Checking vs. defending. What’s the best way to take time and space away from the opposing team?

One hand or two? No, we aren’t trying to perfect your backhand in tennis. This is all about developing defencemen.

Chris Hajt is a former NHL defenceman, so he knows a thing or two about helping blueliners succeed. In his coaching career, Hajt has been an assistant in the OHL, AHL & NHL; he’s currently the assistant coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign. In his Virtual Hockey Summit presentation, Hajt addressed an often overlooked topic of how many hands a defenceman should have on their stick in checking situations, one or two.

The answer might surprise you.

“We want to make sure we’re taking time and space away quickly on the opposing team,” explains Hajt.  “We can do that by being in really good position – taking the middle of the ice away, being between the player and the net, and constantly readjusting our positioning to the other players on the ice – and that will determine whether we have one hand or two hands on our stick.”

There’s a lot to understand here, so get your pen and paper ready as Hajt walks through three scenarios: rush defence, in-zone and net play. Overall, this 28-minute video is filled with video examples, practice drills and more to help your defencemen be at their best.