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Ice Hockey Coaching Blog

Full Ice 1-3-1 System

In Coaching Tips on Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 by Ice Hockey Systems

Do you ever question why hockey is played with 3 forwards and 2 defenseman? Is that the optimal line-up for every team? Other sports seem to have more variations in their formations so maybe the typical 3 forwards and 2 defense is not the optimal formation for all teams. For example, soccer uses all sorts of formations depending on the strength of your team, the strength of the other team, or a...

Improve Your Game With 6 Puck Protection Drills

In Coaching Tips on Thursday, January 17th, 2019 by Ice Hockey Systems

What would happen if you were given an extra 1 to 5 seconds to make a play every single time you touched the puck? Your game would INSTANTLY transform. You would be able to create more passing and shooting options while giving your teammates extra time to become outlets. Many younger players and coaches ONLY focus on advanced stickhandling drills instead of basic puck protection...

11 Warm Up Activities & Drills for Youth Hockey Practice

In Coaching Tips on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018 by Ice Hockey Systems

Young hockey players playing against each other.

The first 10 - 15 minutes of practice is crucial for setting the tempo and getting players warmed up and engaged. The activities below are great for starting youth practices because they keep players moving, work on fundamentals, create competition, and increase the excitement level of players as you begin to practice. If you run a variety of these activities on a regular basis you...

Hockey Backchecking: Situations and Responsibilities for Each Player

In Coaching Tips on Monday, October 9th, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

Players are always taught to backcheck hard, in fact, more often then not players that don't backcheck hard are quickly escorted to the end of the bench for a while (depending on the coach). Backchecking hard is only half of the equation. Teaching players to backcheck effectively is just as important. Not all situations are the same and therefore players should be taught to recognize and...

Two Day Hockey Tryout Plan for Bantams

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, August 29th, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

Players on the bench at a bantam hockey tryout

This article is written in response to a question asked by one of our members. They asked if we had recommendations for a selection of drills that would be good for a Bantam tryout (ages 14 and under). The tryout is two days long and they would like to evaluate skills early in the tryout and move into game play as the tryout progressed. Rather than just reply to one member...

3 Mile Mixer Pre-Season Dryland Training Workout

In Off-Ice Training on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

3 Mile Mixer pre-season dryland hockey workout

The three-mile mixer is a workout specifically for hockey players. It is great for hockey players looking to increase their leg strength, stamina, aerobic, and anaerobic capability. This workout consists of 12 skating specific exercises done in intervals with a quarter-mile jog between each exercise. Below you will find a link and an embedded video for each exercise. There is also...

The Fartlek - A Hockey Dryland & Off-Ice Training Workout

In Off-Ice Training on Tuesday, June 13th, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

Increase Speed, Explosiveness and Endurance with the Fartlek Workout! Fartlek is Swedish for "Speed Play." It is an interval workout that mixes moderate and hard efforts with a recovery period. The variable intensity of the Fartlek Workout trains the aerobic and anaerobic systems which will help increase speed, power and endurance. This dryland workout is excellent for all hockey...

Heiden Circuit - Dryland Training for Hockey Players

In Off-Ice Training on Monday, June 5th, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

Heiden Circuit Leg Exercises for Hockey Players

The Heiden Circuit is based off of a series of leg workouts that Eric Heiden used during his prime as one of the most accomplished Olympic Speed Skaters ever. Hockey players have also found a lot of success with these workouts and many of the pro, junior, and college players are using them today. These leg exercises are very specific to the athletic movements of the skating stride....

1-3-1 Power Play - 5 Options

In Coaching Tips on Sunday, April 30th, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

The 1-3-1 power play formation has become the go to power play system for most high level teams. Almost every NHL team is using the 1-3-1, so there must be a reason. The reason? The 1-3-1 has the ability to spread players out inside the zone, keep a player in front of the net at all times, and place shooters in key positions so they can shoot off the pass. Power play systems...

Cut to the Middle on Off-Hand

In Coaching Tips on Saturday, February 25th, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

This video demonstrates a progression of drills that all lead up to this effective offensive skill. It is a goal scoring skill that combines inside edges and a quick shot release. The Off-Hand Pull and Push is an effective skill for zone entry as well as changing the angle of the shot. Here are a series of drills that break down this skill element by element. It starts...

Online Tools for Youth Hockey Coaches

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, January 17th, 2017 by Ice Hockey Systems

The availability of free online resources for hockey coaches has become somewhat overwhelming in the past few years. The amount of knowledge and effort for which anyone can post drill diagrams or publish videos has become so easy that the internet is flooded with more content than any coach could dream of using. Ice Hockey Systems alone has over 500 animated hockey drills and...

WHOLE-PART-WHOLE Practice Philosophy

In Coaching Tips on Thursday, November 3rd, 2016 by Ice Hockey Systems

Youth hockey player carrying puck in small area game

The Whole-Part-Whole practice philosophy is a practice structure that is different from the more traditional progressive practice structure. It may not be applicable to all age and skill levels and it is up to the coach or director to decide if it is appropriate for their team. The logic behind the Whole-Part-Whole method is based off of how kids learn when it is completely up to them. It...

5 Resources Every Hockey Coach and Director Should Utilize

In Coaching Tips on Friday, September 9th, 2016 by Ice Hockey Systems

Ice Hockey Systems has put together a list of free and paid resources that will help advance hockey coaches, players and directors for the upcoming season. Leverage these resources to improve your coaching, your players will thank you for it. 1. Free Hockey Resources Page This page is the perfect tool for any coach that is on the go and needs instant access to drills, systems, practice...

Youth Hockey Tryouts: Selecting A Team By Committee

In Coaching Tips on Wednesday, September 7th, 2016 by Ice Hockey Systems

Tryouts are a stressful times for players, coaches, and directors More often than not there is a lot of grey area when it comes the the last few players selected for a team. Every year directors and coaches have to face the angry parents whose son or daughter did not make their desired team and are accused of selecting the team before tryouts, picking kids whose parents have more...

The Face-Off Play that Won Game 2

In Coaching Tips on Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 by Ice Hockey Systems

Sheary's Overtime Game Winning Goal in Stanley Cup

It doesn’t get much better than scoring an overtime winner in the Stanley Cup finals. That’s exactly what Conor Sheary did last night. The goal was scored off a set face-off play that was executed perfectly. There are a lot of moving pieces and timing is critical, but below is a breakdown of exactly how the Penguins executed the play and took a 2-0 series lead. Crosby (Center...

Interview with Denis Savard

In Coaching Tips on Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 by Ice Hockey Systems

Listen on Soundcloud 1. (0:25) What’s your earliest memory playing hockey? 2. (1:22) Why do you think hockey is the greatest game in the world? 3. (2:36) What's your first memory in the NHL, being drafted by the Blackhawks? 4. (4:00) What's your most memorable goal in your NHL career? 5. (4:40) How’d you pull off the spin-o-rama and what was the process behind it? 6. (6:17) What...

IHS Blueprint Webinar with Denis Savard

In Coaching Tips on Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 by Ice Hockey Systems

Denis Savard Shows his Blackhawk Stanley Cup Ring from 2015

We had a great time today sitting down with Hall of Famer Denis Savard. In the webinar Denis not only shows off the latest Stanley Cup ring, he also discusses keys to breakouts and power play breakouts. In addition to discussing the systems he also offers up some great drills to compliment these systems. Chris Howard (Ice Hockey Systems President) gives a quick overview of IHS and some...

4 week Summer Off-Ice Program for Youth Hockey Players

In Off-Ice Training on Monday, May 26th, 2014 by Ice Hockey Systems

4 Week Off-Ice Summer Hockey Workout Program

If players commit to this 4-Week Summer Training Program, they will see an increase in their strength, power, and speed. The program below consists of great hockey specific exercises and no weights or gym membership is required! There are 4 workouts scheduled for 4 different days of the week, along with Thursday being a dedicated off-ice stickhandling & recovery...

5 Drills Your Hockey Tryout Should Include

In Coaching Tips on Wednesday, September 11th, 2013 by Ice Hockey Systems

5 Tryout Hockey Drills for Young Hockey Players

Below we dive into 5 drills that are great for evaluating your players at tryouts. This segment will focus on 5 hockey drills that will allow you to look for crucial elements in both the skill and compete level of each player. Remember that a scrimmage is an absolute must for any higher level tryout and that the drills in this post should be used to evaluate specific skills, compete level and...

Invent The Game

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, July 16th, 2013 by

If you’re looking for a great summer read try Ken Dryden’s book The Game, which is part autobiography, part hockey manifesto. I find the book interesting because Dryden’s hockey journey was like few others. In the middle of a hall of fame career he takes a year off to finish his law degree when the Canadians refuse to offer him a solid contract. Another unique fact regarding Dryden involves him...