Picking Up Rims with No Pressure shows coaches a simple yet effective drill that helps players practice picking pucks off of the wall. This video demonstrates how to incorporate picking up rimmed pucks into a drill, focusing on key skills such as shoulder checking, receiving rim passes, and driving towards the net.
Setup
- Line up players at the blue line with cones as pictured in the diagram.
- On the whistle, a player skates around the cone and heads down the boards where they collect a puck that was rimmed by their coach (or a player) along the boards.
- The player quickly collects the puck, gets off of the wall, and fires a shot on net.
- Variation: You can have the player skate to the back of the line at the blue line or head to the corner where they can rim the puck to the next player in line.
- (If you choose to allow players to rim the puck it is helpful to have at least one player ready in the corner ready to rim the puck so that the player that shoots the puck does not have to scramble to get over to rim the puck).
Coaching Points
- Emphasize shoulder checking before receiving the rim pass to be aware of pressure and teammates.
- Ensure players have proper hand positioning with the top hand up and bottom hand in place to control the puck off the boards.
- Encourage players to drive the puck towards the net, navigating around obstacles such as cones that simulate defenders.
- Practice rim pickups repeatedly to build confidence and improve puck control under pressure.
- Use cones as obstacles to create game-like scenarios and challenge players to execute the skill faster.
Variations
- Can have coach or players rim the puck.
- Can increase the speed or change the angle of the rimmed puck.
- Can add light pressure or other objects the player must skate around before they shoot.
- Can add a second player that the player who collects the rimmed puck must pass to before they take a shot on net.
