Building a confident breakout defenseman is one of the most important goals in hockey player development. Defensemen play a huge role in transitioning the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone, and a strong breakout often determines whether a team can create scoring chances or stay trapped under pressure. Many young defensemen have the skills to move the puck but struggle with confidence when forecheckers close in. Confidence is not just about personality.
Follow along with Dave as he shows you how to use these bands to train your body for more strength and endurance…
Don’t forget to grab all you can from this awesome site, and make this coming month one to truly remember…
With mental toughness always being a key to solid hockey play, we’re thrilled to once again present Shawnee Harle’s monthly insights into that area. And, in this video, she addresses an obvious concern with “Negative Self-talk”!
Most hockey players believe elite stickhandling is all about lightning-fast hands, fancy moves, and highlight-reel plays. Social media doesn’t help, because it shows the flash but not the foundation. In reality, the biggest difference between average stickhandlers and elite ones is not speed or creativity. It’s mastery of small, repeatable micro-skills that quietly show up on every shift. These details don’t look exciting on their own, but together they separate players who panic under pressure from players who stay calm and in control.
Scouting a hockey player is never easy, and it becomes even harder when the player is your own child or someone you coach closely. Emotions naturally get involved. Pride, worry, hope, and frustration can all shape what you think you see on the ice. Because of this, many well-meaning parents and coaches struggle to evaluate players fairly. Learning how to scout your own child or player without bias is an important skill, and when done right, it can support development instead of creating pressure or confusion.
When coaches talk about players who “see the ice,” they are usually describing someone who seems calm, aware, and one step ahead of everyone else. These players know where teammates and opponents are before the puck ever reaches them. To many young players, this skill looks like magic or natural talent, but it is not…
Warm-ups are not just about breaking a sweat. They are meant to prepare the body, the hands, and the brain to perform right away, and many players unknowingly make mistakes that hurt their early shifts.
Hockey IQ is the ability to read situations, anticipate what will happen next, and make good decisions under pressure. For high school players, this skill often separates those who look calm and confident from those who feel rushed, even if their physical skills are similar. The good news is that hockey IQ can be trained at home in as little as ten minutes a day.
Turning defensive zone chaos into predictable structure is one of the biggest challenges in hockey, especially for young and developing players. If you watch most youth or high school games closely, you will see the same problems repeat themselves over and over again. Players chase the puck, leave the middle of the ice wide open, lose track of opponents, and panic when pressure arrives.