Core Skating and Puck Control Skills for Young Defensemen

The key fundamentals, and how to work on them

The foundation of an elite defenseman lies in the balance of advanced skating and puck-control abilities with ease. Through the development of these fundamentals, we can then progress into key individual tactics, including but not limited to Gap control, steering, angling, stick detail, and attacking.

I’ll outline a few essential skills young players should focus on to excel in these areas, ensuring they are well-equipped to ascend to higher competitive tiers. I will share a few things on how we implement them into practice and at the end of this article, is a video of drills we run to improve these key skills for defensemen.

1. Advanced Skating Techniques:

Multidirectional Agility:

Defensemen must be adept at skating in all directions with ease. Their ability to swiftly change directions, pivot, and accelerate is crucial in responding to the dynamic nature of the game.

Key Skills to Develop:

• Edge Work: Enhancing control over inside and outside edges to improve turns and pivots. Working on these with game-like routes is critical to the practice of game transfer.

• Multidirectional Movement: Building agility to skate forward, backward, and laterally with speed and precision. Posture and the ability to perform these movements under control, and with eyes up is a key piece to advancing to the next level.

Action Steps:

• Edge Control Drills: We focus on exercises that enhance balance and control while turning and pivoting.

• Agility Training: We implement drills that simulate game scenarios requiring multidirectional movements, ensuring players can skate and change directions fluidly.

2. Puck Control in Motion:

Dynamic skating with the puck:

For defensemen, the ability to control the puck while navigating the ice with their eyes up is paramount. It ensures they can maintain possession, make plays, and counter opponents’ strategies effectively.

Key Skills to Develop:

• Stickhandling: Refining the ability to control the puck while moving in various directions.

• Puck Protection: Mastering the art of using the body, stick, and in some situations, the net to shield the puck during multidirectional movements.

Action Steps:

• Dynamic Stickhandling Drills: We integrate exercises that challenge players to control the puck while moving, focusing on speed and precision. Starting with no pressure, then adding speed, and then adding different pressure situations.

• Protection Techniques: We teach players to effectively use their body and stick to guard the puck while maneuvering around the ice, especially during quick directional changes.

The synergy of advanced skating and dynamic puck control is the cornerstone of an effective defenseman. By honing edge work and multidirectional agility, coupled with mastering puck control in motion, young defensemen build a solid foundation for elite performance. Each drill, practice, and game is a stepping stone, transforming aspiring players into well-rounded defensemen, ready to face the multifaceted challenges of higher-level competition with confidence and skill.