How We Think: Part 2

More Sweden Video to SSG/Drill Transfer

If you missed Part 1 and are interested:

Here is the video clip for Part 2 of our series:

Let’s work backwards again, but before we move on, let’s ask the reader… What do you see?

Here’s what we came up with.

Principles and Concepts from the above clip:

• Entry

  • Gain the net, draw the coverage

  • Off puck pop to space

• Possession

  • Full possession

    • Puck carrier holds to scan

    • Off puck players constant movement

• Changing sides below the goal line

  • Double skate

  • Bring all defenders to one side, reverse back to the other side

• Above puck drop and switch space

  • Creating defensive confusion to trigger dominoes or compound it further

• Magnetic cut through

  • Cut through airflow + pick to draw two defenders

• Low to high

  • Quick spread across slot line

• Arrive on time to pie area for one timer

Example one:

Designing a game/drill around the entry represented in this video.

• Part 1 of the drill at the other end, 4v4 Red is trying to score

• Part 2 on whistle

• Blue F starts an entry against 1 Red D gapping and angling with one player on full possession, other players off-puck rush to play into supporting position and constantly work to become available for puck carrier.

• Puck carriers’ objective is to first draw their 1v1 coverage, advance the puck below the goal line, gain the net to change sides of the ice, scan for interior late options in the second wave of rush.

Option 2: Make it a possession game only out of 1 end, similar to the next example

• Stopwatch for time, on-puck player who entered with possession is to maintain the possession for as long as they can throughout the OZ, off-puck players are looking to set picks, and create more space for the on-puck carrier.

  • This will encourage players to maintain possession on the entry to transition that possession into OZP without forcing an unavailable play.

Add constraints

• Reduce numbers and space (play on different ice geographies)

• If the puck can touch all 4 quadrants in settled offense (not on the rush) and a goal is scored, +4

Example two:

Designing a game/drill around the OZ possession represented in this video.

• 1 player carries for time game, coach starts a stopwatch as soon as he passes to a player

  • Stay alive for time, off puck players create space for puck carrier to maintain possession (picks off puck and near puck carrier, cuts to remove bodies from an area to clear space, etc)

• Add Constraints:

  • 3v2 version above top of circle, only one player can carry puck in tighter spacing

  • One pass can be made every 10 seconds one player has the puck

  • Can only pass the puck on a high rotation/switch

  • Rep ends if no picks in 5 seconds

• All players on offense must be moving at all time (can’t stand in one quadrant for more than 2 seconds)

• Add constraints

  • Possession game until a certain time is achieved, then O team can attack

  • Defenders no sticks

  • Defenders’ sticks upside down

Example three:

Designing a game/drill around the changing sides principle/concept represented in this video.

• Game starts 3v3, single net in one end zone, must change sides full possession before you score.

• Add constraints

  • Can only skate across the slot line below the goal line to change sides

  • Can only skate across the slot line above the tops of the circles to change sides

  • Gain two extra points each time you change sides of the ice

  • Puck must change sides twice with full possession before you can score

  • +5 if you score directly off slot line pass

  • Change sides clock, puck turns over to the other team if you don’t change sides in your possession after 3/5/7/random coach countdown

Example four:

Designing a game/drill around the “switching” principle/concept represented in this video.

• 3v3 Skate into High Ice Game

  • One net, one endzone

  • On change of possession, the team must skate the puck and all 3 players into high ice to get on offense

  • Natural switching and high ice confusion actions should occur naturally

• Add constraints

  • Play 2v2

  • Reduce space

Example five:

Designing a game/drill around the magnetic cut-through/picking principle/concept represented in this video.

• 4v4 SAG

• Goals can be scored off direct passes to the interior and on or off puck magnetic cuts to the interior that draw multiple to you that you can pass into dominoes

• Add constraints

  • Manipulate numbers 4v3, 5v4,etc

  • Play cross ice 3v3, 3v2

  • Play ½ ice with boxes drawn in front of both nets

  • Interior picks count as +1

  • One-timer finishes +3

  • Must pick outside the box to create speed differential and room to skate inside before scoring

Example six:

Designing a game/drill around the low to high + spread principle/concept represented in this video:

• The game starts 2v2 off a 50/50 dump with one player from each team in the specified boxes.

• Puck must go low to high to transition to offense.

• Once the puck moves low to high to one of your supporting players in the boxes, player from your team in the opposite box can spark into offensive threatening position making it a 3v2.

• If the puck turns over, the player must return to the specified box.

• Players in boxes cannot defend each other.

• Add constraints

  • Switch from 2v2 below to 3v3

  • Vary the location of the boxes for supporting players

  • Puck must change sides as you go low to high into a box

  • Puck must go directly from box to opposite box player sparking

Example seven:

Designing a game/drill around the “arrive on time” principle/concept represented in this video.

• Game starts 3v3, either team can score on possession, shot must come from pie area.

• Add constraints

  • Vary number of players, 2v2, 4v4, even can be played 5v5

  • Start game from neutral zone with one team on entry

  • Vary point structure for the game, slot line incentive +5

• Game starts 3v3+1 from each team, the team with possession gets a player on the possession line, the team without the puck must keep the player on the blue line.

• The player on the possession line is looking to arrive into soft ice to get shot opportunities in dangerous space.

• 4v3 is created once player on the possession line sparks into a dangerous shooting space.

• A player on the possession line can exchange who is on the possession line.

• Add constraints

  • +3 if player from possession line arrives for scoring chance

  • +5 if player from possession line arrives and scores

  • Goals only count if you score within a certain time of 4th man activation

  • One timers only