Checking/Angling

1. Stampede Angling Drill

1. On whistle, coach spots a puck in one of the directions.

2. P2 picks up the puck and breaks the puck up ice wide

3. P1 skates around cone, then turns up ice to close the gap. P1 attempts to force P2 to take the outside and not cut back towards the middle of ice.

2. Double Angle

The drill starts with two players going at once. The first player skates straight ahead and takes a long loop around the far dot. The second player leaves with a puck and makes a tight turn around the near dot. The first player needs to time his swing to take a great angle on the puck carrier, taking away time and space and shutting him down along the wall.

Angling is all about timing and positioning. Body and stick position are critical. When angling, use your body to take away time and space. You need to move your feet to gain and maintain good body position (just off the inside shoulder). Stick position should be up ice – you want to utilize your stick to take away passes against the grain and behind you. It becomes similar to a slowly collapsing wall – you take away time and space with your body, limiting passing options with your stick until you finally crunch down on your opponent.

Angling is a critical skill in the game today. Players who are great at angles become players who are successful in the game.

3. Stop & Start Angling:

1. Players line up as shown, offensive player (white) in the corner, defensive player (blue) toward the middle, players waiting in line near the blue ?line.

2. Offensive and defensive players start facing each other. Each stop and start is to be done facing each other.

3. On the whistle, players run a mini ladder: out to the first cone and back, then out to the second cone and back.

4. After the ladder, both players skate out around their respective cones, the offensive player tries to drive deep below the first cone, the cut to the net. ?Defensive player angles.

5. Stagger the starts of each side, so the goalie doesn’t face two shots at the same time.