Category: Team Systems

Hanging a Forechecker on the Net While Initiating a Breakout Initiating a breakout is one of those situations that happens multiple times every singe game. It's important to "arm" our defensemen with the tools they'll need to be successful in these recurring patterns. One such tool is the tactic of hanging the forechecker up on the net, as shown in the clip above. This tactic involves two steps: "Baiting" the forechecker into thinking he's got a chance at catching you Cutting tight behind the net, at an angle that makes it so he can't stay with you When used properly, this will open up time and space, and make the other team have to make decisions––which is what we're all about. As the defenseman skated up ice, other players will…

How to Play a 1 on 1 Properly My dad used to say you don't have to be a great player to be a great defenseman. What he meant by that is that you don't have to be the fastest, the most technically sound, and you don't have to have the hardest shot. Being an excellent defenseman means being a SMART player. Excellent defensive play is more about making the right pass, shot selection, managing gap, body positioning, controlling the front of the net, reading forechecking pressure, etc. These are all mental skills, and these are the skills that make for a great defenseman! In this video, we see a well-executed 1 on 1 by a Russian defenseman. The key points shown in this example are as follows: Properly managed…

Head on a Swivel! I love watching the World Junior Championships each year. It's a chance to see a bunch of talented, young, "up-and-comers" playing some high-quality hockey, in a fun and exciting atmosphere. The nature of the games, and of the tournament in general, lends itself to a great study of the game. The players are smaller than in the NHL, there's a bigger gap between the top and bottom teams, and the games are more of a finesse style of play. Which means, lots of scoring, especially in the early rounds, and lots of well-executed systems play. Even at the highest levels of play, you still see mistakes made. And games are won and lost based in the DETAILS. In this video, we see what happens when a…