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Breaking the puck out of the zone is arguably one of the most important skills a team can possess. Without the ability to leave the zone, you will find very few chances to score in a game.
Yet, I have noticed many teams don’t work breakouts in their regular practices or think simply that since it may be part of a scrimmage that it is being covered.
But instead of hoping its covered, I run two specific drills that focus heavily on the breakout. The first one is a great warm up drill for players and goalies.
Drills created with Hockey Coach Vision.
Breakout Warm-up
In this drill, two forwards skate out of the corner, taking a quick shot on net and then heading to the other side of the boards to recreate a clean breakout. The defender, at the same time skates up towards the dot with a puck, transitioning backwards with it, before taking off behind the net.
As the defender emerges, he sends the winger a clean pass and the two forwards break the puck out. At this point the defender plays defense on a 2-on-1, giving the goalie another chance at a shot, but also working on passing and defending.
5-on-2 to 5-on-4 Breakout
This is our go-to breakout drill because it provides just enough pressure to force a play, but enough room to ensure we’re working on the right habits. It then turns into a zone entry and some 5-on-4 play to allow lines to work together better on the attack.
Two defenders start in the zone and will first help with the break as three forwards skate in.
The two defenders at the top of the ice will skate in with their sticks upside down, thus ensuring pressure, but no real ability to steal the puck, allowing the breakout to take place.
As the forwards break the puck out, they have two new players waiting in the neutral zone, who will play the point. They can pass to those players as an additional outlet.
The two players backchecking now have to touch the center ice line, flip their sticks, and join the two original defenders to form a team of four.
This switch provides two defenders in the zone and two backchecking, forcing the forwards to make quick moves on the attack.
Once in the zone, encourage great team play and puck movement by the forwards.
Now, with almost every practice we either have a breakout as part of our warmup, as part of one of our small area games, or sometimes both. But this keeps a consistent focus on how good we must be breaking the puck out of the zone to create scoring chances.
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