TACTICS & SYSTEMS

Even Erik Karlsson Makes This Common D-zone Mistake!

Mike McGinnis Photo
Mike McGinnis


🔊Video has narration...sound on🔊

Understanding everything that's happening in the D zone is not easy for coaches or players, there can be a lot happening that looks like pure chaos! 

Trying to solve the riddle completely can be tricky, but breaking things down and identifying high frequency scenarios can help the cause. 

The scenario that happens in this clip is extremely common in minor hockey. Pucks are stalled/scrummed in the corner fairly often. Youth Defencemen are generally a little more puck focussed as the stall/scrum dissipates, which can lead to opponents being left unattended as the herd of players moves back towards the net/middle ice.   

Introducing some general rules around the sort (or sorting) should yield some improvements in d-zone execution. However, none of this works without đź—Łcommunicationđź—Ł someone needs to be the general and take charge of sorting.

In the narration I try to simplify the scenario in order to help defenceman with triggers that will lead to a higher awareness of the situation and some suggestions on how to identify and neutralize the correct opponent. 






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