This practice is inspired by the same message I've delivered to my players every season since ice was invented: go to the net if you want to score more goals. I bet a lot of coaches out there are experiencing the same thing. Players want to pass the puck into the net. I find it disrespectful, to be honest. The other team wants you to pass it outside the dots and cycle in the corner the entie period. Shots from inside the dots, anywhere from the crease to the blue line, are scary. Guaranteed scoring chance.
Just watch good guy Noah Philp find the middle of the ice. Awesome tip, but it's created because another good guy Vasily Podkolzin is willing to sling a puck on net from the middle of the ice.
So instead of preaching it during games, I'm going to hammer it in practice for two weeks before we play again, and then we'll see what happens. These drills are also heavily influenced by Brandon Naurato's course Mastering Pro Shot Selection & Goal Scoring. It's one thing to tell players to shoot more, it's another entirely to show them how.