Passing and Receiving Drills to Maximize Performance

with Blaise MacDonald,
Colby College Head Coach;
2018 American Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Coach of the Year;
2018 NCAA DIII Frozen Four;
2018 New England Small College Athletic Conference champions;
former head coach at Umass-Lowell and Niagara University;
over 300 career wins

Coach MacDonald has over 30 years of coaching experience at the DI and DIII levels. He was the first head coach in program history at Niagara. Within four years of founding the program at Niagara, MacDonald was named ECAC West Co-Coach of the Year and led the Purple Eagles to the NCAA quarterfinal round. He was named College Hockey America's Coach of the Year, and was voted runner-up for the Spencer Penrose Award as National Coach of the Year. He has won National Titles as an assistant coach (Boston University) and a player (twice at Rochester Institute of Technology). An All-American Defenseman at RIT, Coach McDonald has recruited and coached over 30 NHL players.

If your team can't pass or receive the puck, they can't breakout or attack. Yet, many players and coaches don't spend a lot of practice time on these fundamentals. In this hockey video, you'll learn how to create a culture that values effective passing and receiving.

Blaise MacDonald teaches you how to train your players to become effective passers in game situations and how to get in the best positions on the ice to support the passer. He also runs through easy-to-teach passing and receiving drill concepts that will improve your players' essential skills and, in turn, elevate your team's practice habits.

Mechanics of Passing and Receiving

Opportunities to score are constantly available, but you have to be ready for them in order to take advantage. Coach MacDonald does a terrific job of detailing the technical aspects for better passing accuracy and how to improve players' ability to receive and control passes. Teaching points cover:

• Proper grip strength on the stick for passing and receiving the puck
• Stance and weight transfer
• The angle of the stick blade to the puck on its approach
• How to create passing lanes

Hockey is a fast-paced, ever-changing game, and knowing what kind of pass to make is essential for success. Players must master passing and receiving in order to be effective in game situations. Coach MacDonald details six kinds of passes:

• Forehand
• One Touch
• Backhand
• Saucer
• Aerial
• Indirect

Passing and Receiving Drills

Passing is a skill that requires a great deal of practice. Coach MacDonald shows you how to get your players passing with proper technique at game speed using a variety of both full ice and half ice drills. Non-puck carriers and players looking to receive the puck have to work harder than the puck carrier. Anticipation, movement and preparation by the receiver are critical elements in a successful passing game.

These drills range in difficulty from basic to advanced. Coach MacDonald diagrams the drills on a whiteboard and demonstrates them with his team on the ice.

Drills include:

• Numbered Passing - A great communication drill that reinforces heads-up puck movement, forward thinking, recognition, and clear communication.
• Neutral Zone Indirect Chip Drill - A multi-player passing drill that involves tracking passes and indirect puck movement leading to a 2-0 net attack. This is an effective drill to teach players to use space on the ice to create open passing lanes and soft chip passing.
• Swiss Five Pass - Great for one-touch passing, quick footwork, and multi-pass puck exchanges. Skating agility and athletic posture through passing is a key that reinforces being a good receiver and providing hands out to present a target for the passer.
• 6 Man Timing - Features many exchanges with the puck, forward thinking, incorporates good passing, receiving, timing, counter attacks and quick ups. Your forwards and defensemen will benefit greatly from this drill alone.

This video featuring Coach MacDonald is sure to help players of all skill levels get better at passing and receiving the puck.

72 minutes. 2016.