Pass and Go – 1 on 1 Defense

Drill:

1. Line up 2 players at opposite sides of the blue lines.
2. Player 1 starts skating with a puck and hits Player 2 with a pass who returns it to Player 1
3. Defensive player starts skating up toward middle of rink
4. Player 1 then skates across blue line passing to Player 3 who returns the pass
5. Defense player transitions into backward skating
6. Player 1 and Defense are now in a 1 on 1

Focus:
1. Give and Go passes
2. Defense works on skating and positioning

Drill:
You can adjust to full rink if you have it and run the drill down the wall starting the D at the opposite ends.

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2 on 1 Passing Attack

Drill:

1. Offense 1 and 2 start at mid rink and work on passing the puck back and forth
2. Defense 1 skates up and transitions to backward skating and good positioning
3. Offense works to score
4. Defense works to get puck out of zone

Focus:
1. Solid passing to create space
2. Good positioning to get open once in the Offensive Zone
3. Defense must choose one player to Defend once in the zone

Notes:
Stress how this can/should be used in a game for quick passes to create space and scoring opportunities.

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Behind the net - Positioning

Drill:

1. Offense 1 starts behind the new with the puck.
2. Offense 2 gets positioning in front of the net
3. Offense 3 looks for position in the high slot/circle
4. Offense 1 works to wrap the puck from behind, or get a pass to the O 2 or 3

Focus:
1. Good position by O 2/3
2. Puck movement by O 1
3. Goalie must be aware of player behind the net and react quickly
4. Once D is added, they should focus on keeping O 2 away from net

Notes:
Position is important for all players involved in this drill.

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Footwork - Directional Skating

Drill:

1. 3-4 players at a time
2. They start by cross-over stepping to the side while facing the goal.
3. Then backwards skate and stop
4. Cross-over skate to the other side (again while facing the goal).
5. Then forward and stop
6. Repeat until you change direction.

Focus:
1. Good starts and stops
2. Keeping Shoulders square to the goal while skating laterally
3. Quick bursts for starts

Notes:
If no cones, just have the coach whistle and point a new direction.

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