Icing Avoidance and Smart Clear
Clearing
Legend
- player
- defender
- ball
- movement path
How it works
Train players to identify when to clear with icing risk and when to use a controlled alternative to avoid icing calls.
What you need
- hockey stick
- puck
- ice
Your focus
At advanced levels, mindless icing clears result in defensive zone face-offs , surrendering the hard work of getting the puck out. Elite players read the forechecker's angle and choose between a full-ice clear, a rim, or a controlled pass based on what will successfully exit the zone without icing. This decision-making under defensive zone pressure separates good teams from great ones.
Coach places puck in defensive zone; 2 forecheckers of varying pressure levels are pre-assigned.
Defending player retrieves puck and must read forechecker angle to determine best clearing option.
If forechecker is close (within 2 strides), player must use boards or short pass to avoid icing.
If forechecker gives space, player may fire a long clear; coach calls 'icing' if the decision was wrong and team resets.
Goal
You're doing it right when you correctly identify which situations let you ice it safely and which ones you convert to a clean exit, no guessing.
Helpful cues
- Look at the forechecker's feet, how much time do you have?
- The boards are always an option when you're pressured
- A controlled clear is worth more than a desperate flip that results in icing
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Pre-assign one clearing method to each rep so players can focus on execution first
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add a shot-shot-clear scenario where the team clears after a failed shot attempt, creating extra fatigue and pressureNo 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.