The most important skill a player should possess is their ability to gather information.

Decision-Making Process

The decision-making process is really simple... (1) Gather information, (2) Analyze the information, (3) Decide the best solution, (4) Execute the chosen solution. The quickest way to fail in this cycle is not to fail in the execution or analysis of the information, it's not gathering the information in the first place!

Great coaches are always working on the big rocks.. the basics that facilitate revelations of individual skill blends

Examples:
- Awareness
- Angling
- Skating technique
- Stick skills

Big rocks enable large developmental leaps. Without constant refinement, players hit ceilings

— Greg Revak, CFP® (@CoachRevak) August 20, 2020

“Speed of hand, speed of foot, speed of mind; train for each of these…but never forget, the most important is speed of mind.”  - Anatoli Tarasov, the father of Russian hockey that led to their dominance in international hockey for 40 years.

Scanning

Gathering information and having great awareness is the #1 most important skill a player can possess. It's been known through other invasion sports like soccer/football that scanning rates have a positive correlation with athletic success. World-class athletes take in more information and prioritize gathering information. In one study, Geir Jordet divided 118 players into 3 groups - low, medium and high scanners.

• High scanners = 81% pass completion
• Low scanners = 64% pass completion
• High scanners = 75% successful forward passes
• Low scanners = 41% successful forward passes

Timing of Scanning

We've begun the search into details of scanning. Timing of a scan is being found to be vital. Top players are often found to scan while the puck has been released from a teammate's stick and on it's way to their stick. 

It happens very quickly. Here is what this looks like in real time. 

Research has found that players who scanned closer to the moment of reception perceived opponent pressure and teammate positioning. Scan timing is critical to detect important events while keeping track of surroundings. When to scan:

• When a teammate is between touches. While the predictable happens, players are looking for other information.

When to look at the puck/puck carrier:

• When a teammate is dribbling. Things are happening and can change quickly.

Concussion Prevention

While most people think about concussions coming from violent contact, research has found this is a minor piece of the puzzle. What research has shown is that unexpected contact is the biggest factor in concussions. If a player is able to brace at all, their likelihood of a concussion goes down dramatically. On the other hand, unexpected contact with a player's head is more likely to cause a concussion. The prevailing theory is around blood flow to the brain. The act of bracing increases the blood flow and thus protects the brain in some capacity. There is much more research to go, but having awareness and scanning is shown to have a large part in minimizing the likelihood of players getting concussions.

Practice More Scanning

We've established that scanning is great for performance and injury prevention. Jordet found a story was a common theme among players that are considered great scanners/passers/readers of space.

"What I have come across a lot is that many of the players who are considered to be really good at it (scanning) share the same story. They were told about it or discovered that it was important at a really early age and when you start early you have an advantage on others.” - Geir Jordet (Source)

Like anything, scanning can be trained and improved. We should note that just because a player is scanning more doesn’t mean they will immediately be able to improve their perception and subsequent actions with the ball.

"It is quite easy to get players to double their scanning frequency. But it takes more time to actually take in that information, not just look but perceive what is happening, and ultimately to use it to guide your actions." - Geir Jordet

On the ice, a player’s scanning frequency is a great indicator of which players value ice awareness and will be able to see more things that are happening on the rink. While activities such as game-based activities/small area games encourage scanning, this is not enough. Coaches, teammates, parents, etc. must encourage players to scan more often and gather information from those scans. Similar to teaching children to look left and right before crossing the road, we can teach our players to scan before receiving a puck on the rink. Coaches and players can practice this and build it into everything! Below, see Kent Johnson looking around before and during his puck touches in a warm-up setting.

How can you design activities that promote scanning? Where can you include scanning into what you are currently doing? After all, scanning is the #1 most important skill a player must possess!