Wednesday Drill of the Week: Finnish Transition

June 19, 2013 Leave a comment

Finnish Transition

 

Two on two transition drill today. Two forwards and two D go on a whistle. Forwards head towards the far blue line, D look to gap up. Coach has pucks and can choose whether to give the puck to the forwards for a 2v2 rush, or to give the puck to the defensemen turning the play into a regroup situation and a 2v0 +1 rush the other way. This drill works on play recognition and quick situational transition. Players have to recognize the play, what their options are, and attack accordingly. We use our system of play when running this drill, teaching our defensemen to understand their options with the puck, and our forwards to sprint to the proper neutral zone positioning on a counter attack.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Ranger Post Up

June 7, 2013 Leave a comment

Ranger Post Up

 

A great drill that can be used as a warm up/shooting drill, and also works on NZ skill sets for forwards and defensemen. Forwards start with pucks on opposite blue lines, two D start stationary just inside the blue line. Both lines go at the same time. A forward takes off with a puck, passes to the far defenseman. Puck moves D-D, while the forward does a tight turn up ice and posts up just inside the far blue line. The puck is then moved up to the posted winger, either with a direct pass or an indirect pass. The forward receives the puck and then moves in to attack the goaltender for a shot.

Forwards need to work on quick acceleration, picking up indirect passes, and shooting with their feet moving. Defensemen need to work on their footwork, D-D communication and puck movement.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: 3v3 on Rim

May 15, 2013 Leave a comment

3v3 on Rim

 

This drill is a simple 3v3 Drill using one end of the ice. Everyone starts stationary. Offensive team starts with two forwards on the goal line and one in the high slot. Defensive team starts with two defensemen on top of the crease, one forward in the mid slot. The drill starts with a coach rimming a puck to either forward, and then plays out 3v3 from that point.

Why do 3v3 this way? It isolates position specific skills for teaching. First, it allows the forwards to retrieve the puck first, forcing them to work on playing the puck off the runner and working with a defender on their back. Second, it helps forwards to understand spacing, support options and release points when the puck is below the goal line. One the defensive side, it helps defenders work on closing down on attackers, taking away time and space, and anticipating the offensive play. As a team, the quicker you can anticipate what the offensive team will do, the quicker you can shut it down.

As a coach, you can work on individual skills this way, as well as basic down low defensive zone and offensive zone play.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Matignon 2v0

May 8, 2013 Leave a comment

A simple post and go shooting drill for this week.

Matignon 2v0

 

Forwards start at the blue lines, opposite ends go at the same time. One forward leaves with a puck, skates to the red line and passes it to a defenseman. Puck moves D to D, while the opposite forward posts up at the far blue line. After the D to D pass, a quick hitter is made to the posted forward who then passes it to the supporting forward and they attack the net 2v0. The drill then starts again from the other direction.

While the drill itself is simple, there are some nuances that can be added and/or emphasized to increase the degree of difficulty and work on specific skills. For example, the D can do an escape upon receiving the first pass, and the pass up to the forward can be required to be direct or indirect. The forwards can be required to chip the puck or place a good area pass. On the 2v0, the D can be required to follow the play up ice and the forwards can be required to utilize a 2v0 move such as a cross and drop, net drive/far pad shot, etc. The simplicity of the drill allows for players to focus on refining specific skill sets.

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Pet Peeve – Offsides

May 7, 2013 Leave a comment

Is there anything more controllable for a team on the ice than staying onside? Smart, simple plays at the offensive blue line will ensure that a team never goes offsides and is able to attack the opponent effectively.

Teams and players with high hockey IQ rarely, if ever, go offside. They read and recognize plays as they develop and they make the appropriate move with or without the puck to prevent an offside call and maintain their attacking momentum.

Plays that I frequently see resulting in an offside call include the following:

  • Not headmanning the puck – a player may be open up ice but a player doesn’t see or refuses to pass
  • Overhandling the puck – players will try to make an extra move at or near the blue line, not realizing that their teammates are attempting to judge their speed and hit the line at the same time
  • Flat passes – rather than placing a pass up ice, players will make a lateral pass to their teammate at the blue line and their resulting momentum will carry them offside
  • Refusal to chip into space – often, defensemen will attempt to use the blue line to their advantage and hold a tight gap. Forwards need to recognize this and chip the puck into space behind them, rather than trying to stickhandle or skate past the defenseman

Staying onside allows you to attack your opponent with speed – the momentum you have gathered moving up ice can be continued into the offensive zone. Getting the puck over the blue line with smart, effective plays can create a good forechecking opportunity or a great offensive chance off the rush.

 

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Ducks Shooting

April 24, 2013 Leave a comment

Ducks Shooting

This week is a continuous shooting drill. Ducks Shooting is a good drill for getting the legs and hands moving, working on passing, working on timing, and letting the goaltenders see some shots.

Players line up on the goal lines. One player starts on each blue line. The drill begins with a whistle where the X on the near blue curls up near the red and presents himself for a pass. He receives a puck from the corner and then immediately passes to the X on the far blue who has timed the start of his loop so that he can catch a pass in sync from the near blue. He then goes in and takes a shot on net. Meanwhile, the player who made the first pass skates up to the near blue, the player who made the second pass skates up to the far blue and then each goes on a similar timing loop, passing and receiving, going in to shoot. The drill moves continuously, and runs out of both ends. After you pass, you take the place and the pattern of the person you passed the puck to. This drill flows nicely and can create a good pace to start a practice.

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The Three H’s of Goaltending

April 23, 2013 3 Comments

One of the backbones of my goaltending philosophy is the three H’s. When goaltenders move, they should follow the progression of Head, Hands, Hips.

First, a goaltender should track the puck with their eyes (head). The head snaps to the puck and allows the goaltender to see the play and react accordingly. Your body will always go where your eyes and head are going, so this should be the first reaction to any change in play.

Immediately following the head snapping to the puck should be a goaltender’s hands moving to the new position. It is imperative that the hands get there first. I have two reasons for this: 1. The hands will guide the body into the new position. 2. If the body is late, the hands will still have an opportunity to get there first and are the most reactionary/mobile part of the player to attempt to make a desperate save.

Finally, the hips need to open and move to the new position on the ice that the play dictates. The goaltenders lead hip should open and adjust to the new angle with a strong push coming from the trailing foot/leg to propel the goalie to the new position on the ice.

This progression is a critical habit for goaltenders and should happen almost instantaneously. It is taught slowly, but in game situations should happen instantly. Goaltenders need to be able to immediately get their Head on the puck, put their Hands in a position to get to the puck and use their Hips to propel their body to the new position on the ice.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Jam/Stuff

April 17, 2013 2 Comments

This week I am featuring a drill that I do with my goaltenders at Colby. I call it the Jam/Stuff drill.

Jam Stuff

 

This drill works on a goaltender’s ability to play pucks along the goal line, behind the net, and in tight on the crease. It starts with a player attacking the net along the goal line. There is a second player positioned at the far post, right on top of the blue paint. The player with the puck attacks the net and then has a choice of whether to jam it tight to the near post, pass it across the crease for a re-direct, or go behind the net and again, jam it tight or pass across the crease (other player moves far post). In the event of a cross ice pass, the player should attempt to redirect the puck on net and try to keep it low, not handle it or catch and shoot.

This drill will test a goaltenders ability to read the play, play pucks beneath the goal line and seal the ice. Goalies should focus on playing tight to the near post (this is where I would advocate for the use of the Vertical/Horizontal save), having  an active stick to play passes, and sealing the ice with their pads. Hands should be active and out in front at all times. Understanding a player’s options as he moves behind the net is critical. Read the player moving behind the cage, understand when he is looking to wrap vs when he is looking to pass (depth is a good guide – players looking to wrap stay tight while those looking to pass tend to create space for themselves). Goalies will also have the opportunity to play second chance pucks in tight after the jam or in tight shot. Battling and competing for pucks is critical here.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: BU 2v1

March 20, 2013 Leave a comment

This week I have a simple but effective 2v1 drill. The BU 2v1 incorporates speed and passing for forwards and passing, distribution and skating skills for defensemen.

BU 2v1

 

A defenseman starts with the puck, skates out to the center of the ice and passes to a forward. The forward fires a hard pass down to a D on the far side of the ice and then swings low into a support position. At the same time, a forward steps out behind the D and presents an option. The D who made the first pass gaps up. The two forwards then receive a distribution pass from the D and attack 2v1. The D can be introduced as a third option (activation/follow the play). The drill then starts again from the other side on a whistle.

Forwards should focus on puck support and next play thinking – creating options for their teammate with and without the puck (drive the net, puck carrier drive, cross and drop, etc). D need to maintain good gaps, strong sticks in passing lanes, and try to influence the play into tight areas.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Speed Pass/Shot

March 13, 2013 Leave a comment

Short and simple passing and shooting drill this week. Speed Pass/Shot focuses on specific skills and keeps the drill simple to enhance a players ability to dial in on a few specific things. The main skills? Listed in the drill title.

Speed Pass Shot

 

Place a player on each of the three neutral zone lines. Player 1 takes off with a puck, give and go exchange with each player, then accelerate into a shot on net. While the drill itself and the execution is simple, it is the skills worked on that are important. Players should focus on keeping their feet moving at a high tempo the entire time. They should focus on their ability to pass and receive, and transition from receiving to passing quickly (all while moving their feet). Finally, they should focus on the execution of attacking the net with speed and getting off a quick release with their feet moving. Players should complete this drill with their heads up and presenting extremely good targets for their teammates.

While it is a simple drill, when executed properly and at a high tempo it will improve a players ability to pass and receive, as well as shoot on the move.

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