Pee Wee / U12 Station Practice #1

This is a good drill for half ice practices.  It is geared towards for forwards but is not bad for defensmen either.  Place the two nest on the same goal line as shown in the diagram.  The coaches or extra players gather the pucks in the center of the zone.  Players line up just inside the red line about 10' off of the boards.  On the whistle P1 skates down inside the zone around the face off dot and transitions backwards to the boards to receive a pass from the coach. P1 controls the puck for a few strides as they skate up the wall and then they make a pass to P2 (the second player in line).  P1 continues forwards outside the blue line and then transitions backwards again to face P2 and receive the pass from P2.  P1 then skates in for a shot on net.  It is important that P1 moves their feet througout the drill. 

Coaching Points:

• Give target and communicate before receiving pass.
• Keep feet moving during drill!

Drill Progression:

Coach can chip puck behind net. D that is lined up next to the coach can pick up the puck, round the net and hit the forward breaking out with a pass. The D can then follow the forward up to the blueline, round a cone, pivot backward and it becomes a 1 on 1!

This drill works on decision making in a 2 on 1 situation. The drill is great for station based or ADM type practices as it requires only one quarter of the ice, but you can make it a half ice drill if you go out of both sides at the same time.

Setup

Place two lines of players as shown in the diagram and place a border or obstacle just inside the blue slightly higher than the top of the circle. A coach should be placed at about the dot.

The drill starts with P1 carrying a puck straight ahead into the zone and then making a sharp cut towards the middle in front of the pad. Player two also skates straight ahead and then makes a sharp cut towards Player 1 to receive a drop pass. Player 2 will receive the drop pass, go around the pad, and then make a decision to pass or keep the puck based on the coaches action. If the coach pressures Player 2 then they pass the puck. If the coach takes away the pass then player 2 carries the puck and shoots on net.

Coaching Points

• Players should make sharp turns so they are moving horizontally across the ice when making the drop pass.
• Drop pass should be to Player 2's forehand.
• Player 2 needs to have eyes on coach to read the situation.
• Make sure both players stop at net for rebound.

Variations

1. Coach playing defense can be switched to be a player.
2. You can allow the defense to be fully active.
3. You can turn it into a 2 vs 2 with a backchecker (shown in video example).

This is a station drill that only uses 1/4 of the ice surface so it is great for station based or ADM practices. It is a simple drill but teaches players about how to angle properly. The offensive players will start with a puck and slalom through the cones and then try to attack the net. The defensive player will go around the cone and try to time it so that they are able to angle the offensive player to the boards.

Coaching Points

• The defender should keep stick on the ice on the ice at all times.
• The defender should use stick position and proper angle to discourage offensive player from cutting back to middle of the ice.
• The defender should match the speed of the player they are chasing and check their hands into the wall.

The goal of this is a simple drill for the younger players that can used in a quarter ice station. The players will work on turning to both directions around the cones. After each cone the players should be able to take a couple of good strides before turning around the next cone. After the second cone the players shoul work on full length strides and try to get to full speed by the blue line.

This is a step up from the first skate cross progression. This adds a couple more cones so the players have to make sharper turns around each cone and stay engaged for a little bit longer. The fundamentals of the drill don't change. Players should work on good control turns and then a couple of good strides before the next cone. After the last cone the players should use full length strides to get to top speed by the blue line.

This variation requires the players to be ready to make turns quicker than the previous two variations. This time as players turn around the cone they may only be able to take one full stride before turning the other direction. After the last cone they players should work on using full strides to get to top speed by the blue line.