Watch any NHL superstar dangle the puck on offence and you’d swear they have a forcefield preventing defenders from checking them, like they’re somehow manage to avoid checks with ease.
John Riley, an Assistant Coach with the Norwegian Men’s National team, says the goal for offensive players is actually not to avoid defenders, but instead go right through them.
Riley, a former Player Development Coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, who is also a former NCAA Assistant Coach and high school Head Coach with an extensive background with USA Hockey, presented at TCS Live in 2023 on creating offensive opportunities by invading space.
This 25-minute on-ice presentation teaches how to use your body to get inside defender’s personal space to create offensive chances; after some examples from NHL superstars displaying the moves, Riley has players reenact their moves using invasive drills.
During this video you’ll learn five new moves: Space Invader, Cut Back, Tarasenko, Stutter Step & Under the Bridge, all of which will help your players create more opportunities to score.
Noteworthy timestamps:
- 00:30 Concepts to create space by invading space
- 02:40 Tarasenko Warmup
- 04:00 Hubey Space Invader Drill
- 09:00 DRW Space Invader Drill
- 12:30 DRW Space Invader Drill progression
- 15:40 Mattias Space Invader Drill
- 19:00 Norge Under the Bridge Drill
