CoachThem's Top Hockey Drills of 2021

In 2021, we surpassed 14 000 users and 360 000 private drills created by our coaches. We love our coaches and value your feedback. This year we launched Sketchpad 2.0, a huge success; our coaches have never created drills faster.

We introduced a monthly webinar called The Creation Series. One of the challenges that coaches face is the creation of the perfect drill or plan. We tackle this topic with Mike Bonelli, who has 25 years of ice hockey program building and planning experience.

This year the National Hockey League Coaches' Association (NHLCA) started their Drill of the Month from current NHL teams.

We continue our partnerships with the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) and Minnesota Hockey with our Drill of the Week.

To wrap things up, we put together a list of  CoachThem's Top 5 Drills of 2021  based on your feedback, and we’re excited to share!

5. Angle Progression Drill

Tags: 1 vs 1, Angling, Defence, Individual Skill

2020 REPEAT DRILL: CoachThem's own Mike Weaver played 633 games in the NHL over the course of his career, so he's well-versed in the art of angling. He believes the key to stopping rushing forwards in their tracks is eliminating their options. How? By taking away where you don't want them to go and giving them just one choice: down the boards! This drill emphasizes the crucial element of stick placement, which is often underappreciated.

• The drill starts on the whistle.
• D angles F down the boards by taking an angle.
• Your stick opens and closes doors. Place the stick where you don't want the player to go, which most times is the middle.

4. Defence - Alternating Retrievals - Wheel

Tags: Defence, Half Ice / One Way, Shooting

Next time your team splits up forwards and defencemen, try out this wheel the net drill. Repetition creates habits but remind them to be creative and try new things. The second part of the drill allows your defence to walk the blue line for a shot, keeping your forwards on their toes in games.

• D1 steps up around pylon, retrieves the puck, wheels the net and makes an outlet to D2 who walks the line and shoots.
• D1 circles back, retrieves puck from the other corner from the coach, and makes an outlet at the blue line to D3 who then shoots.
• D1 begins again.

3. Scoring - Crosby Bottom Circle Net Drive

Tags: Agility, Half Ice / One Way, Individual Skill, Offensive Zone, Scoring, Shooting, Skating

2020 REPEAT DRILL: You'd be hard-pressed to find a more effective player down low than eight-time NHL All-Star Sidney Crosby, so why not help your players hone some of his best assets? This drill asks players to keep their feet moving, make good fakes, and practice mohawks on their turns. They also have to go hard to the net and protect the puck to create a scoring opportunity in tight.

• Player starts on dot in circle, place two pylons near outside of circle.
• Coach spots puck in corner - O goes hard to puck, fakes one way and takes puck up the wall.
• O turns inside out around cone and attacks net wide with speed. Fake outside drive and turn inside bottom pylon.

2. Maine Chipper

Tags: 2 vs 0, Passing, Skating

The Maine Chipper has been around hockey rinks for ages, so we can understand why this drill was top two of 2021. This great drill demonstrates the indirect pass, and with the added element of timing, your players will be aggressively attacking the neutral zone in games.

• Both sides leave at the same time on whistle.
• F1 and F2 leave together with a give and go.
• F1 chips puck to F2 from the opposite end line.
• F2 skates in and shoots, while F1 drives the middle lane for a rebound.

1. St. Louis Night of Skills - 60min Practice

Tags: Small Areas, Station, Individual Skill

At the top of our list is an entire station-based practice plan created by Coach Mike Bonelli. Mike is very effective in creating theme-based practices, and with the video feature to add Vimeo and YouTube videos explaining the drill, this can be very effective. With this themed practice, he takes six individual skills of St. Louis and creates station drills in which the players rotate.

The videos speak for themselves, but here are some short descriptions:

• Station 1: VIDEO The Royal Road Finish - Player 1 drives the boards while player two times drive to the net for a tip and/or redirect.
• Station 2: VIDEO Walk Out Shorty - Player receives puck below the goal and walks out the opposite side after clearing obstacle for a short side shot.
• Station 3: VIDEO Filthy Delay - Player 1 drives the boards and makes a diagonal pass to player 2 before they reach the tires. After receiving the pass, the player should delay by opening up the blade and hips until clearing the second tire for a shot.
• Station 4: VIDEO Trailer Delay - After the player with the puck leaves, the second player mirrors the puck for a tight drop pass and shot through the screen.
• Station 5: VIDEO 1000 pt Garbage - Coach (or player) puts a puck on the net for a player to retrieve the rebound in traffic and look for a shot.
• Station 6: VIDEO Toe Drag Eye-Opener - Player leaves the line, accepts a pass from the far boards, and toe-drags the defender obstacle.

Key Points:

• Please move the area of drill focus around the skill zone to avoid repetitive ice damage.
• Be sure to rotate goalies as needed so they get involved in multiple drills.
• Encourage player creativity as players progress through the drills. This is what made Marty St. Louis great. Don’t allow players to perform robotically in these.

All CoachThem Pro and CoachThem Association users can find the drills above in our Drill Marketplace and add them directly to their custom practice plans!

Written by the CoachThem Team

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