Ice Hockey Coaching Blog

The team at IHS is proud to announce the unveiling of the updated IceHockeySystems.com website! If you have any questions or feedback for us, please contact us directly. The goal of the new site is to make it easier for coaches all over the globe to access, organize, create and share hockey content with their team. Below is a brief rundown of the recent updates: Mobile Improvements...

Not every practice is going to run smoothly and be perfect. But if you aim to make practice the best part of your players week and the best part of your week, great things will unfold throughout the season. Let’s face it, the cost of ice time is extremely expensive and it's on the rise. As a result, it is critical for organizations and coaches to work to make the most out of their time on the...

A great coach can positively impact a life, forever.  Being a great coach takes a lot of work, preparation, and patience. The Team at Ice Hockey Systems would like to thank all of the coaches out there who work hard to help their players improve on and off of the ice. Coaching can be challenging, but with the right mindset and dedication, it can be an extremely rewarding...

Coaches, are you using small area games in your practices?  It is no secret that small area games are massively beneficial and coaches all over the globe are implementing them into their practices for a variety of reasons. They can help U8 players learn the game of hockey and even help NHL pros keep their competitive edge during the Stanley Cup Finals. Below,...

Do you ever question why hockey is played with 3 forwards and 2 defenseman? Is that the optimal line-up for every team? Other sports seem to have more variations in their formations so maybe the typical 3 forwards and 2 defense is not the optimal formation for all teams. For example, soccer uses all sorts of formations depending on the strength of your team, the strength of the other team, or a...

The first 10 - 15 minutes of practice is crucial for setting the tempo and getting players warmed up and engaged. The activities below are great for starting youth practices because they keep players moving, work on fundamentals, create competition, and increase the excitement level of players as you begin to practice. If you run a variety of these activities on a regular basis you...

This article is written in response to a question asked by one of our members.  They asked if we had recommendations for a selection of drills that would be good for a Bantam tryout (ages 14 and under).   The tryout is two days long and they would like to evaluate skills early in the tryout and move into game play as the tryout progressed.  Rather than just reply to one member...

Increase Speed, Explosiveness and Endurance with the Fartlek Workout! Fartlek is Swedish for "Speed Play." It is an interval workout that mixes moderate and hard efforts with a recovery period. The variable intensity of the Fartlek Workout trains the aerobic and anaerobic systems which will help increase speed, power and endurance. This dryland workout is excellent for all hockey...

The 1-3-1 power play formation has become the go to power play system for most high level teams.  Almost every NHL team is using the 1-3-1, so there must be a reason. The reason? The 1-3-1 has the ability to spread players out inside the zone, keep a player in front of the net at all times, and place shooters in key positions so they can shoot off the pass.  Power play systems...