Ice hockey drills
Ice hockey passing drills
7 free Ice hockey drills for passing, each with the setup, how it runs, what to coach, and how to make it harder or easier.
7 drills
Team systemsPassingBreakout: up the boardsA unit of five retrieves a dump-in, moves the puck up the strong-side wall and leaves the defensive zone together, with the centre swinging low for the bump pass.15 min · 6–20 players · U12+
PassingForehand and backhand sweep passesPartners pass across a short gap on the forehand and the backhand, learning to sweep the puck flat along the ice and cushion it on arrival, then pass to a moving partner.15 min · 4–16 players · U6+
ShootingPassingOne-timers and cross-seam passesA passer walks the half-wall and sends the puck across the slot to a shooter who one-times it, building the timing, the pass and the strike together.20 min · 5–16 players · U16+
PassingPassing on the move and saucer passesPairs skate the length of the ice passing ahead of each other, lifting saucer passes over cones in the middle lane so the puck flies flat and lands flat on a moving stick.15 min · 4–20 players · U11+
Power play & penalty killPassingPower play: umbrella and overloadA 5-on-4 unit practises two common set-ups, the overload and the umbrella, moving the puck quickly to pull the penalty-kill box out of shape and shoot through traffic.25 min · 10–20 players · U16+
PassingSkatingReceiving passes in strideSkaters curl through the neutral zone at speed and take a pass from a stationary passer without breaking stride, then carry into the zone and become the next passer.15 min · 4–16 players · U10+
TransitionPassingRegroup in the neutral zoneWhen the attack stalls, the puck goes back to the defence, the forwards swing back to build speed, and the unit re-attacks through the neutral zone onside.15 min · 6–20 players · U13+