Angling the Puck Carrier
Checking
Legend
- player
- defender
- cones
- ball
How it works
Teach young players proper angling technique to steer the puck carrier toward the boards without physical contact.
What you need
- hockey stick
- puck
- cones
- ice
Your focus
Body checking is not appropriate at the youngest age levels, but learning to angle opponents is foundational defensive skill that underpins all future checking. Proper angling reduces the opponent's options without requiring contact and builds spatial awareness. Mastering angles now makes physical checking far more effective when it is introduced later.
Set up a 15-foot wide corridor between two lines of cones.
One player is the puck carrier, one player is the defender standing at a 45-degree angle to the corridor entrance.
Puck carrier tries to skate through the corridor; defender uses skating position (not body contact) to steer them toward the cone wall.
Rotate roles after each repetition.
Goal
You've got it when you guide the puck carrier toward the boards using your body angle instead of grabbing or slashing, they end up where you want them.
Helpful cues
- Get in front of the player's skating path, not behind them
- Lead with your skating position, not your stick
- Body turned sideways to take up space
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Run without a puck, just practice the skating angle and positioning
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Expand to half-ice and let the puck carrier try to beat the angler to a cone goalNo account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.