“Every bad pass adds another level of difficulty.”

Individual skill development is all well and good, but it’s a whole different approach when a teammate is involved.

And on that topic, there are few things better than watching another coach in action on the ice when their players are mangling a drill. That’s exactly what happened to Scott Jones at TCS Live at St. Andrew’s College. The first drill was a simple progression of passing and skating, and the players involved were all skilled enough to pull it off. But the execution was several lacking to begin with. Imagine running a drill that appeared to be failing in real time in front of a live audience that paid for the privilege of watching the mess unfold!

But did Jones panic? Absolutely not. He coached! Having the players mess up at the start provided the best possible scenario, because everyone in attendance got to experience the corrections in real time.

Running skill development is simple when only one player is involved, but Jones frequently has multiple players moving, which forces them to time each movement and skill. Without proper timing, stickhandling and passing sequences fall apart.

“Use the net for protection, and make that pass when you clear the net. That doesn’t just fall on the passer, but the receiver as well.”

Developing individual skills is a crucial component of the game. Deep practice calls for coaches to park their players and work on stationary shooting, or standing still and passing the puck, or passing to a stationary target. Jones’ progressions are an important next layer to skill development - developing skills with a teammate.

That’s the natural environment of the game, right? It’s a team sport. If you want to smack a ball off the wall to yourself or between you and an opponent, then tennis or badminton is the game for you. Not hockey. In hockey you can be the most skilled player on the ice, but if you can’t play as part of a team then you’re going to have five jerseys from the other team ready to knock you off your feet.

Watch Jones teache St. Andrew's players to get the technique first and add the speed later. Teach the skill before you make the drill too difficult.

Noteworthy Timestamps:

• 0:25 Intro
• 1:00 Neutral Zone Handoffs Drill
• 5:25 Net Roll Drill
• 12:35 Offensive Zone Exchange Pt 1
• 15:35 Slow it down/communication
• 18:10 Offensive Zone Exchange Pt 2
• 24:00 Additional option for drill