I've had a couple conversations with coaches this week about the nature of simplicity in practice. This is purely subjective, but if feels like the higher level you go - junior to college to pro - the simpler drills become. It's probably because practice time is more limited when the game schedule is heavier. 

I'm not sure about that. My belief is that players want to feel success in practice. If it's too easy then they don't get that satisfaction, and if it's too hard the same applies. But if you hit that perfect flow zone? Magnifique. 

This brings us to passing. Most of the time passing is only a component of another drill. Players fly around working on breakouts and coaches bark if a pass is late or it bounces off a stick like a golf ball. Then the drill just deteriorates. 

Bad passing is contagious, but so is good passing. 

In this practice plan I've stolen drills from Alex Chénier's presentation for The Coaches Site's Global Skills Showcase. It's all simple stuff, but you can add as much pace as you like. I did it this week with both of my teams and the guys went bonkers. It started slow and built over the hour to the point where players were flying around, but the passes were crisp and handled with care. 

The next time you holler at your team to get more shots on net, remind yourself that the only way to get shots on net is to pass the puck up the ice and out of the defensive zone, into the offensive zone, and then put it on net.