You can control your hustle in all 200 feet of ice.You can control your mindset of what you need to do as a D in all areas of the ice.All five players come back together to protect the house.All five players come up together like a wall.Even the best defensive defenseman who are not counted on for offense need to contribute in the 200 ft game of hockey.join the rush as a 4th attacker, pinch at the proper times, do a high cycle with winger and hit the net-most of the time moving your feet laterally to change the shooting angle so puck does not get blocked and get the goalie moving laterally. Defensemen need to keep wrapped pucks in with your stick, with your skate, with your body.Expressing who you have and who they should take. Communicating with your teammates on the ice is essential in 200 foot play.Nothing excites a coach more than a blocked shot in the dirty area of the ice. Just like when you see a bear in the wild they say You must get big. Making yourself BIG opening up your body parts. We practice having the D getting right into the shooting lane which is the dirty area. Shot blocking is mostly in the defensive zone.Your stick aims at the puck, a tool to force your opponent where you want…Again out of the middle. We focus on Defenseman Stick Positioning. Your stick is a fantastic weapon to use defensively to close passing and shooting lanes. Stick positioning in all areas of the ice is a huge skill to learn.
Force the forwards out of the middle or dangerous areas of ice. Stay inside the dots and push your opponent to the outside, to the boards. Defenders in the neutral zone, we are still CLOSING GAPS, get closer to your opponent taking away time and space there too.Is it helpful to discuss this Hockey IQ at an early age with your players? Yes.Discuss those moments on the car ride home. This season WE encourage parents to look for many unsung D moments in your D’s game that were played well, with courage and speed.The following D coverage below may sound obvious but is it easy to master? No.And have a hockey “AH HAH” moment and a smile. He or she will break up the play and not get beat on the fourth time and you will learn.After getting beaten three times in a row.Do we want the D to get beat at camp to learn? Yes.We push the D right up to the neutral zone to meet their opposing forward.We train for this OVER AND OVER AND OVER at our camps.Closing the gap is the number one mindset of D.There is a reason why hockey shifts are about 45 seconds.Every second you are on the ice you have a job to do. It is just starting, your job is never over. Skate like hell as as a defensive line up to meet your opponents after you get the puck out of your D zone. This is the number one mistake I see in youth hockey, even in many AAA club players. So many times in youth hockey, I see a D make a pass D to D or a direct pass on the breakout and then watch the them skate up leisurely to the blueline.Mastering these rules and concepts takes effort ,thought and many years of practice.Same hockey rules apply from mite to NHL.
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