General Positional Advice
Why So Many Players Struggle With Gap Control — Even at Older Ages
Gap control is one of the most important defensive skills in hockey, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood and underdeveloped, even at the high school level and beyond. Many players can skate well, understand basic positioning, and compete hard, but still struggle when it comes to managing space against an attacking opponent…
Read MoreWhy Young Defensemen Struggle With Retrievals — And How to Train Them
While coaches spend a lot of time teaching breakouts, passing, and positioning, the moment of retrieving the puck is where everything begins. If a defenseman cannot get to the puck cleanly, handle pressure, and make a smart first decision, the entire play breaks down before it even starts.
Read MoreDeveloping One World‑Class Skill — Part 1
Most players try to get better at everything all at once, and that’s exactly why so many of them never break through. In this episode, we look at the power of developing one world‑class skill — the kind of ability that changes how coaches see you, how teammates rely on you, and how opponents react to you.
Read MoreThe Most Overlooked Skill in Today’s Game: Net‑Front Body Positioning
Net‑front play isn’t about being the biggest or strongest player on the ice. It’s about understanding leverage, timing, angles, and how to make life miserable for the opponent without taking penalties. When a player learns how to own the space around the crease, everything about their game becomes more dangerous. They become harder to defend, harder to move, and far more valuable to their team.
Read MoreHow to Teach Young Defensemen to Close Gaps Without Getting Beat Wide
Closing the gap is one of the most important defensive skills in hockey, but it’s also one of the hardest for young defensemen to get right. Every player has heard a coach yell “Close the gap!” from the bench, yet very few kids actually understand what that means in real time. They either charge forward too aggressively and get burned wide, or they back off too much and give the puck carrier all the space in the world. The real art of gap control is learning how to shrink the distance between you and the attacker without giving up your inside positioning, your skating base, or your ability to react…
Read MoreWhy Most Powerplays Struggle — And How to Simplify Player Roles
When a team has the man advantage, everyone expects crisp puck movement, clean entries, and dangerous scoring chances. But what usually happens instead is hesitation, overthinking, and five players all trying to do a little bit of everything. That’s when the power play slows down, the penalty killers gain confidence, and the puck ends up 200 feet away. The good news is that most of these problems disappear the moment each player understands a simple, specific role and sticks to it. When roles are clear, the puck moves faster, the decisions get easier, and the power play suddenly looks like it has purpose instead of panic.
Read MoreTeaching Smarter Line Changes to Prevent Odd-Man Rushes
Many players think line changes are just a routine part of hockey, something you do when you get tired, but the truth is that poor line changes are one of the biggest causes of odd-man rushes.
Read MoreHow to Train Players to Protect the Middle of the Ice in All Three Zones
One of the most important defensive habits in hockey is learning how to protect the middle of the ice, and I harped on that often as a higher level coach. Of course, coaches at every level talk about it, but young players often don’t fully understand what it means or why it matters so much. The middle of the ice is the most dangerous scoring area on the rink. It runs from the center lane in the neutral zone all the way to the slot and the front of the net in the defensive zone.
Read MoreTeaching Forwards How to Become Reliable in the Defensive Zone
While scoring is certainly important, strong teams know that the best forwards are also reliable in the defensive zone. A forward who understands defensive responsibility becomes far more valuable to a coach, a teammate, and the overall success of the team. Teaching forwards how to become dependable in their own end is one of the most important parts of youth hockey development, and it is a skill that builds smarter, more complete players.
Read MoreThe Most Misunderstood Skill in Youth Hockey: Angling
Many young players think angling means skating hard at an opponent and trying to deliver a big hit. Others believe it is simply about chasing the puck carrier as fast as possible. In reality, proper angling in hockey is about control, positioning, patience, and smart decision-making.
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