The Key to Killing a 5 on 3 is to Have the Right Players on the Ice!
Killing a 5 on 3 can be tough. In my opinion, the most important factor is having the right personel on the ice. You’ll want to throw out your fastest, smartest players. Players who are good at reading and reacting, anticipating, and keeping their heads on a swivel. The video above outlines my preferred method for killing a 5 on 3, the Rotating Triangle.
A Detailed Analysis of the Winnipeg Jets’ Penalty Kill Forecheck and Defensive Zone Coverage Setups
In this video we walk through a detailed analysis of the Penalty Kill Systems the Winnipeg Jets are using. Remember, systems play is very subjective – everyone has their own opinions… this is my two cents worth!
Here’s a quick breakdown of what to look for:
FORECHECK:
1-3 Forecheck: F1 tends to commit too early, allowing the Wild defenseman to walk out from behind the net uncontested.
F1′s Angle: Breaks my cardinal rule for trap-style forechecks – DON’T GET BEAT BEHIND YOU!
NZ Transitions: Jets rely too heavily on picking off passes in the neutral zone, and not enough on solid angling and positioning. This won’t work as well against the better teams.
PK DEFENSIVE ZONE COVERAGE:
Triangle +1 against Umbrella: Not a good systems match-up in my opinion. Angles are off, and it allows the opposing team’s “Quarterback” to easily pass to whomever he wants.
Standard Box against Overload: Good systems match-up, but the Jets need to tighten up on a few things (see next few points)
Weak-side Forward: Tends to over commit, leaving the opposing far defenseman open
Net-front Coverage: Jets are letting a player sit right in the middle of their coverage, in front of the net
QuickStickz is a Fun and Effective way to Develop Stickhandling Ability
I’ve been really excited to get this post out, and let you know about a cool product called QuickStickz. QuickStickz is an innovative new way to work on your stickhandling abilities off the ice, and it’s a lot of fun too!
A few months ago I was invited to take a look at QuickStickz, which is a video-game-based, hockey stickhandling development system. I had seen the product before, but I’d never had the chance to get my hands on one. The idea seemed really cool, so I was excited to see what it was all about.
How it Works:
QuickStickz uses a special infrared camera that connects up to your PC via USB jack. The camera combos up with a customized SmartHockey stickhandling ball, that has been machined out with a whole bunch of tiny reflectors all over its surface. As you stickhandle, the camera picks up the movements of the ball, and sends the signal into the computer, which allows you to see your stickhandling movements on the screen.
Set-up is pretty simple, just plug in the camera, go to the QuickStickz member’s area, and install the plug-in when prompted.
Drills and Games:
Once you’re up and running, just select a drill or a game from the member’s area, and have at it! The drills are designed to help you work on various skills such as tight puck movement, wide puck movement, dekes, toe drags, etc. The games apply these skills in a more dynamic environment.
Member’s Area:
The member’s area is a great way to track your progress. You can check your own stats and progress, or see how your top score compares to other top scores from around the world. The member’s area also tracks how much time you’re spending on QuickStickz. This makes it easy for parents or coaches to check in on the player’s efforts and progress.
Conclusion: QuickStickz is a great tool to help any player develop his or her stickhandling abilities. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a product that I think connects with kids on their level. The one weakness of QuickSticks is that it’s fairly sensitive to the ambient lighting in the room you’re using it in. Sunlight badly interferes with the infrared signal put out by the camera, and makes the ball just jump around on the screen. So make sure you close the blinds, and rely on your “artificial lighting” (regular lightbulbs), and you should be just fine!
Check out this Slide Board Designed Specifically for Goalies!
Every now and then I come across a hockey training product that just makes me go “wow!” That’s what happened when I first saw the X-Goalie Crease Slideboard from XHOCKEYPRODUCTS.
Now, I’m admittedly NOT a goalie guy. But it’s not hard to tell when something is going to be beneficial for an athlete. Watch the videos I’ve included in this post, and check out how closely this product allows the goalies to mimic their on-ice movements. Incredible!
Here are a few of the features you should know about:
Regulation-size Crease
The X-Goalie Crease Slideboard features an NHL regulation goalie crease that utilizes Fan-tastic Sports technology along with the “ProHybrid Visual Lead Position System.” This system allows a goalie to develop muscle memory using the same Squareness, Angle and Depth as he uses on the ice.
Customizable Movement Patterns
This crease uses adjustable stoppers to create customizable movement patterns. PowerStrides, Shuffles, Pushoffs, Recoveries, Slides and even paddle down wraps can be practiced on our board.
Two Challenging Training Levels
This crease has two challenging levels: Foundation and Elite. Young goalies will want to start by using the crease at the Foundation Level. This level will allow them to get a feel for the system, and begin to build their leg strength and coordination.
The Elite Level has stopper placements progressively further out as you approach the top angle. This level will challenge even the most established goaltenders due to the precision needed in angle adjustment, and the power it takes to carry the full distance outside the crease.
Stoppers, Pushers, and Recovery Bumper
All stoppers are located on the “Awareness to Squareness” lines. Each line gives the goalie/trainer immediate feedback as to whether or not Squareness has been achieved to a specific angle.
In addition to the stoppers, the X-Goalie Crease Slideboard is equipped with a Recovery Bumper. This semi circle railing mirrors the crease line. It is used to execute a recovery or pushoff from your butterfly. The bumper is strategically placed in an ideal position relative to the stoppers for maximum load and power out of your hybrid setup.
Moving in towards the posts you will find two blue net play stance stoppers. These stoppers are placed off of each post to ensure the goalies feet are 30 degrees off the goal line. This 30 degree angle gives the goalie a solid base while allowing him to see the strong side corner while keeping the weak side blue line angle in his or her peripheral vision. The goalie can lead the play with a quick shuffle, come back to the same post, lead again, then rotate and shuffle 30 degrees back to the opposite post.
Lastly, this crease has paddle down wrap recovery bumpers in place. These arched rails enable the goalie to recover out of a paddle down wrap as if a player makes a pass instead of executing a wrap around.
Conclusion
I don’t often wish I were a goalie… (No offense to any of you keepers who are reading this!) I love my position, and I play it well. However, this just looks like A LOT of fun to me, and I’m a little envious to tell you the truth! If you’re a goalie… you’ve gotta check this out.
WHERE TO GET IT: Currently the X-Goalie Crease Slideboard is only available at XHOCKEYPRODUCTS.COM… in fact, this product is so new, they’re still in “pre-order” mode right now. But you can sign up to get on the pre-order list here: CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER
When I was a kid, my first coach (NOT MY DAD) took me a side one day, and drew two lines down the middle of a rink diagram. He then taught me that “the right winger stays on the right side, the left winger stays on the left side, and that the centerman mostly stays in the middle, but can help out if a winger needs him…”
HOW FAR THE GAME HAS COME SINCE THEN!!!
Today’s hockey is much more dynamic, with players interchanging positions constantly––especially in the offensive zone. I like this more “European” style of play, and I think it is much more effective at opening up passing options and scoring chances.
My general philosophy is to let structured, positional assignments govern defensive zone play, and concepts such as timing, support, and triangulation govern neutral and offensive zone play. This allows forwards to be creative within a framework in the offensive zone.
Sign up below to receive our FREE Drills of the Week!
Email:
Close
Sign up below to receive our FREE Drills of the Week!
Welcome to Weiss Tech Hockey!
We are committed to providing hockey coaches with solid, useful information. We do this by offering free instructional videos, hockey drills, and other great stuff that should be important to hockey coaches!
Join our mailing list and receive our free drills of the week! Simply enter your email address below:
on 
