27012022

Too often, coaches create shooting drills that encourage players to make a perfect pass so that a player can get off a perfect shot.

However, the game of hockey is far from that. The game of hockey is made up of broken plays and quick reactions. This video shows two setups that force players to get imperfect passes and quickly react to get the puck to the net!

Great things happen when the puck goes to the net. A quick shot on net can surprise the goalie or help generate a big juicy rebound that can be put into the back of the net!

The Sens Regroup Drill from Coach TJ Manastersky works on offensive zone concepts and neutral zone transition. 

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

• There are forwards in the corners, two defensemen at the point and two defensemen in front of the net
• On whistle # 1, the forward in the corner passes to the defensemen at the point and begins a net front battle. The defensemen walks the blue line and tries to hit the forwards stick for the deflection.
• On whistle # 2, the same forward to defenseman low to high pass happens, but this time there is a 2 v 2 in front of the net. The defenseman walks the blue line and takes a shot on net.
• On whistle # 3, another forward out of the corner passes low to high to the defenseman at the point, who walks the blue line and takes a shot on net into the 3 v 2 in front of the net.
• On whistle # 4, the coach on the far blue line will spot a puck around the blue line. The defenseman that was at the point jumps back to retreive the puck while the other defenseman jumps in the hole as support.
• The 3 forwards that were battling in front of the net join the defensemen in the neutral zone, while the two defensemen that were in front of the net gap up. This begins a high tempo 3 v 2 rush.

The Ring of Fire is a quick paced scoring game from Kendall Coyne Schofield that helps players develop skills in a tight space. This 3 vs. 3 game has one major constraint: each team is allowed one player that can play inside of the circle. The other teammates must play on the outside of the circle. Communication, quick passing and quick shots will help teams be successful in this game.

Setup

• It is a 3 vs. 3 game that is played around a circle
• Two nets are set up on opposite ends of the circle
• Each team is allowed 1 player inside the circle and their other 2 teammates stay on the outside of the circle 
• The players on the inside of the circle must stay on the defensive half of their circle
• The game starts when a coach chips the puck in the circle for a 1v1 battle or the coach can pass to one of the players to start the game
• The game can be stopped or a new puck can be added when a goal is scored, the puck goes out of play, or the coach blows the whistle
• Keep score!

Coaching Points

• Quick shots and quick passes!
• Players without the puck should work to be an outlet for their teammates (get open, call for the puck and present your stick as a target).
• Defensive players should keep their sticks on the ice to block passing lanes.

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 Summerside Drill from Coach TJ Manastersky was shared 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.

The drill works on the neutral zone transition, and helps defensemen work on the fundamentals of retrieving pucks so they can move them up to the forwards quickly so the team can re-attack. 

Setup

Part # 1:

• Coaches are set up at opposite hash marks with pucks.
• Forwards are across from the coaches in the zone.
• All defenders are in the middle of the ice.
• The drill goes out of both sides.
• On the whistle, the coach will spot a puck around the top of the circle.
• The defenseman from the neutral zone will skate backwards, pivot use some deception and puck up the puck quickly and start heading up ice.
• The forward down the ice skates down and becomes an outlet for the defensemen.
• The defense makes a pass to the forward, the forward will get off of the wall and attack the net. The defenseman gets back in line after the pass.

Part # 2:

• Same setup as above. 
• On the whistle the defenseman jumps down the ice and gets down below the coach as an outlet. At the same time a forward jumps out from the corner and works on their timing to be a neutral zone outlet.
• The coach makes a D-to-D pass to the defensemen. The defenseman gets their hips up ice, and hits the forward at full speed, who goes down and attacks the net. 

Coaching Points

• Defenders need to scan the ice as they retrieve the puck. They should also practice deception before the curl back up ice. After they get the puck, they should work quickly to get their hips facing up ice so they can be in a good position to make a pass.
• Forwards need to work on their timing to make sure they are a good outlet for their defenseman. After they take a shot on net they always need to stop at the net before returning to the corner.