Net Front: Tips & Deflections

The Pop Warm Up Drill is a drill from Topher Scott that is excellent for helping players warm up in the beginning of practice. It helps to get the hands and feet going while also working on transitions, passing, shooting and screens.

Setup:

• This is a full ice drill that goes out of both ends.
• Have a bunch of pucks in the neutral zone circle.
• Forwards are lined up against the boards on each of the blue lines. Defense are lined up in the middle of the ice facing the neutral zone circle
• On the whistle, the defenseman picks up a puck from the neutral zone, and hits a forward with a pass on their left side, who goes down the ice to take a shot. The defenseman picks up a second puck at neutral ice and hits the forward on their right side, who goes down and takes a shot. Then the defenseman picks up one last puck from the neutral zone circle, performs an escape and then skates down the ice to take a shot on net. The two forwards who took a shot can stay in front of the net to try to tip the puck.

Coaching Points:

• Communicate verbally and non-verbally (have stick on ice where you want the pass).
• Head up: both forwards and defencemen should practice keeping their head up during the drill and being aware of their surroundings.
• Skating: when skating up ice with the puck work on cross-overs and stickhandling with headup.
• Shooting: players can work on shooting in stride, or changing their shot angle when shooting the puck.

Variations:

• Coaches can be in the neutral zone so defencemen and forwards have an object they need to pass & skate around.
• Players can work on different shooting techniques.
• Defenceman can work on different escapes.

This drill from Ben Eaves is great to work on net-front and high slot tips, deflections and box outs. 

• The first player in the corner skates towards the D and passes a puck
• The Defenseman skates toward the middle of the ice and shoots a puck for a tip/deflection. 
  • The puck should be hard and on the ice.
  • This is a great time to work on high tips (high in the slot, not a high shot).
• After the first shot, the second player in line passes another puck to the D. 
  • He/she then works his way towards the net, where the first player will try to box-him or her out.
• The defenseman once again skates towards the middle of the ice and shoots/passes the puck to the second player
• Coach can blow the play dead and the next rep out of the corner starts

Great drill from Ben Eaves to work on tips, deflections, and net front positioning for forward and box-outs for defensemen.

• Coach starts with a pass into the corner.
• Offensive player retrieves the puck and passes to the near-side point
• Puck moves D to D across the blue line as 2 v 2 battle develops in front of the net
• The forwards work on getting open, presenting options for the point shot
• Defensemen work on boxing out and clearing lanes for the goaltender

The Sens Regroup Drill from Coach TJ Manastersky works on offensive zone concepts and neutral zone transition. 

TJ Manastersky shared this game with the IHS Community while he was an Assistant Coach at Union College. TJ is the Current Head Coach at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Setup

• There are forwards in the corners, two defensemen at the point and two defensemen in front of the net
• On whistle # 1, the forward in the corner passes to the defensemen at the point and begins a net front battle. The defensemen walks the blue line and tries to hit the forwards stick for the deflection.
• On whistle # 2, the same forward to defenseman low to high pass happens, but this time there is a 2 v 2 in front of the net. The defenseman walks the blue line and takes a shot on net.
• On whistle # 3, another forward out of the corner passes low to high to the defenseman at the point, who walks the blue line and takes a shot on net into the 3 v 2 in front of the net.
• On whistle # 4, the coach on the far blue line will spot a puck around the blue line. The defenseman that was at the point jumps back to retreive the puck while the other defenseman jumps in the hole as support.
• The 3 forwards that were battling in front of the net join the defensemen in the neutral zone, while the two defensemen that were in front of the net gap up. This begins a high tempo 3 v 2 rush.

Description

This small area game from Kendall Coyne Schofield requires a lot of decisions, thinking and working no matter which side of the puck you are on.  It is great for working hard to get to open space and utilizing your support players to create opportunities on offense.  The game reinforces all of the key themes that Kendall looks to get out of small area games including; moving, thinking, working, creativity, decision making and fun.  

Setup

• 2 Nets should be set up on the goal line in an offensive zone in line with the face-off circles
• Each team is designated a net for them to score on and another to defend
• Teams consist of 2 active players and 2 stationary players
• Players not participating can line up on the blue line and keep the puck in
• The 2 active players per team can go anywhere in the zone
• The 2 stationary players per team are lined up at the point and along the boards just above the hash mark
• Coaches set up just outside of the blue line with pucks

Game

Objective: Play a game up to a certain number team "X" vs team "O"

• Coach dumps 1 puck in and the players play 2 v 2 in the zone to try to score on the opponents net
• The active players can use their stationary support players who can either pass or shoot to score
• The coach allows players to compete as long as he or she sees fit (usually 30-40 seconds)
• Each goal counts towards the team total
• When the whistle blows or a goal is scored, the active players leave the zone to rest, the stationary players become the active players and 2 new stationary players come in
• Coach can throw in a new puck when:
  • The goalie covers the puck
  • The puck goes out of play
  • A goal is scored

Coaching Points

1. Working hard to get open and find lanes
2. Identifying and using outlets for support to relieve pressure
3. Communication: practicing both verbal and non-verbal communication with your teammates

The 4 Corner Possession Game (with Offensive Advantage) is a fun small area game that encourages players to use their teammates in the corners for support. The setup of this game allows for a lot of creativity.

Offensive players should focus on give & goes, using their point players, and net front presence to create tips, deflections, and react to rebounds. The defending team should focus on boxing out in front, keeping their sticks on the ice to block passing lanes, and react quickly to clear rebounds.

Setup

• Two nets back to back in the center of the zone (as shown in the diagram)
• 2 v 2 and each team has 2 extra support players in their offensive end
• The support players must stay in their boundary (can be cones or tires)
• Coach dumps puck in to start
• Change players every 30 - 45 seconds - the 2 v 2 players can rotate to become support players, then rotate out
• The defensive point players can only go d to d once then they must shoot or pass to a forward (they can not keep passing d to do over and over)
• The defensive point players can only hold onto the puck for 3 seconds (or less).
• Keep score!

Coaching Points

• Goalies - be aware of the puck at all times, especially with the reversed nets! Practice following the puck when it is in the other zone and be aware of where all of the players are.
• Defense - keep sticks on the ice, and use good angles to block passing lanes & opportunities. Box out the forwards in front of the net. React quickly to clear rebounds.
• Forwards - use your support players and work on give & goes. Utilize the nets in the middle of the ice as areas you can hide behind and then jump to space. Use your point players and crash the net to create tips, deflections, and react quickly to rebounds.
• Everyone - communicate! This is a fast pace game, so make sure to communicate with your teammates. 

Variations

• Can set up to be 2 v 2 (as shown above) or 3 v 3
• Can set up Defensive Advantage - see video here - (place the support players on the defensive side of their zone)
• Can set up Cross-Ice Advantage (place one support player on the defensive side and one support player on the offensive side, but have them on the same side of the ice so they can make cross-ice passes)
• Can set up Cross-Ice Advantage Mixed (place one support player on the defensive side and one support player on the offensive side, but place them on opposite corners of the ice so they can NOT make cross-ice passes)

Key Points for Tipping the Puck in Front of the Net

• Take away the eyes of the goal tender.
• Use a strong base with stick between your body.
• Be ready to tip the puck on either side of your body.
• Tip the puck down if possible.

Learn more about Tipping, Redirects and Deflections in our IHS Skill Breakdown.

Redirects, Deflections & Tips

Tips & Deflections Coaching Points