Teaching young hockey players to maintain a defensive gap has always been challenging. When facing an advancing rush, these players often feel unsure, leading them to retreat prematurely from the offensive zone. This hesitation results in large gaps, ending with the defencemen positioning themselves too close to their goalie as the opposing team gains speed.

The gap you leave in the offensive zone is the gap you through the rush!

How can we develop these habits in practice? My article on the coach's site, 3 Drills To Teach Gap Control With Your Defencemen, provides an excellent starting point. It explains how to become comfortable at skating forwards while the opposing team attacks. This approach ensures you establish your gap early in the rush, rather than backpedaling and obstructing your goalie in your own zone.

So now, how do we get the final product of having our D surf????

1. Show Visual Cues

It's often most effective to present the solution first and then trace the steps leading to it. Displaying footage of NHL, PWHL, and/ or NCAA teams performing this strategy, using recordings from an iPad or phone can give your players with a clear visual reference, aiding their comprehension of our goals.

2. Support Habits With Drills In Practice

2 on 2 Speed Cross Drill

The coach stands in the middle of the ice with a puck.

The coach will start the drill on the whistle.

• F1 and F2 start by crossing underneath the coach.
• D1 and D2 start at the top of the circle and will quickly gap up on the whistle.
• The coach will spot the puck out on either side of him, the D won't know where the coach is playing the puck, and the forwards will have to read the play.
• The defense has to challenge the forwards at the blue line, or if the forwards have too much speed, they may have to back in. Try to teach your D to surf across and play the forwards while skating forwards.
• Allow the play to run out, and play 2on2 until the whistle, and then start the drill the other way.

3. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!

This is the most challenging aspect, continually discussing it, and incorporating a specific drill in every practice session to reinforce this ability. You might feel like you're constantly repeating yourself, and, truthfully, the players could become irritated. However, harnessing the strength of repetition is the most effective method to establish habits, enabling players to perform without overanalyzing.