The Iron Cross Passing Drill is a new spin on an old drill. In this drill, players work on quick stops and starts while moving to different areas of the circle, while they practice passing with a teammate at the bottom of the circle.
Setup
- Place players and pucks at the bottom of the cirlce with one player in the middle of the circle.
- On the whistle, the player at the bottom of the circle passes to the player in the middle of the circle, who quickly passes the puck back to the player at the bottom of the circle.
- After passing the puck back, the player in the circle starts to perform the Iron Cross (going from one side of the circle, back to the middle, to the top of the circle, to the middle, to the other side of the circle and to the middle).
- After every stop they perform a give and go pass with the player at the bottom of the circle.
Coaching Points
- Both players in the drill need to communicate and keep their stick on the ice and show where they would like the puck.
- The player skating should work on quick starts and stops to jump to open space.
Variations
- Can work on forehand or backhand passes, or practice getting pucks in the feet.
- Can add a coach to the drill who applies light pressure who the players must pass around.
