Heartland Hockey Camp Notes

Summer 2001 Beginner's Group

Shooting:

Wrist Shot:

Place your feet less than shoulder width apart; bend your knees.
Make sure the top end of your stick is off your mid-section, not off your hip.
Puck should be even with your back foot on the heel of the stick blade. Close blade slightly to ensure that puck does not fly off to the side when shot.
Shift weight to back foot; apply weight to stick shaft.
Look at target, step forward and arch back.
Bend front knee (90 degrees); toe, knee, nose in line.
Roll top wrist over.
Stick points to target parallel to ground.

Backhand Shot:

Similar to above; make sure to slide stick along surface sufficiently to build up speed and power.

Slap Shot

Snap Shot (Brian and Trent fill in specifics)

Tip-ins:

Stay 6-8 feet away from crease with back to the goalie. Goalie hangs out right along the crease. This gives you enough space to redirect puck and screen goalie.
Sweep stick from side to side.

Passing:

Similar to shooting, feet face to the side. Puck starts on back foot, weight shifts from back to front.
Stick points to target in follow throught.

Flip pass:

Warm-Ups, Drills, and Games

Warm-Ups:

Skate backwards down the middle, forwards up the sides (add puck when comfortable).
Forwards to the blue line, backwards between the blue lines.
Forwards, add crossovers in both directions between the blue lines.
Forwards, at whistle, do side stop using both inside edges, and change direction.

Skating Drills:

Skate on one leg from blue line to end line.
C Cuts forwards and backwards.
Backwards crossovers in all four zones.
Falling and getting up drills: one knee, two knees, stomach, etc.
Forward and then two skate inside edge stop facing boards at each blue line, red line, etc.
Placing one leg behind other leg skating backwards.
Hop on to one edge and then another.
Two person with two sticks skating drills: one pulls another for power; person being pulled does one foot snow plow. Person being pulled skates on one skate serpentining down the ice. Person being pulled skates on one leg with other leg parallel to the ice. Czech drill: two people facing each other pull each other down the ice.

Passing Drills:

Stationary passing drills.
4-5 players skate around a circle while passing.
Monkey in the middle: four players around a circle.
Drop pass while skating around a circle.
Two pucks while standing around a circle, can not pass to the person next to you.
One person skates forward and one backward pass back and forth to each other, at end person skating backwards turns with the puck and goes forward.
Five players start on goal line, each player must touch the puck. The group must go in onside, and then they try to score on goalie. Once they score they have to race back to original goal line. This is a timed drill.

Pass Receiving: Control, communication, and collaboration (timing)

Onus on pass receiver to be ready and in stride.
Passer designates a reception area. Receiver takes back the ice by arriving at the pass reception area with speed.

Games:

Scramble: Staggered start of full rink 2 on 2 games going on at the same time with goalies.
Tennis ball hockey played side to side within the blue line. Set up small nets on boards.
Same as Tennis ball hockey with puck.
Half Court hockey (from blue line down) during each change of possession, players have to pass to coach who stays near the blue line.
Cone steal. Line up both teams in opposite corners on the same end of the ice. Place cone at center face off dot. At whistle one player from each team races to get cone. You may not slow down. First player to grab cone brings it to opposite end. One point for his/her team.
Scrimmage with 90 second whistled line changes. Game is very fast because every player skates hard and then rests in between shifts.
3 Pucks game: Place three pucks on each blue line. Three players from each team have to be on side and each player must touch the puck. They work the puck to score on the goalie. When one goal is scored, they go back for the second puck. When they have scored with all three, the next set of three players from their team goes. The first team to finish wins.

Playing Solid Defense Seminar with Mike Donaghue

Four keys in Defensive Zone

Face-offs in the Defensive Zone

Defensive Center-Objective not to lose the face-off. Tries to tie up the offensive center, or knock his/her stick away to gain possession of the puck.
Defensive wing or defenseman ties up wing near boards so he/she can't slide through for a shot.

General rules:

Play the puck away from the pressure. Create open ice. Defensive forwards help support the puck when defensive Defensemen have the puck.
Defenseman's outside shoulder is always lined up with offenseman's inside shoulder forcing offenseman to the outside.
Stay within a stick's length of the offensive player at all times.
Jump on offensive player when he/she turns his/her back or puck jumps.
Defenseman's role to keep the offense's sticks up.
Forwards should never be more than one zone away from the defensemen and vice versa.
Forwards do not leave the defensive zone until the puck leaves the defensive zone.
Wings cover wings between the blue lines.
Wings should be patient in the neutral zone.
Three lanes of offense; two lanes of defense. Switch from one lane to the other if a teammate is in your zone.
Support the puck (carrier) by getting open and creating options. Create open ice. On defense close down open ice by playing other players tight and closing off passing lanes.

The net is the sixth defensive player (Brian and Trent help me out here?)

When the puck is in the corner:

Defensive Center's role is to be the support person in the corners helping that side's defenseman out.
Keep yourself between opponent and the net.
Keep your stick on the ice and in front of the puck.
Keep your body in front of their body.
Keep the player and the puck to the outside and away from the net up the boards toward the blue line.
Center supports the defense when puck transitions from one side to the other. Other defenseman moves to in front of goal.
Other defenseman plays off the far post in front of the net: this keeps all the action in front of him/her.

Clearing offensive forwards away from in front of the goal:

One on one breakaways: Defense tries to make the play at the blue line.

Forecheck System: Mike prefers man and a half:

One forward pressures puck carrier, one hangs back a little ready to capitalize if there is a turnover. Third forward hangs back behind the blue line.

Clearing the puck from defensive zone: Knee high clear is the hardest for offensive defensemen to stop.

Five ways to stop action when puck is in your defensive zone and you need a change: