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Ice Hockey Coaching Blog

Creating Time and Space

In Coaching Tips on Wednesday, June 26th, 2013 by

With ten active players on the ice, a regulation ice sheet of 200’ x 85’ and with just four or five shifts per period that last less than a minute, where do players find extra time and space when playing? In this blog I will discuss skills and tactics players use to gain strategic advantage by managing or developing time and finding and creating space. Extra time and space on the ice...

Start Practice with 6 Progressive Over-Speed Hockey Drills

In Coaching Tips on Sunday, May 26th, 2013 by Ice Hockey Systems

Overspeed hockey drills are ones that force players to move their feet faster than what they are comfortable with. When you are looking for a high tempo practice then starting the practice with a series of overspeed drills can be a good idea. Depending on the type of practice you envision you most likely have a bank of drills that you call upon. I typically like to gear the...

Providing Feedback - Ice Hockey Coach's Toolbox

In Coaching Tips on Friday, April 12th, 2013 by

“Yup, he’s lost the room! ...they just aren’t listening to him anymore...”. As students of the game we have all heard these phrases describing a situation where a coach and his struggling team are failing to communicate. Often these coaches, who once held their player’s attention and focus with every word, no longer appear to understand one another. Performance is lost and as Mr. Trump says... “...

How to Structure your Hockey Tryout

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

Having a well structured tryout will give you the best chance to put together a team that you are confident in. You never want to leave tryouts with a sense of doubt and you never want good players to leave tryouts thinking they didn’t get a fair shot. This segment will provide advice on the best ways to structure an efficient hockey tryout so you are able to get a good evaluation and...

How to Run a Successful Hockey Tryout

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

“364 more days until next year’s tryouts – I gotta toughen up.” That famous line from Happy Gilmore rang through my head the day after my tryouts in 2007. I did not bring my A-game, something wasn’t right, I didn’t have the intensity or energy that I needed, I disappointed them. I didn’t fall all over the ice or complain about the net being regulation size, hell I didn’t even...

Setting the Tone for Tryouts

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

Within the coming weeks and months hockey tryouts will be taking place all over the world. It’s an exciting time for any coach and their program, but as I experienced first-hand it can also bring stress, frustration and second guessing. The way you run your tryout can set the tone for the rest of the season. A well run tryout can set your program on the path to success, but a poorly run tryout...

Establish Puck Possession in the Offensive Zone

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

The blue line is the most strategic area of the ice. Gain the blue line with possession and you can generate scoring chances. If you hold the blue line and force the other team to give up possession you will give up less scoring chances. Here are a couple of ways to attack the blue line and maintain possession in the offensive zone. Strong side soft chips This play can be...

Working on the Goal Scorer's Touch

In Coaching Tips on Saturday, June 9th, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

The ability to get the puck off the stick and on net is a skill reserved for goal scorers. So many young players want to take that extra stick handle, and in doing so spoil their scoring opportunity. Examples of both were evident in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. Take Daugavins play in overtime of Game 1 in the Cup Finals for example. Instead of releasing right away, one too many...

Three Very Small Area Games

In Coaching Tips on Monday, May 21st, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

The ADM model set forth by USA hockey and their endorsement for small area games has made this term much more popular among youth hockey coaches, especially here in the United States. There are a wealth of games that are great fun and great for development and I think it is important to choose games that are relevant to your purpose. The small area games listed below focus on tight...

Integrate Races Into Hockey Drills

In Coaching Tips on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

There is an old school mentality that you have to line the players up and do skating drills for 20 - 30 minutes to get your team in shape. However, have you ever lined up two players on the goal line, places a puck at center ice, and said "go"? Just watch as the competitive nature of your players brings the intensity to a new level. The hockey drills on this page are just a...

Several hockey drills for transitioning and attacking with speed

In Coaching Tips on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

Planning for a small private session is tough sometimes because there are so many thing to work on and so many good hockey drills available. An hour never seems like enough time. In these sessions it is helpful to pick out a particular skill and choose only drills that compliment this skill. The hockey drills outlined below are geared for an hour long session and focus on...

Hockey Drills for a Power Play Practice

In Coaching Tips on Monday, May 7th, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

A hockey practice that focues on the power play is not to be confused with a practice where you play power play versus penalty kill for the entire practice. There are lots of drills that focus on skill sets that can be used while leading up to a power play scrimmage. Some of the key points of emphasis on the power play are puck possession, timing, shot selection, moving away from the...

3 great hockey drills for private sessions

In Coaching Tips on Friday, May 4th, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

It can be tricky to come up with unique, usefull, and fun hockey drills to use in a summer session where you only have a couple of players. These are hockey drills you can pass along to players to do at stick and puck as well. Two people are required for each one of these hockey drills because of they all incorporate lots of passing. The diagrams for each hockey drill are at the...

A plan for summer sessions

In on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 by Ice Hockey Systems

Planning hockey practices for summer sessions are much different than planning for a mid-season practice. During the season it is typical to focus on more team concepts, especially at the higher levels. During the summer the goal should be to improve the skill set of the individuals while giving them a taste of fun and excitement that will have them yearning for hockey season to start...