Ice Hockey Coaching Blog

Winger Breakout Habits With Pat Maroon

In Skill Breakdowns on Tuesday, December 1st, 2020 by Topher Scott

One of the toughest plays in hockey is for a winger to break out a rimming puck with defensive pressure. In this video, Topher Scott from The Hockey Think Tank gives us pointers on how to approach this tough play with a comprehensive breakdown of Pat Maroon’s breakout play in game 5 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. Key Points: Shoulder check before you get the puck to see where the pressure is...

Power Play Principles With Brianne Jenner

In Skill Breakdowns on Monday, November 23rd, 2020 by Topher Scott

Description In this video, Topher Scott from The Hockey Think Tank gives us a comprehensive breakdown of a goal that was generated by Brianne Jenner’s power-play principles on both the breakout and inside the zone. The video is a great example on how to successfully use your eyes and body language to deceive defenders and open up passing lanes. Key Points When breaking out, always keep your...

Deep Dive: Ryan O’Reilly Puck Protection

In Skill Breakdowns on Monday, October 19th, 2020 by Topher Scott

Description In the video above, Topher Scott from the Hockey Think Tank gives us a comprehensive breakdown of a goal that was generated by Ryan O’Reilly’s puck protection skills. Puck protection is often an undervalued skill, but is so important to maintain possession and create scoring opportunities for your team. Key Points Beat the defender to the puck with good body position. Stay low...

Teaching Proper Skating Technique: A Video Series with NSDA

In Coaching Tips on Friday, October 2nd, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

Ice hockey skating series with Dwayne Blais

Proper skating technique is crucial for player development and is often improperly taught or overlooked, especially at the younger age levels when players are developing their muscle memory. Many coaches struggle with teaching proper technique and how to identify and fix skating issues their players may be facing. Dwayne Blais and the team at NSDA tackled this issue head on and developed the...

Two Touch Shot: Part 2 - Backhand to Forehand

In Skill Breakdowns on Friday, September 25th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

Backhand-Forehand Earlier we looked at Two-Touch forehand shots from the weakside and strongside (view the previous Two Touch Shot breakdown to learn more). This breakdown, will take a look at a third type of Two-Touch shot -- shooting on the forehand -- after receiving a pass on the backhand. Specifically, we will take a look at this type of shot on Zone Entry. While the logistics of...

The Culture Corner With Topher Scott

In Coaching Tips on Sunday, September 20th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

IHS is proud to announce our new collaboration with Topher Scott & The Hockey Think Tank! The collaboration starts with 10 Culture Corner videos that provide organizations, coaches and players valuable lessons on how to develop and maintain a successful culture on and off the ice. The video topics are listed below: 1. Accountability Be Consistent High Standards Be...

Draw & Save Hockey Drills on IHS

In Coaching Tips on Friday, September 18th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

IHS is proud to announce our new Drill Drawing Tool! The tool has been in relentless development for months and we are excited to share it with our members and the hockey community. You may have seen that coaches can draw on it for free, which is true, but the real value of this tool comes for IHS Members. This post details how to get the most out of the drawing tool if you...

Preparing for the 2020-2021 Youth Hockey Season During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In Coaching Tips on Friday, August 28th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

Preparing for the hockey season during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Looking ahead to the 2020 - 2021 youth hockey season there is a good chance that many youth hockey associations will not be playing league games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chances are each State and Province will handle it a little differently. Associations within each district may even handle it in various ways. If there is a possibility that your association may be restricted to in-...

Two Touch Shot: Part 1 - Forehand

In Skill Breakdowns on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

The two-touch shot is an advanced skill which uses technique, deception, and stick technology. The idea behind the technique is to stop (kill) the puck on the reception of the pass (FIRST TOUCH) and then release the shot with the SECOND TOUCH. We will take a look at two types of forehand two-touch shots: 1. Strong side - the player opens up to the puck. Right Shot on Left Side Left Shot...

Easily Share Your Practice Plans With New Feature

In Coaching Tips on Friday, August 21st, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

Watch the video above to learn how to easily share your IHS Practice Plans with your team! To share your practice plans via the new "Copy & Share URL" feature, just do the following: Create a practice plan Click on the "Organize" subheader, then "My Practices" Find the practice you want to share, then click "Copy & Share URL" Paste the URL into an email, text, social...

Stutter Stop Step

In Skill Breakdowns on Friday, July 17th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

The skill breakdown dives into the STUTTER STOP STEP, which the illusion of a cutback to escape pressure and create space. It builds off of the Open Hips & Closed Hips skill breakdowns. For this maneuver you turn BOTH SKATES and begin to execute what looks like a traditional a two-foot hockey stop. However, rather than fully dig your blades into the ice, you quickly...

Creating Opportunities Without The Puck

In Skill Breakdowns on Saturday, July 4th, 2020 by Ben Eaves

In this skill breakdown below, we review 4 examples where goals were generated by the players who DID NOT originally have the puck. We show that if you are able to get open away from the puck, it can create offensive opportunities. Key Points: Head-Up: keep your head up! Be aware of where the puck is and what your surroundings are. Scan Ice: don't just stare at the puck....

Inside / Outside With Change of Pace

In Skill Breakdowns on Friday, June 26th, 2020 by Ben Eaves

This breakdown is about the inside to outside move with changing pace. We breakdown two goals, one from Connor McDavid and another from David Pastrnak. Key Points: Change of Speed - changing your skating pace can lull the defenseman to sleep while they slow down to your speed. Use Deception - as you slow down, use deception to make the defenseman bite and think you...

1 v 1 (50/50) Puck Battle Along Wall

In Skill Breakdowns on Monday, June 22nd, 2020 by Ben Eaves

In this skill breakdown, we dive into concepts that players should keep in mind when they are 1 v 1 and going for a 50/50 puck along the boards. 50/50 simply means that it is an even race to get to the puck. This skill is becoming more and more important as teams are utilizing "soft dumps" in the offensive zone to keep possession of the puck. Key Points: Leverage - take time to stabilize your...

Redirects, Deflections and Tips

In Skill Breakdowns on Saturday, June 6th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

Redirects, Deflections, and Tips are pure skill. It is a skill that can ultimately only be improved with repetition. In the truest sense, the best way to bet better at tipping pucks, is by tipping pucks. “It's a little bit of skill, a little bit of art. You need to have good hand-eye coordination, but I think the will of standing in front of the guy shooting the puck is the biggest part of it....

Give & Go (Pass & Move)

In Skill Breakdowns on Monday, June 1st, 2020 by Ben Eaves

This is a breakdown about passing and moving to open space, which is commonly known as the Give and Go or Pass and Drive. Key Points: Head Up: Keep your head up so you know where your teammates are and where the open space is. Explode to Space: As soon as you pass the puck to your teammate, explode to open space. You can also add in deception to make the other team think you...

Closed Hips - Open Feet - Puck Protection

In Skill Breakdowns on Sunday, May 24th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

In this breakdown we discuss the CLOSED HIP technique. The open hip and the closed hip (10 & 2) maneuvers are essentially the same technique that are applied in different situations. The closed hip maneuver is a terrific skill that uses deception, which creates elusiveness, escape-ability and puck protection. This makes players more effective and dangerous....

Open Hips - Open Feet - 10 & 2

In Skill Breakdowns on Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

The OPEN HIP, or OPEN FEET commonly known as 10 & 2, and the CLOSED HIP maneuvers are essentially the same technique that are applied in different situations. In this Breakdown we discuss the Open Hip technique. It is a terrific skill which uses deception which affords elusiveness, escape-ability and puck protection which ultimately, makes players more...

Attack Position with Puck

In Skill Breakdowns on Thursday, May 14th, 2020 by Ben Eaves

Key Points: Puck is on the forehand either beside or behind the heels. This forces the defender to respect the threat to pass or shoot. Both skate blades are on the ice which allows for east-west skating deception. Head and eyes are up scanning the ice for the "best" available play. When attacking in this position you will be presented with multiple options to attack. Keeping your head and...

Organize Your Favorite Hockey Content

In Coaching Tips on Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 by Ice Hockey Systems

The world has A LOT of great hockey content. Dozens of websites, hundreds of books, thousands of images, and a daily flood of new content on YouTube, Instagram and other social media channels. Plus, you have your own ideas, saved drills, PDFs and recommendations from your organization. What do you do with all of it? This content overload makes it hard to drown out the noise so you can...