Make the next play.
Goalies are the most important player on a hockey team. There are only two defencemen on the ice at a time. Centres are the centre of attention.
Wingers can get lost in the shuffle. Coaching has focused on the big rocks in a lineup for a long time. We have multiple ways to identify different types of defencemen and centres - stay at home D, 200 foot centres, puck-movers, and there are a lot of variances within those definitions as well.
Wingers can be creative or defensive, but no matter how we look at them, they have a crucial job that happens a lot more often in a game than we think: exiting the zone.
Here’s where the variances come in. Job number one is making a tape to tape pass to move the puck out of the zone.
- Pass
- Chip off boards
- High flip
- Glass and out
- Icing!
If the game were easy then the wingers would make a crisp tape to tape pass to their centre, the weak-side defenceman, or their fellow winger every single time. This is what parents and scouts in the stands want to see, but it’s a lot easier to make that play with your eyes from the media row than it is on the ice when the other team is trying too. Opposing defencemen’s eyes light up when the puck is moved to the winger - they attack, hit, smash, and poke to keep the puck alive in the offensive zone. Defencemen are taught to play D in the offensive zone, which means their sole purpose is to get off the blue line and prevent exactly what the winger is trying to do.
Doesn’t sound so easy now.
Kyle Grabowski believes the more comfortable your wingers are with their habits on the wall in the defensive zone, the more likely the puck is to exit the zone.
The job of the winger is to make the next play regardless of how that puck arrived. Rimmed by the D? Make the next play. Perfect pass from the centre? Make the next play. No one moves the puck out of the zone more than the wingers.
“As the coach I don’t want to be part of the drill. I want the drill to run on its own so I can talk and teach.”
For Grabowski, the key to successful winger zone exits is simple skills that are repeated in games, albeit it faster and with more intensity. He runs his players through progressions of puck retrievals and passing to get them comfortable in a low pressure environment first. The possibilities are endless - he adds progressions to each drill to take the habits to the next level. Chaos is sure to follow in games, so it’s important to commit to deep practice of the skills required to breakout successfully.
The Role of a Winger
A winger in plays a crucial role in both offensive and defensive situations. Their primary responsibility - or at least their first responsibility, usually - is managing the boards in the defensive zone and breaking the puck out. When defending, wingers normally cover the opposing team's defensemen at the point, prevent cross-ice passes, and support their defensemen down low when needed.
But they have to be ready to act when their team gets possession of the puck.
Most wingers love to play offense. It’s why they’re wingers and not D or centres! On the attack, wingers are responsible for creating scoring opportunities by driving wide with speed, establishing a net-front presence, and finding open ice for scoring chances. They need to read the play effectively to time their breakouts and support their centre.
But they have to get there first. Whether they’re making tape-to-tape passes to teammates, chipping pucks off the boards, or protecting the puck until support arrives, they need to improve the condition of the puck when it’s in the defensive zone. The better they do that, the less time they’ll spend there.
Noteworthy Timestamps:
- 0:10 Building trainable qualities
- 3:05 Wall Pick-Up Basics
- 6:55 Zone Rim Sequence
- 11:20 Pivot Receptions
- 14:45 Breakout Passes to the Wall
- 18:30 Progression: Backhand Pass
- 20:30 Progression: Rim
- 11:30 Progression: Adding Pressure
