The 5 vs. 5 Neutral Zone Chaos Drill from Topher Scott is an excellent exercise to help the offensive team to practice attacking quickly and for the defending team to get in position quickly during a broken play or neutral zone turnover.
SETUP
- On the first whistle, all 10 player skate around randomly in the neutral zone. The coach can choose to immediately start the drill, or have players get really disorganized and skate around for 15+ seconds before the second whistle goes.
- On the second whistle, the coach passes to a player to begin the 5 vs. 5.
- The goal is for both teams to quickly get set up so they can attack or defend.
COACHING POINTS
- Both teams need to play with their head up and be aware of their surroundings.
- Offense: work on attacking quickly. Jump to space and pass the puck to open teammates. Do not let the defense fully setup.
- Defense: communicate and setup quickly! keep sticks on the ice to angle and take away passing lanes.
Variations:
- Coach can vary the timing of the second whistle.
- Can be set up as a 2v2, 3v3 4v4 or 5v5. With fewer players, you can set up in a smaller area.
