When Ryan Huska stepped on stage at TCS Live in Ann Arbor in 2024, it was a full-circle moment.

The Trail, B.C. native was the first-ever presenter at our first-ever conference back in 2011. At the time, Huska was coaching the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, and his presentation focused on broad penalty kill advice. Fast-forward 12 years, and Huska once again presented on killing penalties, but his vast experience at the NHL level now allowed him to dive into the finer details.

Today, Huska continues to serve as head coach of the Calgary Flames, a position he has held since 2023. After five seasons as an assistant coach in Calgary, Huska took over behind the Flames’ bench and has continued to build on a coaching career that has included stops in the WHL, AHL and NHL. The Flames extended his contract for two additional seasons in October 2025, reaffirming their belief in his leadership and vision for the organization.

In his 30-minute presentation, Huska focused on two key elements of the penalty kill: switches and applying pressure.

Huska emphasized that there is no single correct way to design a penalty kill and that the approach should depend on a team’s personnel. However, no matter what style is chosen, teamwork and communication need to be present. Huska stresses that having one fewer skater on the ice should make teamwork come naturally, while communication between teammates can help address other key elements of the penalty kill, such as protecting the middle of the ice.

Like anything in hockey, repetition is key. Huska knows the focus of practice is often the power play, but it is crucial to reserve time to practice the penalty kill as well.

More than a decade after first taking the TCS Live stage, Huska’s message remains as relevant as ever: strong penalty killing is built on communication, teamwork, pressure and plenty of purposeful repetition.

Watch his presentation and you’ll understand why.

Noteworthy timestamps:

• 1:10 Penalty kill styles
• 2:45 Which is best: Aggressive and passive styles?
• 5:50 Keys to teaching exchanges 
• 7:00 Importance of repetitions 
• 8:45 Face-Off Exchanges
• 10:15 Up Ice Exchanges
• 12:00 Defensive Zone Exchanges - Forwards
• 19:40 Defensive Zone Exchanges - Forwards and Defencemen
• 25:45 Diamond approach
• 26:25 PK practice ideas