Drill Description

We call this our Activation Drill. It’s a competitive small area game that can be played anywhere from 1v1 up to 4v4 depending on the focus of practice. I typically split teams into offense and defense to increase competition and accountability.

The drill begins with the coach dumping a puck into the corner while calling out the number of players for each side. Both teams battle to gain possession while both goalies remain live.

Once a team gains possession, their goal is to move the puck to an outlet player positioned outside the blue line on the faceoff dot. When the outlet receives the puck, they activate into the play to create a numerical advantage (for example turning a 2v2 into a 3v2).

This encourages players to support the puck, move their feet, and recognize opportunities to activate teammates to create offense.

If the puck exits past the blue line, the coach immediately dumps a new puck into the corner to keep the drill moving and maintain game pace.

Play continues until one team reaches five goals. The losing team does a lap. This has quickly become one of our players’ favorite and most requested drills.

Key Coaching Points

• Compete hard for puck retrievals
• Support the puck quickly after gaining possession
• Communicate to activate teammates
• Recognize when to create numerical advantages
• Maintain strong 1-on-1 defensive coverage
• Quick transition from defense to offense

This drill helps players learn how to create offense through support and activation while maintaining strong defensive awareness in a competitive environment.