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The drill is called the 2v1 Tip Drill. I picked it up from the CoachThem website, and it quickly became one of my favorites because it hits so many different areas at once — passing, shooting, tips, screens, 2v1 play, and overall hockey IQ. I always try to find drills that give players a chance to work on multiple skills and get as many reps as possible in a short practice window.

The setup is simple but chaotic at first. Forwards are in all four corners. One forward makes a pass to the defense on the blue line, the D walks the line, and at the same time that forward and another forward both get to the front of the net. The D takes a shot, the forwards tip or screen, and after the shot, they curl low around the circle, get a pass from the line, and now it turns into a 2v1 down half the ice. The same thing happens from the other end — two 2v1s running at once.

The first time we ran it, it was a mess. The D and forwards were colliding, timing was off, and part of me wanted to scrap it and move on. But I stuck with it. At our next practice, I drew it out again, explained it slower, and we walked through it. Once the kids started to understand the flow, it started to click — and when it clicked, it was beautiful.

It taught a ton: passing to the point, getting a screen and a tip, timing from the D, curling low like a breakout, and finishing with a live 2v1. We’ve been working on using our defense more in the offensive zone, and this drill helped tie that in — forwards learning to trust the D to get pucks through, and D learning to read the play and gap up quickly for the 2v1.

The first time we only ran it from one side, but I realized there was too much standing around. So we tried it from both ends, and once we committed to it, the pace improved, the kids stayed engaged, and we got way more out of it.

It was a reminder that sometimes as coaches, the best drills take patience. The first time through can look like chaos — but if you take the time to teach it again, slow it down, draw it, and let them feel it, that’s when the real learning happens.

About the Author
Jesse Candela is an Operations Manager and youth hockey coach currently leading the U10A team in Georgetown. A former U Sports coach and current OJHL regional scout, Jesse shares real experiences and lessons learned from the rink, hoping to help coaches at all levels grow and connect with their teams.

My longtime coach and mentor the late great Dale Turner always told us to watch the game, learn something or look for our opponents’ tendencies when we were on the bench. He always wanted us to be ready to go and make sure we had tons of jump when we went on the ice and coming off of it. 

Back in the day we used to sit up on the back of the bench at the old Dud James and Carrol Arena, studying the game and waiting for our next shift. We weren’t standing very often, we sat on the bench, we could always anticipate when our teammates were coming off the ice, so that’s when we stood up and were ready to go.

“Be ready, jump on that puck, get back, go hard, get out there,” Dale would always tell us.”

When the shift was getting a little long, he would yell, “let’s go, let’s go” and rattle the old handle on door. He would never stand up on the bench he worked the door until Pee Wee AAA and even then he worked the door sometimes.

If anyone were to ignore him or stay out there longer, he would go up like ten octaves and the entire rink could hear him. It became second nature that when we got back to the bench we sat down and took it all in.

Obviously, things have drastically changed since my provincial minor hockey playing days and even my coaching days for that matter.

There has always been different trends in the game, that’s part of the evolution of the sport, but there’s one trend that continues to be short of perplexing.

Clearly every coach has their own unique style, strategies and philosophy, and this isn’t meant to be a critical in any way.

Have you ever noticed why some teams sit on their respective benches why others stand?

Upon some reflection, as a coach I wanted my players to be ready to go and engaged. Ironically that meant they were standing up and ready to go, but in some cases that also meant that they sat down right after their shifts as well. Some players chose to sit while others stood.

At the time I never thought anything of it. Fast forward some ten years later and as a scout I’m watching an U-18 game when I received a text message from hockey lifer, and one of the best hockey minds I know Paul Boutilier.

I had sent Boots a question or comments about player development, and coaches providing in game feedback and he responded with this.

“One theory I have is minor hockey and sometimes major junior the players stand and coaches stand on their benches where they should be sitting. There’s no way to use (coaching) boards has everyone is out of position to learn and listen. If this was an advantage, why don’t NHL teams stand”?

“If I was to offer one change to minor hockey at all levels, it is to sit on the bench and coaches stand where they should be. Then maybe feedback can occur in a way to help their games.”

“Most coaches are worried more about falling off the bench and players don’t rest or can’t be taught. U-15 and U-18 are very high levels of hockey. They are prospering kids to play at NHL levels – this is an easy one to change.”

“Boards are there and the markers and at least 3 coaches, but all are standing on bench, crazy easy to see why they get limited feedback,” Boutilier replied.

“In addition, if you watch games from behind the bench – boards and markers are there, seldomly used,” Boutilier said.

“In game” teaching and feedback is essential at any level, and if you have been around the game lately there’s not a lot of feedback being provided by coaches across the hockey world.

The arms crossed stoic coaching stance is a trend has taken over the game at all levels. Again, everyone has their own unique teaching and coaching approach, but there’s no question Boutilier’s observation is incredibly relevant. Boutilier is currently a developmental specialist with clients in the pro ranks in Europe and all across North America with his 44 Seconds Defensive Program.

Every coach would want to see their hockey club be more successful, and it’s clear that every coach would be open to trying anything to accomplish that.

Maybe if more teams and players alike would “take a seat” watch, learn, observe and if more coaches provided in game feedback rather than standing all game they might see some small or perhaps significant gains in performance.

“Little things” in the game matter more now than ever before, it’s one way that every team, player or coach could improve and get better.

You won’t know if you don’t try it!

Take a seat, it doesn’t mean you’re not engaged, it might mean you’re even more engaged, educated, rested and ready to go.

As a player and coach, you have the best seat in the house to learn and take it all in. Let’s hope more players use that seat to improve and get better.

Photo Credit Daniel St Louis 

I’m not an expert in the area. I’m not downplaying this in any way. If you have followed my work, you know that I’ve written several articles on athletes that have struggled with ADHD and have tried to shed light on mental health issues surrounding the game of hockey for quite some time. I’ve never been diagnosed with ADHD, but several people over the years have said, “Craig, you definitely show signs of having ADHD.”

What’s the percentage of hockey players that have been diagnosed with ADHD? What’s the percentage of athletes across all of the sporting world that have been diagnosed with ADHD? Is that their superpower? Is that what makes them great at what they do or excel in their field?

Is ADHD your superpower or kryptonite? Would you ever classify ADHD that way?

The CDC classifies ADHD; As one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

I’ve heard some people say this over the years. “Thank God, the ADHD kicked in or I wouldn’t have known how to handle that one today.”

“Oh, the ADHD kicked in around lunchtime and l powered through.”

“I was so productive today, I got so much done, but I forgot to do that, oh shit.”

“ADHD doesn’t just kick in, it is there all of the time,” said Therapist and Mental Performance Coach from Mindfit Lesley Smyth.

“ADHD is managed by meds or deliberate and consistent use of strategies, the combination is also important because the strategies help compliment the medication,” Smyth added.

“When ADHD isn’t managed the brain can be over-stimulated/over-active and that’s when environments can become overwhelming or feel unmanageable.”

“When ADHD is controlled, it can allow the athlete to be super focused on the task and often be super productive. Coaches can do a lot to help athletes manage the symptoms with different approaches, but that’s if they understand the diagnosis and are willing to implement what’s needed,” explained Smyth.

What happens in the quiet moments, what happens when their “superpower” isn’t super? What happens then? What happens to the athlete or in this case the hockey player, when they’re on top of the world and seemingly everything is going their way until it’s not and then they feel overwhelmed with everything around them?

I’m reminded of a scene from Star Wars where they come out of warp speed into what they thought was meteor shower. It was the reminisce of Princess Leia’s planet. It’s incredibly difficult to navigate when worlds collide or everything that’s important to you blows up in your face. That’s perhaps the overwhelming anxiety ridden feeling that some athletes might feel when their “superpower” turns into their kryptonite.

How would a young athlete cope with those feelings or experiences? Who would they turn to? Who would understand them and what there are going through? You see it’s their superpower until it’s not. One elite level hockey player with ADHD had this to say when asked how difficult it is playing that level with ADHD.

“The most difficult part about playing elite level hockey with ADHD is how isolating it feels.”

“Like no one understands how to best support me because even I struggle with how to support myself,” the player said.

“It is emotionally exhausting to continue to show up and prove your worth when fear of rejection is an ADHD trait.”

“This on top of trying to stay focused during practice, almost impossible, remembering drills, managing a busy schedule, staying organized is not one of my strengths, sticking to workout routines and keeping up with school.”

“And not to mention the distraction that comes with overthinking every move I make during a game for fear of upsetting my coach and getting benched.”

“All of this is difficult for players without ADHD even, so imagine how much harder it is for someone with ADHD to manage?”

“I am figuring it out, slowly but surely,” said the player.

The resiliency on display and the mindset athletes or shall we “kids” because that’s exactly what they are, “kids” possess is vastly underrated and often times criticized. The resiliency these athletes possess is truly remarkable given everything they literally have to process and live with each and every day. Many coaches are quick to judge, quick to criticize, quick to reprimand and quick to punish all for the sake of accountability or treating “all” of the players equally. Nevertheless, those with ADHD the unwavering and relentless effort it takes to keep showing up each and every day trying to perform to the best of their ability under that kind of pressure and environment is truly awe inspiring.

You see many of us that don’t have ADHD have no idea what those athletes are going through, physically, emotionally and mentally. We all know “today’s athletes” are different and learn differently and I’m not strictly talking about ADHD here, every athlete is unique, so why aren’t coaches changing their approach or strategies it takes to reach, teach and work with their players?

To know better is to do better.

Lorissa Mills has studied Special Education and has a master’s degree in the Science of Education. Mills has done amazing work in the area of screen time and the impact it has on athletes. Her background as an athlete and coach who focused on Psychology, Sociology along with her M.Ed. has helped her learn how the brain operates which led her to Behavioural Consulting.

Mills created the Mental Game Academy with the goal of empowering athletes and coaches with mental skills for them to reach their optimum performance. Her main focus in this area has been the effects of screen time especially revolving around phones. The Mental Game Academy also works with athletes with ADHD and offered up some amazing teaching tips for coaches who have athletes with ADHD.

1. Follow simple routines for practices - Each practice should have an agenda and format, athletes love routines and thrive in the ADHD athletes require it for the brain 
2. Be concise to your Players - When giving instructions make it simple and repeat. If introducing a new play, walk them through the play and stand near them explaining it. 
3. Let THEM FIDGET  - If they need to run around or feel antsy, this is their brain saying I have energy…. ok, do some pushups or take a walk. 
4. Get to know your Players well (all of them). - The more you know about their family, dogs, friends, favourite foods the more you can connect and build trust. This also helps you see signs of frustration and have them use a tool to prevent further agitation. This goes for all players too.
5. Meet them Where they are that day! - Athletes that have daily goals and focus helps them to engage. Maintain a long term goal to always give them a foundation to focus on.
6. If they have an Outburst - Don’t be punitive and help them to choose a path out of it. Let them know your boundaries of course and when they step of our line but their brains need more reminders. 
7. Don’t threaten or Punish - These athletes will learn quickly through natural consequences. Like, “I didn’t learn the plays so I didn’t get to start” Solution: help them and their parents with the plays and be very clear.
8. Mind your Volume, and Facial Expressions - The more they see your face and the more they hear a consistent calm tone the more they actually learn and absorb. This goes for all athletes actually.
9. Address Major Issues in Private - Don’t wait for another incident to happen. Stop, Talk and Resolve with TIPS for them to solve their own issues or navigate boundaries.
10. Let them MOVE before Instructions - Have them do an effective warm up this way they can focus on your instructions and feel more confident about themselves
11. Connect with PARENTS - Before the season starts sit down and speak with the parent about what strategies work and how you can adopt them.

Perhaps a coach’s superpower could be developing the skills necessary to reach all of their players especially the ones with ADHD in order for them to reach their full potential and perform at their best.

Every athlete needs to feel supported, value and appreciated.  No one should ever feel alone, bringing attention to issues that aren’t always talked about in the game that some players deal with on a daily basis hopefully will help every player and their coaches understand and realize what they’re going through and experiencing. “Good coaching practices and good communication with parents often meet the needs of all players on their team,” said Smyth.

“Like the approach of teaching, know your athletes and you will reach them and meet their needs better,” she added.

Medications to treat ADHD are currently banned by the QMJHL and USports level along with the World Anti-Doping Federation. Access to those medications isn’t the issue, the hurdle elite level players and athletes have to go through for “therapeutic use” exemptions is another story.

There’s currently a Bill (Bill C-329) up for second reading in Parliament right now that if passed will remove ADHD medications from the World Anti-Doping Federation’s prohibited list for athletes.

For more information on that Bill, you can click here. Help support Bill C-329 – The National Framework on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Act | CADDRA

Knowledge is power.

ADHD, superpower or kryptonite? I’m not an expert in the area, but this is one area that the hockey world needs to gain more knowledge, understanding and compassion in to make sure it’s supporting all of its athletes so everyone can reach their full potential.

Building A Development Plan for your U11 Team

The season is just starting, minor hockey teams are scrambling for coaches so there teams can get rolling. Or you live in a small town and maybe there’s just a couple dads available to coach. Where do you start? Which drills are important for your age group? I’ve gone through the process of being completely lost and spending hours searching and experimenting to find the most effective drills. You will have seen lots of these drills in other site or locations, I have just complied them into one file with consistent colours and drawings.

The Coaches Site is an infinite source of awesome knowledge from high level coaches. but how does a coach put it all together? Hopefully this resource provides a foundation to guide coaches through the season. There will be lots of elements from articles on this site!

The Development Plant includes sections on 

• Season Guide
• Development Plan
• Pre-Game Warm-up
• Gaolie Drills
• Skills Warm-up 
• Elite Habit Drills
• Power Skating Drills
• Shooting
• Defense Gap Drills
• Puck Protection and Battle Drills
• Angling
• Small Area Games
• Full Ice Drills

How I Structure Practice

1.Elite Habits/Goalie training – 13 Minutes

2. Skills (Shooting Drill) 10 Minutes

3. 2 on 1 Drills – 10 minutes

4. Checking, Battles, 1 on 1 - 13 Minute

5. Small Area Scrimmage - 13 Minutes

Power Skating – Ideal Allocate 2 Practices per Month, Line-up Goalie Coach as Well

Goalie Training

The forgotten element of youth hockey! There are lots of simple skating drills for goalies which are crucial to their ability to move within their crease.

Elite Habits

Checkout the video from Jimmy Mullin about elite habits. The focus with these drills is game awareness and intelligence. Passing, Rondos, keep away drills. No cookie drills, we keep the goalie out of these drills.

Skills

Fun passing and shooting drills.

2 on 1's/Gap Control 

Give Defense lots of opportunity to skate backwards. 

Angling, 1 on 1’s, battles

60% of the game is along the boards and possession is the name of the game.

Small Area Scrimmage

A fun game like scenario to finish off the practice.

In episode 4 of Film Never Lies, I'm joined by my former teammate in Seattle, Marshawn Lynch, to discuss Marshawn's love for Canada and who his favourite Canadian teammate is. We break down the meaning of some of Marshawn's most famous quotes - ranging from financial literacy to seeking out contact on the football field. I also take an in-depth look at the play of Sam Darnold in the Seahawks' loss to the Rams over the weekend. And following a trip to Winnipeg for the Grey Cup, I reflects on the Roughriders win and my experience interacting with CFL fans over the weekend.

You Might Be The Coach That Actually Teaches Them How to Play

It’s absolutely crazy to think, say it out loud or even write this, but there’s a high probability that you might be the coach that actually teaches players how to play the game. 

Can’t imagine a young coach reading that for the first time, and that’s some really messed up pressure if you think about it, but in this era of skill development and individual talent many young players have no clue how to fundamentally play or think the game. 

Players have all the talent and individual skill in the world, but they have no sweet clue how to apply all that skill in a game setting. They don’t know how to process it, they sure as hell don’t know how to pass or use their teammates. 

Players these days can go through an obstacle course or have all of the bells and whistles on the ice for “skills practice” and look great, but once the puck is dropped, they’re lost. For years or even decades, it was the compete opposite. I know the game as changed and the players have as well, but in the past players would arrive knowing how to play the game and various positions and coaches at the new level would potentially teach a new system or even more skills and refine the ones they possessed and there would be a big jump in their development. Obviously, that’s just not the case anymore. They are arriving with a tremendous individual skill set but are lost when it comes to applying those in game and breaking down an opponent. 

More Questions Than Answers

Probably thousands of posts and articles have been written about this topic over the last five years or so when “individual player development and skill development” has become even more prevalent in the sport. We can talk about this stuff all we want, but what are minor hockey coaches on the frontlines of this doing? 

How the hell would you coach a team of players that are skilled, but have no idea how to connect the dots and play the game?  

Are coaches ignoring it? 

Are coaches promoting a “team game” or “team first” mindset? 

Are coaches trying to supress the issue in hopes that players will figure it out on their own and still keep winning hockey games? 

With so many “skills coaches” in the mix right now, who does the player trust or listen to? How do coaches get these types of players to buy in to a complete team game or to become a complete player when there’s so much emphasis on “individual skill” development? 

We all know we are in the “highlight reel” era of the game and that potentially a decade’s worth of players don’t watch hockey and don’t see the value of sitting down and watching NHL hockey. It’s easy to point the finger at technology for the cause of that or getting the quick fix of notifications and instant satisfaction of watching a 30 second clip of an amazing play or goal, on their phones, but what does all that mean to player and game. 

I’ll never forget the day after Sid the Kid, scored a Michigan with the Penguins, I had young high school players, sophomores to be exact whose shot wouldn’t hurt a fly trying to pick the puck up like Crosby did. I didn’t want to be the one to stifle their creativity, but I remember looking at them and saying, “Cripes almighty guys, go work on your shot, when in the hell are you going to use that in a game.”  

You see the player these days can see the value in being skilled, but the vast majority of players can’t see the value in learning how to process and play the game the right way. Players are so fixated on or driven by trying to do something spectacular or game altering, that they have no idea that the little things or details of the game gets them noticed more than being on some highlight reel scoring your 5th of the season while you have no concept how to play in traffic, compete, battle or let a lone pass the puck. The defensive side of the game is like foreign territory for them. It’s not much wonder why these types of players live on the outside or the perimeter of the ice. It’s not much wonder why we see so much entitlement now in the game given that mindset; “Well, that’s not my job, I’m skilled, I’m suppose to get the puck when I want it, where I want it so I can score goals.” 

“But The Game Is Supposed to Be Fun”

Remember growing up and going to practice. Remember how fun practice to use to be. It wasn’t work or it didn’t seem like that at the time. Of course, we knew when practices were going to be tough especially when we didn’t play well, but practices were always fun. They were fun because we worked on things, we worked on individual stuff and team stuff because those aspects were built into the vary fabric of every practice. Everything we worked on growing up in practice had purpose, it meant something whether it was to improve individually or as an entire group.

I’m not sure when all that changed, but it definitely did. Perhaps it came about when some coaches started to implement systems at too young of an age. Trapping and setting 1-3-1’s up in Atom and Pee Wee become common place because that’s you win hockey games, right?

Perhaps all this “skill development” started as a quiet rebellion against those “old school” defence first coaches out there. Maybe, just maybe coaches saw where the game was going or had some foresight that things were going to open up and that “skill” was going to become everything in our great game. So, when did this monumental paradigm shift start?

I don’t anyone in their right mind would say this era of players aren’t as skilled as players in the past, but where does hockey sense rank amongst “individual skill” these days?

From a scouting perspective I know where I rank hockey sense and it’s pretty damn high on my list.  

Did the pendulum swing too far? Did the advent of systems, create systematic hockey playing robots? Did that create the “skill development” utopia that we are presently experiencing in the game?

The game might be better than ever, but how the vast majority of players play it, isn’t. It’s almost like a delusionary sense of awareness or a trance that players and parents have now when it comes to skill acquisition and skill development. They would do and pay just about anything to acquire it or question it from every conceivable place in hopes of that being the great separator on their journey in the game.

Is the game better with increased skill? Of course.

Is the game in a great place right now? Yes, but the hockey collective still have to have some insight on where the game and players are trending in order to see the forest for the trees.

We didn’t want systematic hockey playing robots, but we don’t want ultra skilled players that have no clue how to play the game either. The pendulum swung and some might say it’s still swinging. Now it’s up to coaches to figure things out and what to promote or instill as valuable or essential for the player develop and thrive at the next level.

You might be the coach that actually teaches them the game. You might be the coach that they remember and credit for teaching them the game, not the coach that gave them all the skill to go through an obstacle course.

A quick clip on what good tracking looks like to stay above the puck carrier and the player you are responsible for defending

Here are a couple clips of good center habits from Jack Eichel I use with the centers that I work with. Sound on

Simple d retrieval drill under pressure.