What the good drills all have in common, other than following the growing influence of small area games, is offering game-like challenges.
With NHL development camps over, coaches around the internet are sharing videos and drills they saw and discussing how to bring them into their practice plans.
If NHL teams are running these drills, they must be good, right?!
I am not one to say I know more than any NHL level coach, and even a coach running a bad drill will likely forget more about the hockey than I currently know, but that doesn’t mean they get it right every time.
And some of the drills from these camps prove it, while others are great and highlight the direction the sport has been going for years and is now breaking through at the highest levels of the game.
The Bad from NHL Development Camps
Boston Bruins
This drill, run by the Boston Bruins works on puck protection, but lacks any sense of urgency or game-like scenario that puts any real pressure on the defender.
The puck carrier is able to protect the puck without a defender giving much challenge, so you’re not able to see how the player really handles the challenge, and the player trying to get the puck is not actually trying. So you end up with two players giving a lackluster performance and then just easily driving to the net for an unenthusiastic shot.
Philadelphia Flyers
Run by the Philadelphia Flyers, this drill sees a player dump a puck on the wall while another goes in and retrieves it for a quick pass out. While the player picking up the puck eludes to using deception, who are they deceiving? Second, once they get the puck, they are just throwing to the same player at the faceoff dot.
This drill has repetition without purpose. The player is not developing a skill, just a habit to fake one way, get the puck and throw it to the same spot every time. No decision making, no pressure, and it looks nothing like a game.
San Jose Sharks
Like the previous drill, this one from the San Jose Sharks works on puck retrieval and at least adds a little pressure from a coach, but not much. Like the Flyers drill, it also includes a decision lacking pass to a stationary player.
The Good from NHL Development Camps
San Jose Sharks
But not all was bad at the Sharks’ camp. In fact, they ran a handful of really great drills that did force more decision making and game-like scenarios.
This 2 on 1 drill above was running at a more game-like pace, and forced players to move and make decisions, the coaches involvement was minimal and allowed for the players to mimic a quick turnover and regroup back into the zone where the 2 on 1 continued.
Below is another great drill from the Sharks, which looks very similar to a drill run by University Michigan’s Head Coach Brandon Naurato’s 2022 TCS Live presentation features a small area game in which players start with a 1 on 1, that progresses to a 2 on 2, and finally a 3 on 3.
The drill features great battles, and layers in decision making, and a game-like feel. The layering of additions is great for players having to process new players entering the area and offering help and challenges.
Anaheim Ducks
This drill, run by the Anaheim Ducks, is not the most game-like, but does have a great teachable development aspect to it that I use often with all my teams from 8U through High School.
Removing a defender’s stick forces them to play the body, which in most cases is the most important thing for them to focus on. This 1 on 1 drill does just that and forces them to better track the player coming in and to forget about the puck and work on taking away the lane to the net. They do this by focusing on the players chest and using their body to force them away from the net, taking away the shot or forcing them to take a bad shot that is much easier on the goalie.
New York Rangers
The final drill, which is run here by the New York Rangers and has also been spotted at Pittsburgh Penguins camps in the past, creates an interesting 3 on 3 game all in one zone.
The top net being reversed also adds a great challenge to the goaltender who must be aware of puck movement behind them.
What these good drills all have in common, other than following the growing influence of small area games – which I cannot preach loudly enough – they all offer unique game-like challenges to the players and allow coaches to truly assess a player and offer them useful feedback.
Drills that don’t offer a challenge may show a strength or weakness that doesn’t actually exist when the pressure is on. The point of development camps is to assess your new and younger talent and see where they are on their path to the NHL.
The best way to assess any player is to put them in game-like, pressure filled situations that push them to play the game, not to simply mimic what they believe a coach wants to see.
