On the ice at historic Yost Arena, Duante Abercrombie kicked off his TCS Live presentation in 2025 with a session focused on creating offence from the wall. Every coach wants their team to play fast, and Abercrombie’s message was clear: speed starts with how players handle pressure along the boards.

He opened with a simple but revealing drill. Players started by collecting a loose puck in the middle of the ice at low speed. The moment they touched it, they turned back and accelerated through the zone. The focus was on quick reaction and smooth escape. It was a tough concept to grasp. Tougher than the players thought it would be.

“Most of the game happens on the boards, but offence is created inside the dots.”

As the drill progressed, Abercrombie added layers of pressure. A second player was introduced to force contact, testing the puck carrier’s ability to protect and move through traffic. The players quickly learned that speed alone wasn’t enough, they had to read pressure, use their body positioning, and find ways to get off the wall and into the middle of the ice.

Building Habits That Translate to Game Speed

Abercrombie emphasized that skating on touch and skating through contact are two essential habits for creating offence from the walls. The instant a player gains possession, they should already be accelerating into space. He noted that this is a difficult skill to develop in an unopposed environment, but with added pressure, it becomes far more natural.

Each progression in the drill built confidence and rhythm. Players learned to retrieve pucks quickly, absorb contact, and continue moving their feet. These are all habits that mirror real game situations.

“If we want to play fast, we have to train our players to make fast reads under real pressure.”

From the Wall to the Middle

Abercrombie then connected these skills to 2-on-2 situations, encouraging players to find space by cutting toward the middle rather than staying pinned to the wall. His message was simple: the best scoring chances come from inside the dots, so every movement off the boards should bring players closer to that area.

He challenged players to be aware of their surroundings, anticipate pressure, and use the wall as a tool rather than a trap. Whether it was through a quick shoulder check, an escape turn, or a hard push to the inside, the goal was always the same: turn possession on the wall into meaningful offence.

Coaches’ Challenge

Abercrombie reminded us that playing fast isn’t just about skating speed. It’s about making decisions quickly, under pressure, and with purpose.

This week, watch how your players handle pucks along the boards. Are they reacting immediately on contact? Are they escaping into the middle to create offence? Focus on drills that teach players to skate on touch and through pressure, and help them turn wall battles into scoring chances.

Noteworthy timestamps:

• 1:25 Skating on touch
• 3:10 Skating through hands
• 5:20 Catching in contact
• 13:40 2v2 situation
• 19:30 3v3 situation