The Dinks Warm Up from John Dean helps players practice bump or dink passes off the wall, along with breakout and zone entry concepts.
Setup
- Forwards and defensemen lineup on top of opposite face-off circles.
- On the whistle, the defensemen chips a puck and goes to retrieve it. The two forwards get into breakout positions, with one forward supporting the defensemen as a center and the other going to the weak side winger position.
- After retrieving the puck, the defensemen dinks (or bumps) the puck off of the boards, so that the forward can easily collect it.
- This starts a full 3 person breakout with the weak side winger pushing the pace and going to the wall on the far blueline. The puck carrier gets middle ice and kicks the puck out to the forward on the far blue line. The forward with the puck gains middle ice and passes the puck to the defender that has worked hard to get up ice.
- The defender takes a shot on net with everyone following up for a tip, deflection or rebound opportunity.
Coaching Points
- Defender retrieving the puck should shoulder check both shoulders & scan the ice before collecting the puck.
- The center should yell "Dink Wall" to let the defender know they want a dink off of the wall.
- Puck carrier should always work to get middle ice.
Variations
- Coaches can use this setup to work on different breakout and zone entry options.
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