Seam Pass Drill

Passing

15 minutesintermediateteamphysical

Legend

player
coach / parent
ball
movement path

How it works

Develop the ability to thread a seam pass through or around a passive defender to a teammate in a high-danger scoring area.

What you need

hockey stick
puck
ice

Your focus

The seam pass is one of hockey's most effective offensive weapons , a pass that finds a player between two defenders in a high-danger area. Learning to identify, time, and deliver seam passes under moderate pressure builds the offensive connectivity that creates scoring chances. Players who pass through seams rather than around them create the highest-percentage scoring opportunities.

Three players set up: a passer at the hash marks, a passive defender at the top of the circles, and a receiver in the slot.

Passer must thread a pass through or around the defender to reach the slot player.

Slot player receives and shoots immediately.

Rotate all three roles every 5 reps; increase defender activity level as passes improve.

Goal

Success is threading the seam pass to your teammate in the slot without the defender touching it, delivered with enough zip to be useful.

Helpful cues

Find the gap between the defender's legs or beside their hip, that is your seam
Release before the defender closes, not when they are already there
Low pass through the seam, it is harder to intercept

Adjust the challenge

Make it easier

Strip it back

Defender is stationary and does not try to intercept, just provides the visual obstacle.

UpLVL it

Add the next challenge

Defender actively reads and tries to intercept; passer must use a fake pass to move the defender before threading the seam.

No 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.

After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.