Sep 23, 2026 practice at Reisterstown Ice Rink
Practice Plan Notes
Practice focused on our 2-1-2 Forecheck, and Powerplay/Penalty Kill
Practice Lines
Drills
D to D Shooting
- Forwards take a shot in stride - pass the puck up to the defenseman - D-D pass into into a pump fake around the cone for a tipped shot
Forecheck Simuation
Practicing the Forecheck.
- Line of forwards on the blueline - Two coaches on the hashmarks - Two defensemen at the top of the circle - Two defenseman at the redline Coach dumps puck in, defensemen are trying to retrieve behind the net and break it out by passing to a coach acting as a winger. Forwards and other defenseman are forechecking and trying to score.
Power Play / PK
NZ Pad Skating Race with Shot
A fun race that works on edges, tight turns and body positioning. Rewards the winner with a shot. Variations - Left Turn - Right Turn - Forward to Backwards - Backwards to Forwards - Side Jumps
- Set up 4 pads on one side of the neutral zone - 2 lines of players, coach sets a puck in the middle to race to - On the whistle one player from each line skates around the pads and back through the middle of the ice - The players battle to get to the puck first and take it to the net - The player who loses the race plays defense to put on back pressure.
- Working on tight turns and accelerating out of turns
- Body positioning when racing for the puck
- Protecting the puck when taking it to the net
Note: Neutral Zone
1v1 Race
1v1 race to puck Ran on both sides of the ice
Note: Neutral Zone
Gretzky 2 V 2 Switch Game
The Gretzky 2 vs. 2 Switch game from Kendall Coyne Schofield is a great small area game that has a modification to the normal Gretzky 2 v 2 Game: the "Gretzky" behind the net can switch with active players at any point, so long as at least one player is behind the goal line. This modification allows more options for player to create offense and encourages exchanges and switches. - In a half ice setup, place two nets facing each other in opposite face off circles. - Have a 2 vs. 2 in the middle of the ice. - Each team has 1 player behind the net in their offensive zone. They can not go in front of the net unless one of their 2 teammates activates a switch - To start, coach can pass a puck, take a shot on net, or chip it in the middle of the ice for a battle. - Keep score! - Offensive players: - Players in the middle of the ice: work on give and go's and exchanges with your teammates and your "Gretzky" - Players behind the net: know where you want to pass to before you get the puck. Use the net as protection and get creative. Communicate with your teammates on opportunities you can create through switches - Defensive players: - Head on a swivel and know where all of the players are. - Keep stick on ice to block passing lanes. Variations - Can be 2v2 or 3v3 in the middle of the ice - Can allow 2 "Gretzky's" - Can require players to only hold the puck for 1 or 2 seconds or a whistle is blown
Levels 3 vs 3 Small Area Game
A fun small area game to keep players, goalies and coaches on their toes! The video clip is of The Buffalo Sabres's playing Levels during their development camp. As time went on and the players got more comfortable with the game, you could tell they absolutely loved it. To do well in this game it is important that teams transition quickly, communicate well, create space on offense and takeaway space on defense. Game Setup - 2 nets and 2 goalies. 1 net is flipped the other way. - 3 vs 3 with coaches that act as "bumpers." You can swap the coaches with players to get more players involved. - For the start of the game, the coach dumps the puck in for 50/50 puck. - Whichever team gets to the puck and passes to a coach is on offense and is allowed to shoot on both nets. The coach or "bumper" must always pass back to the team that passed them the puck. - During the game, if the defense gets the puck, they need to transition by passing to a coach first before they can play offense and attack. - The game presented lots of unique situations and everyone needed to be paying attention. Please note: Having a net facing the opposite way presents fun, unique opportunities in the game, but it also has the opportunity for players to get hit with shots if someone misses the net. That is one reason why this activity is better for older age groups. If this is a concern for you as a coach, you can keep the exact same rules but flip the nets so they are both facing the "normal" way. Variations - You can also swap out the two coaches that are bumpers and use players. - This can be 2 vs 2 in a smaller area of ice. - You can flip nets so they are both facing backward or facing the normal way but keep the same rules. - You can add additional bumpers. Or you can allow all players that are waiting their turn in line to be bumpers so everyone is paying attention and involved! Related Content - 14 Benefits of Small Area Hockey Games & 45+ Game Ideas