If you want to play the rebound game, here is typical goalie coach criteria in order of most desirable to least desirable:
1) Catch it.
2) If onto upper torso or midsection, cradle and hold rebound against body.
3) If on ice, use stick to direct rebound, ideally to short side.
4) if pad level, flare butterfly to direct rebound to short side
Semi-controlled rebounds should have, in order:
1) direction (i.e. not into slot)
2) velocity (hot rebounds are harder for opposition to pick up
3) elevation
Special circumstances:
Shots off the boot are generally not controllable, but shots off the skate can be kicked.
Shots that make it past the pad rise and stick and hit the kneepads or bottom of the pants are unpredictable.
You can make a game of this and go through and grade each rebound, which is what many coaches do.
Goalie pads now are designed to give up long rebounds. If you see a big rebound, it is not automatically a 'bad' rebound. But a 3-6 ft rebound is just sits there is absolute death. It's too far away for you to reach, and is stationary so the forwards can easily skate into it for a shot. A 'hot' rebound is more likely to catch a skater by surprise. If the hot rebound has elevation, now the player has to bat the puck out of the air or block it and then control it. Those are precious seconds you can use for re-positioning.
The circumstances of the shot really dictate how much rebound you can control. If you are being deked on a break or semi-break, rebound control doesn't apply - you're just trying to make the first save. If the shot is mid to long range, then yes we can judge whether or not rebound control was adequate. A close range shot isn't subject to rebound control IMO.
