(Transcribed from How to Play Hockey: Our Minor Hockey Coaching Course.)
The neutral zone regroup. This is a scenario that happens multiple times a game, the better you are at it and the faster you can do it the more chances you give yourself offensively. You generally have a little bit of time and space, you probably have some pressure. So we’re using the width of the ice and we’re going to talk to you about a couple of different planned routes.
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We talked about in the introduction of this module how important the backside pressure from the FWD’s is. But depending on the topic, perhaps you’re skating to a specific place, one that really helps create some depth to your attack and stretch of the other team’s forecheck on our D, is for the wall side FWD’s to just post up and let the middle lane FWD near the puck.
You’ll see that a lot in high levels of hockey these days, because again for the same argument, the D to D pass and the long pass creates that width and depth to the attack. Traditionally, however, and in teaching good habits in hockey players, we want to ‘come back to the puck’. That’s an expression you need to know, come back to the puck, in which case if our D1 is retrieving the puck that the strong side FWD hustles down and provides that quick support. The middle lane FWD is hustling back ready to mirror and perhaps come across in that flat skating and follow through.
Posting up the strong side FWD requires that you know that our D have time and space. If they are under any kind of pressure from a forechecker, then I believe strongly that you need to come back and support more. Again the middle lane FWD is ready to mirror the puck in support. You’re starting to see that the middle lane FWD is a lot like a mid-fielder in soccer, for example, where you need to be able to cover everywhere supporting whoever has the puck.
I want to give you an example of an advanced regroup that I’ve seen done at some high levels and that’s where the last back checker is allowed to be a little bit lazy through the middle…
Example:
- D1 is retrieving the puck.
- Strong side FWD is coming back.
- Weak side FWD is also coming back to support.
- The fifth back checker, comes back slow and soft ready for a hard pass up the middle. And if you have time and space you turn with it and go. Or you can chip it out to on of your linemates along the wall on either side who would be coming with speed.
So the D1 retrieves the puck. He/she knows they have the support. If they have a little bit of time and space, they turn it and gun it up the middle here to the last FWD who can turn and go. Or make that secondary direct pass, chip or area pass to the wall FWD’s who are coming with speed.
So that is a regroup setting! Make sure to check out the full video with more detailed options for you and your team! From advanced options to specific routes!
Thanks again for reading.
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