Learn how to get through the neutral zone with possession of the puck.

Dave Smith describes neutral zone offence as a topic that is both very simple, yet very complicated at the same time.

The NCAA RPI Engineers men’s head coach, who spent 12 years as the coach at Canisius College before joining RPI in the spring of 2017, teaches his players that it’s critical to be good in the middle of the ice, either advancing the puck into the offensive zone, or starting a hard forecheck. 

“The two big keys that I believe in, and our staff at RPI believes in, are pace (thinking, skating and passing pace) as well as having good ice balance.”

In this 30-minute presentation from our Virtual Coaching Clinic, Smith expands on those two keys, discusses a “together plan,” systems for it and how to connect them, defencemen skating vision, the use of board passes and stick position, and more – if you can believe it.

“Not a lot of complicated concepts, but if you can get your teams playing fast and organized, there are some holes and opportunities to expose.”

Some background on Smith: during the 2019-20 season, he led the Engineers to a 17-win season in which they captured the Mayor’s Cup and garnered a bye through the first round of the ECAC Hockey Playoffs, although the tournament was called off due to the pandemic. For his efforts, Smith was a finalist for ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year.