10 Pass Game

Explanation of the Drill

In this drill, players learn the art of team puck management. This very simple but effective game drill will help your players to learn puck possession skills and passing on offence and one-on-one coverage and support on defence.

The drill is played 3 on 3 inside a zone. The first team to make 10 passes within the zone wins. The passes do not have to be consecutive.

The drill starts with a faceoff between two opposing players. The draw off the face off does not count as a pass. The puck can be passed indirectly to a teammate or cycled but the receiving player must gain possession of the puck for the pass to count.

If the puck goes outside the playing zone, it goes to the team that did not touch it last!

Options

Change the zone to change the game and the skills the players will be working on.

The zone can be large, such as the entire offensive zone, or the neutral zone between the bluelines, or it can be small, from the hash marks to the end boards.

If you want to emphasize cycling, make the zone small in the offensive end and tell the players all the passes have to be indirect, off the boards.

With advanced players, try the whole game with “one touch” passing, forcing players to move the puck quickly and for players without the puck to get open quickly.

Coach's Tips

Use a few cones to mark the zone to assist the players. If the net is in the zone, keep it there for game-like conditions.

When the game is played in a small zone with corners, cycling and puck battles along the boards become an important part of the game.

When the zone is bigger, skating and quick puck movement work best. In all cases, players on defence can be shown stick on stick coverage and taught how to support on the puck to force a turnover.

Footwork is so important on both offence and defence. This is a great drill to allow the forward lines to compete against each other or for forwards to compete against the defence!

Keep yelling out the score so the players are aware of it. Make the team that loses suffer some “consequences” which can be a quick skate, a rollover on the ice or maybe they are “out” for the next game!

This game drill helps the players to develop the technical skills necessary to keep possession of the puck in a game-passing, support, cycling, communication, getting open and puck management.

Players learn to make a play under pressure which is so important in a game. On defence, the players learn good footwork and body position, active sticks, stick on puck, and the ability to read and react. The players are also competing while they are learning!

Tips for Players

Offence

Communication is crucial. Let your teammates know where you are and what you are doing. If you don’t have the puck but your team does, you need to get open and be an option for your teammate. Always be ready for a quick pass.

Have your stick on or near the ice. Give your teammate a target. Try to accelerate off the cycle to create space and options. Protect the puck before the cycle. Use your body and good footwork to protect the puck.

Always try to make a good play even under pressure. Shoulder checks or quick looks before you get to the puck are a big help to finding open teammates.

Defence

Communication is again, so important. Let your teammates know if you are taking the puck carrier. “I got puck” is a simple and clear message to your team or “switch” when defensive coverage is changing.

Use “stick on puck” and “body on body” one on one coverage. Keep your stick blade low and on the puck when engaging the puck carrier. You can have one hand on the stick when angling or containing the player, but always two hands in the puck battle.

Try to keep your shoulders square to the puck carrier at all times. Always face the puck. When you are covering your player in one-on-one coverage, keep your head on a “swivel” so that you know when to support your teammates to cause a turn over.

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