Defensive Zone Concepts

Billy Purcell Off the Wall Drill from Coach TJ Manastersky is a warm up drill that gets shots for goaltenders while working on passing & receiving along with getting off of the wall to create space for yourself.

TJ Manastersky shared this game with the IHS Community while he was an Assistant Coach at Union College. TJ is the Current Head Coach at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Setup

• The whole team is split up in opposite corners and sides of the ice (as shown in the diagram).
• On the whistle, the player with the puck in the corner JUMPS off of the wall to the dots of the ice, then passes the puck to the player at the hashmarks.
• The player that receives the puck, jumps off of the wall, gets to the dots on the middle of the ice, then passes the puck to the player at the blue line.
• The player that made the pass then takes the space of the position of the player they passed the puck to.
• When the puck gets to the blue line, the next player in the corner begins the pass & follow movement.
• This drill continues down the ice until the player on the far blue line takes a shot on net.

Coaching Points

• Use your forehand and backhand to catch passes and make passes.
• Get your head up and practice getting off of the wall to create space for yourself.

The 3 Puck 3 on 3 Drill from Ryan Donald is an excellent drill that helps players and teams work on defensive zone concepts like down low coverage and point coverage. In this drill, there are 3 whistles and 3 pucks that help create 3 unique in-zone situations. The details of the drill is listed below.

Setup:

• The players are set up in one-half of a zone as shown. There will be 2 forwards and one defenceman on the offensive team (red in the diagram above) and 2 defencemen and 1 forward on the defense (blue in the diagram above).
• A handful of pucks are in the corner close to the boards.
• Whistle # 1: on the first whistle, a 2 on 2 starts out of the corners. The players battle for 8 - 10 seconds as the forwards try to score a goal.
• Whistle # 2: on the second whistle, the forwards grab a new puck out of the corner and the defenceman at the point becomes active and so does the strong side winger that is covering the point. The defenseman at the point can move around but they must remain at the blueline. The players battle for another 8 - 10 seconds before the last whistle is blown.
• Whistle # 3: on the third whistle, the forwards retrieve a new puck out of the corner and the drill becomes a full on 3 on 3 because the defenseman at the point can now go anywhere they want to on the ice. The play can continue an additional 10-15 seconds until the forwards score, the defense breaks the puck out or the coach blows a whistle.
• Variations: You can allow the 3 on 3 to be played in the full zone, or you can wall off or cone off 1/3 of the zone (as pictured in the diagram) to force the players to only use one side of the ice.

Coaching Points:

• Defense: 
  • Defensemen: keep sticks on the ice and work to keep forwards contained in the corners.
  • Strong Side Forward: keep stick on the ice to negate passes to the point. Scan the ice to see where the puck is and the point man is at all times. 
• Forwards: 
  • Protect the puck and work to create time and space.
  • Use the boards to bank a pass if no direct pass is available. 

The 4 v 2 down low game from Kendall Coyne Schofield works on players create opportunities without the puck by using their positioning and getting to open ice in scoring areas

Set Up

• Net with goalie in the normal crease
• 2 stationary forwards flanked to the side of the net, but behind the goal line 
• 2 forwards and 2 defensemen in the playing area 
• Playing area is from the tops of the circles down
• Coach with pucks standing slightly behind the center of the tops of the circles
• 1 puck at a time in the playing area

Game

The objective is for the forwards to score and the defensemen to clear the puck.  Point(s) can be awarded for goals and/or clears.

• Coach starts the game by passing the puck to one of the stationary players behind the goal line
• The stationary players can't go above the goal line, but can pass into the playing area or to the other stationary player behind the net
• The F's and D in the playing ares battle for open space with the forwards trying to support the puck and score and the defensemen trying to defend and clear the puck
• When a puck is cleared, the coach can pass another puck to the stationary players behind the goal line
• Coach can let the game play our as long as he or she sees fit or until a goal is scored
• Keep Score!

Variations

•  You can replace or add two stationary players up high at the top of the circle for high passes
  • This allows for high tips, screens, deflections and finding different ways to get open and support the puck
  • You can have stationary players only up top or add them in along with the stationary players below the goal line
• You can make the defensemen skate or pass the puck through a gate to score a point instead of just clearing the puck

Coaching Points

1. Create opportunities without the puck - the forwards can work on losing their defensemen by jumping to open areas of the ice when the environment allows for it.  
2. Scan the Ice - all players in this game are required to scan the ice and process the information being provided to them to make the necessary decisions when trying to score or defend
3. Body Position - defensemen need to keep proper body position on the forwards and make sure they don't allow them into high danger scoring areas

Setup

Place one net in the normal position and two sets of two cones to form gates at about the top of the circles (see diagram). The coach has the pucks in the middle of the ice just inside the blue line. Place one team of three players in the zone as the defenders. The attacking team of three waits behind the coach for a puck to be dumped into the zone.

How to Play

The puck will be dumped in by the coach. The team of three defenders will have a slight advantage to retrieve the puck first. They need to try and skate the puck out through one of the gates with possession. The three attacking forwards are trying to create a turnover and score. If the attackers score the coach plays a new puck into the zone. The attackers can score as many times as they want until the defenders accomplish their goal of skating the puck out through one of the gates.

When the defenders skate it out through the gates then they are out o the game. The attackers become the defenders and a new team of three become the attackers. The coach plays a new puck into the zone and the play resumes.

Points of Emphasis

• The defenders must control the puck and make plays to keep possession of the puck. If they throw the puck around they will never get out of the game.
• The defenders need to use deception and "false information" to get the attackers cheating to one side before switching or reversing the play to the other side where there is more open ice.
• The attackers need to be relentless as they know they can steal back any puck because the defenders cannot just throw the puck out of the zone.

Related Game / Variation

A very similar version of this game is the 2 vs 2 version in which the pay play occeurs in a smaller are of the ice. It uses about half the zone. The smaller area creates a faster paced game and quicker decision making but there is only one outlet option. Watch a video demonstration and view the 2 vs 2 picket fences drill.

This drill allows coaches and teams to run through defensive zone skills, and concepts.

Setup:

• Have all players (5 v 5) start in the zone.
• First puck is in one corner, on the whistle let the game play out for 10 or so seconds.
• On the second whistle, have a puck in the opposite corners so the team can practice d-zone coverage from the opposite site. Let play out for 10 or so seconds.
• On the third whistle, have a puck in the neutral zone, which forces everyone to gap up, while the offensive team regroups, and gets ready to attack. The defensive team looks to make a stop, or get into their defensive zone coverage to get the puck back out of the zone.

Defensive Coaching Points:

• Support your teammates, and make sure you are available and an outlet when your team gets the puck.
• Keep sticks on the ice to block passing lanes, and angle players away from high percentage scoring areas.
• Scan the ice to be aware of where the puck is, where your teammates are, where the opposing team is, and where there is open ice.