WINGER DEPTH is always a great discussion, some coaches prefer bringing their wingers below the hashmarks to improve passing angles and create a layered exit while other prefer to move them higher in hopes of getting the puck above the opponents forwards & creating counter pinch scenarios with center support from underneath. 

The image below shows an NCAA Div1 winger's puck touches during zone exit situations, the map shows he received pucks anywhere & everywhere between the goal line and the blueline.

Once again we have landed on "never say never, and never say always" however, if we simply count the number of touches below the hashmarks vs above the hashmarks we can see a trend emerging. 

Below Hashmarks (outside the dot line): 8 touches - 30%

Above Hashmarks (outside the dot line): 19 touches - 70%

If we break it down further into 5x zones, the majority of touches happen in Zones 3 & 4 accounting for 60% of all touches. 

There are a host of variables (some obvious some not so obvious) affecting winger depth, however it all circles back to the athletes having sufficient scanning habits that produce a level of awareness which leads to finding optimal pockets of time and space based on the current state of their environment!