The creativity you see in hockey's best offensive teams is usually born from structure. Individual offensive skill matters, of course - a player with quick hands and a lazer beam shot is ahead of the game - but it's a team game. Using your teammates makes a huge difference when it comes to creating offense. It's helpful to know what everyone on the ice is thinking. 

That's where the strategy enters the equation for Minnesota State (Mankato) Head Coach Luke Strand. The players need to play freely, with creativity, but the offence receives a boost if everyone is following common tactics.

Strand covers these concepts with his team at the start of each season.

• Shot Proximity: how did the shot get to the net? How close is the puck and how many sticks are available to bang home rebounds or change the puck's direction?
• Royal Road: when the puck switches sides, or crosses the vertical plane from the the net to the blue line. Ideally a royal road pass ends in a one-timer. Tough for the goalie to get set!
• Point Shots: a point shot without traffic is rarely worth the effort, so it's important to create a numerical advantage at the net.

1-3-1 Offensive Zone Play at 5-on-5

Strand wants movement, timing, and quality of shots after his players retrieve pucks. They follow a power play setup in essence, a 1-3-1 at even strength, that requires execution on passes and timely shot selection. In practice this means Strand's team can be messy - there are plenty of blunders, but that's the game in the offensive zone. This strategy forces players to think and solve problems together as a five person unit. Players learn to make plays under pressure in practice using routes that aren't always predetermined.

Power play concepts should be taught to everybody, even to players who will only use the concepts at 5-on-5. Newer players are challenged in Strand's offensive zone system, but they get enough reps that eventually they all get it. 

The concepts create simple skill drills that players can use in controlled environments to improve their passing and shooting. One quirk of Strand's is that he leaves loose pucks lying around. It's frustrating but the players have to pass around natural objects so the mess works in their favour!

For Strand, it's important for players to feel comfortable in the offensive zone when the lights are bright on a Friday night in the great hockey state of Minnesota. His players practice for situations rather than just practicing for the sake of practicing. 

Noteworthy Timestamps:

• 1:15 Shooting your shot/shot proximity
• 2:10 Royal Road shot selection
• 3:10 Point shots vs purpose shots
• 4:30 IZO - Replaceable 1-3-1
• 5:30 Why possession vs straight volume
• 6:20 The how! Drills and situational growth
• 7:40 Edmonton Warm-Up
• 9:45 Forward Splits - IZO Shooting
• 13:40 Continuous 1/2 Wall Gate Entry
• 16:35 Continuous One-Time Shooting
• 20:10 Edmonton - IZO drills
• 25:00 IZO - 5-0 Rotations/Counter
• 26:30 Small Area Games