When it comes to evaluating players at tryouts, it’s critical that we assess their compete level. And while that should be evident during the scrimmage portion of the skate, we don’t always get to see all the participants in 1v1 puck battles.

One of the big challenges of tryouts is that there can be A LOT of players on the ice which doesn’t always lend itself to more traditional full ice 1v1 drills with the attacker skating forwards and the defender skating backwards.  We need to get more reps in to give a fair assessment and we need to see players in battles in open ice as well as in small areas.

Here are 3 great 1v1 drills I’ve used for years to assess compete levels along with puck protection, skating, physicality and hockey IQ.

The Lollipop Drill

This drill includes a 1v1 battle for possession inside a circle followed by a full ice 1v1 back to the other end (looks like a lollipop when I draw it out, hence the name). It works very well logistically because you can have 2 1v1s happening inside the circles while 2 other 1v1s are happening full ice. Having 8 players competing at once is awesome especially when you might have 30+ players on the ice for the skate.

Description:

On first whistle, coach puts a puck in the circle for 2 players to battle 1v1 for possession. This battle continues for 10-15 seconds until the 2nd whistle where the player with puck is trying to score on the far end and the player without the puck is trying to steal it back so that they can score on the far end.  The 2nd whistle also activates the next two players into the circle to battle for the possession of the next puck the coach throws in.

1v1 Skate Thru Gate Wall Battles

If you want to see how well players will battle for pucks along the wall, this is your drill. You can set up lots of stations with this drill, get a ton of reps in very quickly and most importantly, get a great read of who is comfortable and confident with contact along the wall. Players love this drill and it works exceptionally well with 5 year olds all the way to 25 year olds. I’ve included a few variations for you to work with here - but I suggest you stick with the basic variation in tryout settings.

Description:

Two players start at cones and coach passes puck against wall. Players battle for possession and look to skate the puck through the gate from outside to inside. If puck leaves immediate playing area, coach can throw in a new puck. Drill should last 10-20 seconds.

Variations:

• Shooting: Same as above but player who skates it through the gate is rewarded with a shot on net.
• Pin: Players start in a pin with the puck in between the pinned player's feet. On the coach's go, the players battle for possession and look to skate puck through the gate from the middle of the ice. Can end with skate through gate or a shot on net.
• Rim: Two players skate down through middle of ice. Coach rims puck so that 1st player gets 1st touch. Off that initial touch, players are battling for possession - both are trying to skate it through the gate. If no shot to finish, coach can rim from behind net (as shown). If a shot at end, coach can rim from either corner.
• Two Gates:  Set up is same but there are two mini gates. Player with possession can skate through either gate and defender must react accordingly.

1v1 Skate Thru Gate Across Ice

This is a great station drill to use at a tryout that showcases compete, skating, puck protection and hockey IQ. This drill always brings players out of the woodwork who may not look great in scripted drills but understand what to do and where to go once the puck is dropped and a game of hockey breaks out. I have made a lot of final decisions on players over the years based on their performance in this drill. It can also be played 2v2 - however I would reserve that version for older more experienced players (typically 12 years old & up).

Description:

Coach dumps puck in and players play1v1 across ice. Players must skate puck through the cones in order to score.

Players have a 20-30 second shift before next group goes.

Variations:

• Possession after a goal - after a player scores, they must leave it for other player to re-start with OR they can keep going and try to score again
• Scoring Direction - only score by skating through towards wall, can score by skating through gate in either direction
• Skating Direction - only score on net at opposite end from your line, can score on either net
• Size - can be played in a larger or smaller area in any part of the rink
• Cone placement - closer together (harder) or further apart (easier)
• Numbers - game can also be played 2v2 or 3v3

Try these out at tryouts or throw them into your next practice plan to turn the compete level up as you head into end of season tournaments.