Player Habits

Puck Retrieval

• Get to puck quickly
• Look over both shoulders
• Be deceptive
• Surround puck on forehand or backhand

Carrying the Puck

• Head up
• Hands away from body
• Accelerate with puck
• Avoid over handling

Puck Protection

• Keep body between opponent and the puck
• Use body to shield hands and stick
• Look over your shoulder to survey for teammates

One on One Attack

• Head up, read gap/space
• Attack feet and stick of defender
• Use speed

Puck Support

• Position to find a seam or open lane for pass
• Use proper spacing
• Use timing, not too early…not too late

Stop at the Net

• Stay in scoring area
• Keep stick down and be ready for a pass or rebound

Pivot and Face Puck

• Face puck carrier as much as possible
• Stick down, always ready for pass

Direct Passes

• Use deception, look off passes
• Sweep puck for spin
• Pass hard
• Collect pass using stick, feet or hands

Indirect Passes

• Play pool: angle onto boards = angle off boards
• Use touch, not too hard…not too soft
• Place puck into area for teammate to skate into
• Aerial pass

Give and Go

• Pass to teammate and move to open ice
• Find new seem or passing lane
• Always be an outlet option
• Very effective against zone coverage

Creating Time and Space

• Use delays and cutback with your skating
• Use quiet zones, soft spots
• Use puck protection tactics

Face the Puck

• Don’t turn your back to the play
• Be ready for transition to offense

Head on a Swivel

• Continually look over your shoulders
• Know where opponents and teammates are located
• See the whole ice

Stick Positioning

• Keep Stick on the ice to cover passing lanes
• Play “stick on puck’ to increase your area of influence
• Extend stick with elbow to limit lunging and stay balanced

Gap Control

• Limit your opponents time by reducing his or her space
• Use skating skills to maintain defensive side body position

Angling and Body Position

• Protect middle ice first, angle inside out
• Use skating skills to maintain defensive side body position

Defensive Support

• Provide assistance to teammates on the defensive side of the puck
• Always be ready to help in case of breakdowns