Regardless of your team's systems, strategies, or players, hockey is still a game of 1on1 battles. They happen all over the ice, and all of them result in a victor and a loser. I want my team to win battles next year so badly that it's the number one thing I'm going to focus on. Wall battles, slot battles, blue line battles - you name it, we're going to be the hardest working team in the league when the puck is up for grabs. Your team won't score a goal after every single battle won, but you'll never score after a lost battle.

So to keep it simple and easy and get the competitive juices flowing, here are three 1on1 drills to set the tone.

1. Bruins 1on1 Plus Backcheck

This drill decides the winner of the initial race, but it's productive because players don't know if they're starting on offence or defence.

• Coach places puck to either side of the net, corresponding player is on offence, other player defends
• Play for 15 seconds, blow whistle, players back-check through pile to race for second puck 
• Offence: use deception on first touch to escape
• Defence: check with your feet - take away time and space, use stick on puck to assist your feet

2. Bruins Gauntlet

Same setup as the Bruins 1on1, but this time you're building in a natural race. Whoever gets the puck first gets rewarded with a scoring chance.

• On whistle two players circle around pile and race for puck, first touch is on offence
• Defender goes on offence if he recovers and passes to line
• On whistle race to shoot extra puck in extra net (backcheck through the house) while two new players skate around pile
• Progress to 2on2

3. Grimmer Corner Battle

Named for the coach from whom I stole it, this one looks complicated at first blush, but once the players figure out the rhythm it will accelerate and come fast and furious. The premise is simple: two players in the corner in a 50/50 puck battle. The forward is trying to retrieve the puck and pass back to their original line for a strong-side dot shot. The defenceman is trying to retrieve and pass into the slot to start a breakout. 

Looks like this. Once puck is chipped in corner to start rep:

• F and D race for puck
• F is trying to pass to original line F for strong side dot shot
• D is trying to pass to C net front for shot on opposing goalie
• Once either pass is made, opposite side starts with puck chipped in corner for new battle
• Strong side dot forward is always involved in the next rep whether or not they receive a pass