USA Hockey’s New Icing Rule, and How it Affects your Power Play

USA Hockey’s New Icing Rule, and How it Affects your Power Play

Special Teams, Team Systems
USA Hockey's New Icing Rule, and How it Affects your Power Play The online hockey world is buzzing with USA Hockey's new icing rule, announced last week, which eliminates icing while a team is on the penalty kill. This is the first of two posts that will outline what I feel are the "key game changers" that coaches should be mindful of as they prepare for the 2017/18 season. In this post we will address the Power Play, and in a couple of days we will hit the Penalty Kill. UPDATE: You Can Check Out the Penalty Kill Post Here >> Let's Start with the Rule Change Itself Here's a summary of the rule change, taken from the USA Hockey website: USA Hockey has modified its playing rules for the…
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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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Full Speed Power Play Passing Sequence

Full Speed Power Play Passing Sequence

Hockey Drills, Offensive Zone, Special Teams, Team Skill Drills, Team Systems Drills
Full Speed Power Play Passing Sequence I use the Full Speed Power Play Passing Sequence to simulate the patterns and passing lanes players will see in game situations. The idea for this drill is to instill the mindset of "Set-up, Attack, Rebound, then back to Set-up." All executed at top speed. Here's the diagram and explanation: Full Speed Power Play Passing Sequence 1. Player's line up in proper position for your team's power play set-up (in this case it's the "hybrid" set-up) 2. Place cones in positions where the opposing defenders will likely be 3. Work through your attack options, in order from highest probability to lowest 4. Focus on running through "set-up, attack, rebound, and back to set-up," with crisp passes, always executing at full speed Enjoy! USE THIS…
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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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Power Play: “Hybrid” Overload/Umbrella

Special Teams, Team Systems
My favorite power play set-up... The "Hybrid" The "Hybrid" is a very complex power play set-up that has very specific skill requirements for each position. This is a phenomenal set-up IF you have the right personel for the job. If not, it will fall apart badly! Make sure your players understand the "key indicator" that signals the "shift" (see video for details). Doing this will ensure that the timing works out correctly. Also, I like to designate a specific side of the ice to run it from every time to eliminate positional confusion, and to make sure we have the proper shooting hand in the proper spot. Enjoy!
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