Player Habits
Habits for Offense
Puck Retrieval
- Get to puck quickly
- Look over both shoulders
- Be deceptive
- Surround puck on forehand or backhand
Carrying the Puck
- Head up
- Hands away from body
- Accelerate with puck
- Avoid over handling
Puck Protection
- Keep body between opponent and the puck
- Use body to shield hands and stick
- Look over your shoulder to survey for teammates
One on One Attack
- Head up, read gap/space
- Attack feet and stick of defender
- Use speed
Puck Support
- Position to find a seam or open lane for pass
- Use proper spacing
- Use timing, not too early…not too late
Stop at the Net
- Stay in scoring area
- Keep stick down and be ready for a pass or rebound
Pivot and Face Puck
- Face puck carrier as much as possible
- Stick down, always ready for pass
Direct Passes
- Use deception, look off passes
- Sweep puck for spin
- Pass hard
- Collect pass using stick, feet or hands
Indirect Passes
- Play pool: angle onto boards = angle off boards
- Use touch, not too hard…not too soft
- Place puck into area for teammate to skate into
- Aerial pass
Give and Go
- Pass to teammate and move to open ice
- Find new seem or passing lane
- Always be an outlet option
- Very effective against zone coverage
Creating Time and Space
- Use delays and cutback with your skating
- Use quiet zones, soft spots
- Use puck protection tactics
Habits for Defense
Face the Puck
- Don’t turn your back to the play
- Be ready for transition to offense
Head on a Swivel
- Continually look over your shoulders
- Know where opponents and teammates are located
- See the whole ice
Stick Positioning
- Keep Stick on the ice to cover passing lanes
- Play “stick on puck’ to increase your area of influence
- Extend stick with elbow to limit lunging and stay balanced
Gap Control
- Limit your opponents time by reducing his or her space
- Use skating skills to maintain defensive side body position
Angling and Body Position
- Protect middle ice first, angle inside out
- Use skating skills to maintain defensive side body position
Defensive Support
- Provide assistance to teammates on the defensive side of the puck
- Always be ready to help in case of breakdowns

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