“A great defence is the FOUNDATION for a great offence.”

Derek Laxdal presented during the Virtual Hockey Summit with one goal in mind: improve your team’s defence.

The current Dallas Stars assistant coach (and former Memorial Cup winning bench boss) uses a multi-faceted approach on defensive team play that includes B.I.T.S – Buying Into The System, commitment, defensive fundamentals, winning battles and consistent goaltending.

It’s been said time and time again that defence wins championships and Laxdal firmly believes this is true. He speaks incredibly high of the two-time Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning because of their well-rounded defence.

“From their forecheck, to their rush D, to their tracking, to the d-zone coverage, and the goaltending, it is top notch and you can see the results,” said Laxdal.

During his 35-minute presentation, Laxdal dives into four defensive concepts, teaching defensive tactics and tracking back-rush D, before finishing with his key to successful defensive team play. Laxdal uses plenty of Stars examples, as well as a few great plays from the Lightning, during his talk.