Ian Taylor is the Executive Director of the OMHA and former Director of Hockey Development. A proud hockey dad of two, Ian has over 25 years of instructional and coaching experience.
This clip provides a masterclass into the skills of the modern player – body position, puck protection, rolling on edges, weight shift, creating mismatches, occupying multiple players and multiple touches within an offensive sequence – but our focus is on the ability to open up a scoring opportunity from behind the net and similar to Hunting the Dot - the role of the player without the puck, to make himself available to create a passing seam for the puck carrier.
While this play has a feel of a ‘highlight-type’ goal, due to tight DZ coverage, we are seeing more of this play.
Here’s a play earlier this season, COL96 effectively uses his body to protect the puck and spins off his check to change the passing angle.
Quick feet on the delays, drive hard to net. Player pulls puck towards the skates and then pushes the puck back out transferring their weight to their forehand. In a game, attacker would read defender to make best available play. Second player quickly jumps to space and delivers a quick shot on goal.
Quick feet on the delays, drive hard to net. Be an option below goal line then quick pass up high to D. D quick D to D pass, head up on shot.
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Ian Taylor is the Executive Director of the OMHA and former Director of Hockey Development. A proud hockey dad of two, Ian has over 25 years of instructional and coaching experience.