Elevate Your Coaching with Drills, Tips, and PRO-Level Insights

We’re back with another drill-filled update from our Teammate Mitch Giguere, here to bring you more drills, new insights, and plenty of tools to help coaches level up their game. Let’s dive into his tips for making the most of your practice plans.

Mitch Giguere's Insight

I’m back, bringing more drills every month, more consistency, and, as always, the goal of helping coaches in any way I can. Each drill comes with a video, making it easier for coaches to implement and for players to preview before practice. While most of the drills are accessible online and can be adapted to any level, one important tip I want to share: don’t feel pressured to replicate the drill exactly as shown in the video. For example, if you’re working on a neutral zone regroup, rush, or breakout, remember that just because the drill is executed a certain way in the video, it doesn’t mean you have to do it the same way. Build the drill around your team’s concept. If you’re coaching a younger group that’s still learning to surf, you can have them pivot instead, even if the video shows a surfing motion. The same goes for offensive zone concepts and more—adapt the drills to fit your team’s needs and abilities. Don’t feel like you have to follow the video exactly just because another team is doing it that way.

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Practice Like a PRO 1.0 – SAG 2v2

I love this drill so much because it’s not something you see every day but it’s something Pittsburgh does a lot. Different dimensions for the small area game and activating more players in the game. Transitioning quickly from defense to offense by adding a player after making a pass. Make them quick if you want a quick counterattack or take the time to add one more player and be 3x2.

Practice Like a PRO 1.0 – SAG 3v3 Box Out

Working on wall retrieval in the offensive zone is crucial. But what you are doing after is important as well. Releasing the pressure from a wall battle for a low-to-high play is what we try to achieve in this drill. With some net battle and stick lifting, it’s a great drill for improving compete level.

Practice Like a PRO 1.0 – NZ Activation Puck Protection

Please, tell me you never saw this drill before? One thing I’ve found out in the last five years at the professional level is this: if you want players to be challenged more and compete harder, get all the coaches involved in the drill. It takes the intensity to another level.

Practice Like a PRO 1.0 – Short Breakouts

Sometimes, we want to work on one thing in practice, but the drill ends up teaching 25 different things at once. This breakout drill focuses on absorbing contact, providing quick support, and making outlet passes to the wall and middle. It lasts only 5–7 seconds, giving players plenty of repetitions.

Practice Like a PRO 1.0 – DZ Coverage 5v5

Nothing too crazy here, but with a little twist. Let’s start the drill with a 1v1 battle and foot race. This was the first time I saw this variation, and I’ll definitely be adding it to my own practices. As I mentioned earlier, build the drill around your own defensive zone coverage and offensive zone concepts.

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We hope you enjoyed these drills and insights from Mitch Giguere! If there’s something specific you’d like to see in future updates, let us know in the comments. Looking for more personalized guidance? You can book a 1-on-1 session with Mitch here.

CoachThem is your go-to sports coaching technology and drill planning software, helping teams stay organized with custom drills for coaches and an all-in-one athlete development platform. Whether you're using the best coaching apps for teams or searching for hockey training tools to enhance player performance, we've got you covered.

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February 13, 2025

Written in collaboration with Teammate Mitch Giguere and the CoachThem Team

Mitch Giguere, ChPC, is an assistant coach with the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL, affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Mitch holds Hockey Canada's High Performance 2 certification, an Advanced Coaching Diploma from the Canadian Sport Institute, and is completing the Learning Accelerator program at the Canadian Sport Institute. You can follow his popular video breakdowns on Social Media for more excellent hockey content.

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