I'm a big believer in hockey players feeling and looking totally comfortable in their skates. When players connect their entire blade with the ice and flex their edges efficiently, speed seems to take care of itself. Agility becomes a lot more noticeable. Focusing on that glide and that connection at the start of a practice or even in a pregame warmup sets the stage for whatever's to come. That balance and composure is a foundation, or a prequisite to a good day at the rink. 

But it needs to be purposeful. When coaches take their time with edges at the start of practice it really pays off. That edge base removes thinking from the game. 

Thinking = bad, doing = good. 

Players should focus their mental energy on creativity with the puck and closing gaps without it. Connected edges makes it all possible!

I've been using this hip opener exercise from Daniel Broberg's course in skills skates for the first half of the season. It's just tricky enough to be exciting but it's still simple enough for me to demo it. You can add pucks, add passes, turn it into a zone entry drill, whatever, but it's a great way to establish that connection with the ice. 

Try it out, and if you want more I encourage you to check out the course, 7 Steps From Basic Skills to Smooth Power. 

Here are a couple drills or formations I use to teach some of Daniel's stuff!