THE GEOMETRY OF PASS RECEIVING IN HOCKEY

GETTING OPEN. The first thing that a receiving player in hockey needs to understand is that the player with the puck (quarterback) does not pass the puck to another player. They pass the puck to a stick blade. At Pro Performance Hockey we teach players that there is a certain geometry to the game of hockey. Playing and understanding the angles correctly is vital to success. Unfortunately, most skill coaches never teach players the importance of geometry in the game of hockey.

In hockey, a clear line of sight from a passers body to a receivers body does not necessarily mean the receiver is open. The important part of being open is the “passing lane” from the passers stick blade to the receivers stick blade.

In our clinics we want our pass receivers to believe that they are the one’s to dictate where the passer will go with the puck. Players need to be taught that if they work hard enough and smart enough to put themselves in the best possible spots on the ice they will receive the puck more often.

Without getting too technical, we teach players to think the game in the 3rd dimension. The 3rd dimension can be defined as seeing the game from a top down view. The 1st and 2nd dimension is a much flatter on-ice view. North to south and east to west. Although it is impossible for a player to actually see the game from the 3rd dimension they need to think the game from the 3rd dimension. With innovative coaching techniques most players can be taught how to achieve this level of thought process.

PASSING RECEIVING. There are not many things more frustrating in hockey than watching a player work so hard to get open and have a great pass come there way only to see them lose control of the puck. Unfortunately, pass catching is another skill that has taken a backseat in today’s player development. The technique of top hand placement versus bottom hand placement has been neglected. We see far too many players that hold their stick improperly and have little chance of consistently catching even perfectly placed passes. Even worse, the odds of today’s players catching hard passes on their backhand may be at an all-time low. Remember, passes that aren’t caught could ruin a great scoring opportunity and typically result in a turnover to the other team.

Our advice is to look for coaching that emphasizes technique and skill prioritization in players. Parents and players that are interested in developing the skills necessary to compete at higher levels must make the effort to find the best training available to them.

Thank you,

PRO PERFORMANCE HOCKEY STAFF