trained in Toronto Canada by Russian Coaches. In his childhood he spent 15 straight summers training with Legendary Russian Goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. Under Tretiak’s guidance, Jeff refined his goaltending abilities, learning the nuances of the position and acquiring a mental fortitude that would serve him well throughout his career.
Jeff played multiple years in United States Hockey League (USHL), where his relentless work ethic quickly earned him recognition as the hardest worker on the team. Following a successful juniors stint in Jeff transitioned to play NCAA College Hockey at Wisconsin Stout, earning multiple All-American awards and runner-up to the National NCAA Player of the Year. In 2014, Jeff was honored to be inducted into the University of Wisconsin Stout’s Athletic Hall of Fame. After college, Jeff competed Professionally in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), Central Hockey League (CHL) and has been EBUG in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Jeff began coaching in 2004 and has continued to play goalie 2 to 3 times a week, amassing an impressive 40 years of experience between the pipes.
Amelia Murray brings a wealth of experience from her diverse hockey background, beginning with her youth career playing for the Chicago Young Americans in Illinois' AAA youth hockey club. She advanced her game to the collegiate level, playing four years of Division I hockey at Union College in Schenectady, New York.
Following college, Amelia continued her professional career by playing a season in the Deutsche Fraueneishockey-Liga (DFEL) in Berlin, Germany, further honing her skills against international competition.
Coaching Experience:
Amelia is currently an integral part of the goalie coaching team at GDI Goaltending since 2018. In addition to her role at GDI, she served as the Assistant Coach for the 2023-2024 Lake Forest College Women’s Division III Hockey team and holds the position of Goalie Director for the North Shore Warhawks Tier II program in Illinois, a role she has embraced since 2020.
Her coaching credentials are further enhanced by her contributions to the Chicago Young Americans and Windy City Storm programs, where she assisted the U16 and U19 girls’ teams in 2020 and 2022. Moreover, Amelia is actively involved with USA Hockey, working both at the District and National levels as a Goalie Coach and Evaluator.
Coaching Philosophy:
Amelia's coaching philosophy, while ever-evolving, focuses on equipping goalies with a comprehensive toolkit that enhances their gameplay and decision-making processes. She emphasizes the importance of understanding why certain techniques are more effective in specific situations, fostering a deeper knowledge and strategic insight among her athletes. Committed to developing "students of the game," Amelia encourages her goalies to engage actively in learning and adapting, ensuring they grow not only as players but also as thinkers on the ice.