Winnipeg Jets Power Play: Dissected

Winnipeg Jets Power Play: Dissected

Coaches' Corner, Philosophy, Special Teams, Team Systems
Winnipeg Jets Power Play Dissection from the Illegal Curve show on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg This past Saturday I had the opportunity to be a guest again on the Illegal Curve show on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg. If you haven't listened to the show before, and you're a Jets fan, check it out here: http://illegalcurve.com/ The topic I covered on Saturday will be useful to any coach, whether you're a Jets fan or not. I also made a video dissection of the Jets power play after the fact, illustrating a few of the things I mentioned on the show. So, Check out my segment in the audio below, then watch the vid! [haiku url="https://641659.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/jets_pp_tsn1290.mp3" title="Jeremy Weiss on the Illegal Curve show - TSN Radio 1290"] Here are the…
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2-1-2 Spread: In Action

Coaches' Corner, Offensive Zone, Philosophy, Team Systems
How to Execute a Proper 2-1-2 Spread Forecheck In our last post, we talked about beating a 2-1-2 with a D to D pass. In the footage, we saw the NJ Devils using an aggressive 2-1-2 "Stack" against the Rangers. In this post, we'll show you the LA Kings using another variation of the 2-1-2, the 2-1-2 "Spread." 2-1-2 Stack vs Spread There are two types of 2-1-2 set-ups; the "stack," where the first two players enter the zone on the same side of the ice, the first player hits and pins, the second player takes the puck; and the "spread," where the first player attacks the puck carrier, and the second player eliminates the D to D pass (this is what the Kings are using in this clip). See…
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Who IS my Competition Anyways…?

Coaches' Corner, Philosophy
"Who is my competition anyways...?" This is the question EVERY player should ask him or herself! The purpose of this blog is to help build better teams, by providing players, coaches, and parents with useful drills, tools, and information. You often hear me talking about on-ice strategies and tactics, or off-ice drills and workouts that will give you an EDGE over your competition. They're all the same... Well... Almost! As you move into higher levels of play, the skill-sets of each player become more and more similar. Think about it... who scores the most goals at mite hockey? It's the kid who can skate the fastest! Who scores the most goals at Peewee? Now that most kids can skate, other tactics like shooting, playmaking, and read & react abilities start…
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Power Play: Breakout

Special Teams, Team Systems
Here's one of my favorite power play breakouts... There are quite a few different power play breakouts. Rather than try to cover them all, I thought I'd just post my favorite. I like this one because it is very versatile, and can beat most penalty kill forechecks if the players read and react effectively. This is another instance where I like to have designated responsibilities so that we always have the proper-handed-shot in the correct position. Lastly, I forgot to mention in the video, but SOMETIMES there is an opening straight up the middle to the "breakaway man." If the far forward notices this, he can cut across the blue line early and sync up with the quarterback behind the net. The QB can step out to the RIGHT side…
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Forecheck: 2-3 Press

Offensive Zone, Team Systems
Start the game with a BANG using the 2-3 Press! The 2-3 Press is a really fun forecheck if you have the right group of players for it. If you have a fast, hard-hitting team, you can use this forecheck to strike fear into the hearts of the other team, and make it so they're constantly looking over their shoulder for the rest of the game! I like to use this forecheck for brief "spurts" during a game because it is very high-tempo, and uses a lot of energy. So give it a try for each line's first shift in the game, or maybe the first shift of each period. This will help get your team off to a fast start, and should give you some momentum in the process.…
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