Running on-ice skills sessions after the season is over is a ton of fun, but it comes with its challenges. One thing we’ve learned is that the more time you put into organizing the ice ahead of time, the more efficient everything becomes once the players step on. That includes station layout, line placement, and where your coaches or helpers are positioned.

Details matter here. Where the lines start and finish matters. Who is running each station matters. And yes, the vibe matters a ton! If you bring energy from the start, the players feel it, the parents see it, and the whole environment becomes more engaging. When that happens, players learn more, have more fun, and are far more likely to come back!

This station setup borrows heavily from Daniel Broberg’s 7 Steps from Basic Skills to Smooth Power. Being the first day of camp, we wanted a lot of puck touches, but we also wanted to sneak in some of Daniel’s core concepts. There are a lot of turns built into each station, but this is where you can get creative. Challenge edges, change skating patterns, add pucks, put sticks in the air, whatever pushes players to explore movement in different ways!

That creativity extends to your assistants too. Whether you’re using coaches or players to run stations, it’s on all of us to encourage how the drills are executed, not just what gets done. The habits inside the reps are what matter most.

At the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun!

Station 1: Players execute cutbacks with a puck and shoot, take a second shot from the line, then play out the rebound

Station 2 (Head Coach): Skate around the opposite faceoff dot and back, working through two-foot glides, one-foot balance, lunges, and inside-to-outside edges

Station 3: Edge work around tires, pick up a puck, then pass to the previous player for a one-timer (stay in front to receive a pass from the next player)