By Ryan Walter /
If you have been hanging around the game of hockey recently, you have heard the words, “there isn’t much room out on that ice in today’s game.” Defencemen are taught to keep a tight gap and hold lines hard. Forwards are schooled on how to track back, creating back pressure on the puck carrier, taking away the opponents time and space. With all of this pressure applied, how do puck carriers advance the play without turning over the puck?
This drill works on one of the skills that your forwards can apply to have more offensive success. The Ozzie chip drill is a good early practice drill and goalie warm-up drill.
This drill sets up in both ends to flow one end at a time.
On the whistle, one player (out of the top left corner) skates under the coach and takes a tough angle shot.
After the shot, one player (from the bottom corner) passes out to the D who walks across the blueline and takes a shot through traffic.
This D then skates backwards hard, pivots to pick up the puck spotted by the other coach, and passes up-ice to the first forward who has now posted between the red and blue line.
This player chips the puck past the coach (who moves up) to the second forward who is supporting the chip taking an outside shot.
Finally, the D skates hard up on the play joining the rush looking for rebounds.
As soon as the D retrieves the spotted puck, passes and joins the rush the opposite end starts the same process.
This drill gives goalies three shots from different angles, with different amounts of traffic and pressure. But it also helps forwards work on their chipping pucks past defencemen who like the coach in this drill are trying to take away his/her time and space.
Ryan Walter played 15 seasons in the NHL and is now a coach with the Vancouver Canucks.
Use Ryan’s newest on-line tool, www.inspiringyourbestgame.com to help inspire your player’s best game or enhance your people’s top performance.
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