Defensive Zone Breakout Clear
Clearing
Legend
- player
- defender
- coach / parent
- movement path
How it works
Execute a simple breakout pass from the defensive zone to a winger on the boards to clear the puck effectively.
What you need
- hockey stick
- puck
- ice
Your focus
A clean breakout pass is the most common and effective zone-clearing method at competitive levels. Learning to receive a puck in the corner and make a crisp up-ice pass develops confidence under forechecking pressure. This skill connects defensive zone puck retrieval directly to offensive transition.
Set up: defenseman in corner, winger at the boards near the blue line, coach as forechecker.
Coach shoots puck into corner; defenseman retrieves.
Defenseman makes a breakout pass to the winger on the boards.
Winger must receive and skate the puck through the neutral zone.
Goal
You're there when the winger catches your breakout pass without breaking stride, a clean tape-to-tape rim out of danger.
Helpful cues
- Head up before you receive the puck, find your winger first
- Pass to their tape, not their feet
- Get the puck moving quickly, don't stickhandle under pressure
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Run without the forechecker, stationary pass to stationary winger first
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add an active forechecker who pressures immediately on the puck entryNo 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.