With the cost of ice time going up, many teams are sharing practice sessions, especially at the younger age groups. The need for half ice hockey drills continues to grow, and has been a highly requested topic from our readers. So, instead of just doing a video or two, I put together 9 of my favorite half ice hockey drills spanning across all levels of play… beginner to advanced. I’ve also included a printable PDF version as well as the Importable DrillDraw files, if you want to bring all this stuff to the rink with you. You’ll find the links at the bottom of this page.

Here we go!!

Quad Passing:

Players 1 and 2 execute five passes between themselves, after the fifth pass, player 1 does a give and go with player 3, combined with a one-touch pass to player 4. All players rotate as shown.

Cycle Give and Go:

Player from line 1 leaves with the puck and walks up the boards, then cycles back to player from line 2. Player from line 1 drives through the seam for a give and go pass, receives the pass from player 2, then one-touches to player 3 or 2 for a one-timer.

Figure 8 Shooting & Deflection

1. Forwards line up in corner with pucks.
2. Three defensemen across the blue line. Two have pucks, one doesn’t.

Perpetual Cycle

Coach dumps a puck in – first player goes into corner and picks up the puck, and cycles it back. A second player follows him in to pick up the cycle. After cycling it back the first player cuts across the top of the circle and drives the net – second player passes out for a one-time shot.

After the pass is made, the first player from the other line dumos it in his corner. The player who just made the pass continues up around the top of the circle, then drives into the corner to pick up the dump. He cycles back, and the player who dumped it in supports to pick up the cycle. Same thing happens again. Drill continues perpetually.

Stop & Start Shooting

Great drill for younger players. Starts and stops with a puck, plus a power turn and a shot. Make sure players face the same way with each stop. Simple, but effective!

Give and Go Shooting

1. first player passes out to point man – then attacks

2. point man bank passes back to next player in line

3. receiver executes a give and go with point man

4. point man shoots

5. player who attacked becomes new point man

Center Line Boundary 2 on 1

Set up a 2 on 1 in each side. Nobody can cross the center line. When the defender gets the puck back, he/she must pass across the line to the forwards on the other side.

Start with 2 on 1, work up to 3 on 2.

Figure 8 Angling

1. Players start facing each other on dot

2. ‘F’ picks up a puck and drives wide

3. ‘D’ skates around cones as shown, then angles

4. ‘F’  has to drive around lower cone before cutting to the net

Variations: (a) take out the cone at hashmarks (b) allow forward to cut inside earlier

Larsen Give and Go

First player leaves hash mark, turns the corner and receives a pass from the next player in line. He then carries the puck around the next cone, and does a give and go with the passer (P) at the red line. After receiving the pass back from ‘P’, he does another give and go with the ‘P’ in the corner, then fires a one-timer on net.

TIP: have your players use the inside mohawk to round the turns!

There you have it!! Hopefully these come in handy for you. As always, here’s a PDF of each of these Half Ice Hockey Drills for you, and I’ve also included the DrillDraw files here as well: 9halficehockeydrills.zip

ENJOY!!

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One of my favorite hockey shooting drills. Simple to set up, but teaches some profound concepts.

This could be one of the most basic hockey shooting drills out there… but it is also one of the most effective because of the concepts that can be applied. Click here for a printout you can bring to the rink with you.

Cheers!

Click Here for a Printout of the 3 Pass and Shot Drill

The “3 Pass and Shot Drill” is a great Hockey Drill that can be utilized in many different practice scenarios. I like to use it as a warm-up drill, but it can also be used to develop passing and timing concepts, or to work on one-touch passes or shooting.

Enjoy!

Click Here for a printout of the Chaos Drill that you can take to the rink with you.

The Chaos Drill is a simple and effective hockey stickhandling drill that is sure to get your team flying! Make sure you stress that your players keep their feet moving through the cones, shoot in stride, and KEEP THEIR HEADS UP!

Let me know how this goes for you – Enjoy!

Click Here for a printout of the Figure 8 Shooting and Deflection drill that you can bring to the rink with you.

Here’s a quick and effective hockey shooting drill that incorporates shots from the points, and deflections in front of the net. I like to run this drill from both ends so the forwards get plenty of chances to execute. Encourage your defensemen to fire low, hard shots on net that the forwards will be able to deflect. This is a great game simulation drill for everybody!

Click Here for a print out of High-Low Hockey Shooting Drills.

Here’s another great hockey drill that I like to use particularly as a warm-up drill. It is quick-paced, and incorporates skating, stickhandling, and shooting in stride. It’s also great for goalies as it gets them moving side-to-side. Players must keep their heads up as they explode through the middle of the ice in opposite directions. Stress that the players keep their feet moving throughout the entire drill. Enjoy!