In this edition of Chalk-Talk, we look at a handling the puck when skating at top speed.  

The drills in this series put players in situations that they will encounter in games – this presents the players with the opportunity to create, problem-solve, read and react and to use the technical skills, tactics and concepts they have learned in practice.

Today, we are going to look at how to handle the puck in open ice at top speed. The most important thing to remember is to eliminate unnecessary stickhandling and underhandle the puck!

• This is an open ice or breakaway technique where the player pushes puck with on hand on stick in order to skate at full speed.
• The puck should be out in front and off to the side of the body.
• Push the puck ahead on the backhand with the bottom edge of the stick blade.
• The stick hand extends at the elbow and pushes the puck forward.
• The hands stay out of the area in front of the hips and this allows for long, powerful strides.

Underhandling is a key skill for players to learn in order to maintain speed and also allows the player to keep their eyes up to read the play around them.