90-Minute First Practice Plan For New High School Hockey

Bring them to the boards at center with helmets on and gloves off so you can see faces. Keep it tight: this is the only “talking” block before they move.

• Cover: whistle = freeze, take a knee at the boards; no pucks on the ice until you say; always skate the same direction in line; sticks stay down around others.
• Contact expectation: today is no checking—we’ll teach angling and safe body position later in practice.
• Watch for: who listens and who drifts—pair those players with a steady partner later.

Quickly assign jersey colors for later and point out where water bottles go so breaks don’t turn into a scavenger hunt.

All players on the goal line. One lap easy, one lap building speed. Then run short mobility on the move: knee bend, long glide, and gentle edge leans.

• On the whistle: glide on two feet, then one-foot balance for 3 seconds each side (they can tap the free foot if needed).
• Add two controlled stops at the blue lines—no racing.
• Cues: “Bend your knees like you’re sitting.” “Chest up.” “Quiet hands.”

Common issue: players stand tall and chop their strides. Fix: stop them at the far boards and show the difference: knees bent vs straight legs, then restart with shorter, stronger pushes.

Set two lanes from goal line to far blue line using 4–6 cones. Split into two lines so you can run A/B on whistles.

First 4 reps are stride focus: push to full extension, recover under hips, glide for a count of two. Next 4 reps finish with a two-foot stop at the cone, reset, and go again.

• Watch for: skates come back under the body (no “running” on the ice).
• Cues: “Push, recover.” “Glide is part of skating.” “Stop with both blades.”
• Common issue: they spin to a stop and lose balance. Fix: have them stop facing the boards first (less rotation), then gradually square up as they improve.

If the group is handling it, add one rep where they accelerate for 3 strides, then coast and stop on the whistle—teaches control instead of speed.

Use the same lanes. Now each rep includes a gentle edge lean around a cone, then a stop on a called side (“left stop” / “right stop”). Keep speed moderate.

• Rep pattern: skate to cone, arc around it on the outside edge, straighten, then stop on coach call.
• Cues: “Knees inside your toes.” “Lean your body, not your head.” “Sit into the stop.”
• Common issue: players avoid their weak-side stop. Fix: require two weak-side reps in a row before they switch sides; celebrate the attempt, but keep the standard: controlled stop, no spin.

If they’re struggling, shorten the distance and slow it down—quality edges beat fast sloppy reps on day one.

Send them to bottles fast and pull them back to the boards on the whistle. Use this as your reset to introduce pucks: where they go, when they can shoot, and how to avoid firing pucks through traffic.

• Your line: “Pucks stay on the ice. If you lift it, you’re done for that rep.”

Each player with a puck in a faceoff circle or inside one zone. Give them space—new players need room to lose pucks without collisions.

Start stationary: forehand/backhand taps, then pull-push across the body. Progress to slow movement: skate to the top of the circle and back while keeping the puck in front.

• Cues: “Soft hands.” “Puck in front of your feet.” “Eyes up every three touches.”
• Watch for: blade stays on the ice and they’re not slapping at the puck.
• Common issue: heads down the entire time. Fix: make them call out a number you hold up with your fingers while they stickhandle.

If the group is ahead, add a simple obstacle: one cone they have to go around without losing the puck.

Pair up along the boards, 10–20 feet apart. One puck per pair. Keep everyone facing the same direction so pucks aren’t crossing through other pairs.

• Start with stationary passes: forehand only for 6 reps, then backhand if they can handle it.
• Progress to “pass and slide”: after each pass, both players slide 2–3 feet sideways, reset their feet, and pass again.
• Cues: “Blade flat—be a target.” “Hands away from your body.” “Point your stick where you want it.”
• Common issue: receiver catches with one hand and the puck bounces. Fix: stop the group and have everyone clap both hands on the stick, then restart—two hands on every catch.

If you need more challenge, require a quick look up before the pass: “eyes up, then pass.”

Bring them to the boards. No pucks. This is a safety block so your small-area game doesn’t turn into uncontrolled contact.

Demo angling with two players: defender skates inside-out to take away the middle, stick on the puck side, and guides the puck carrier to the boards without reaching or launching.

• Cues: “Inside first.” “Stick on puck side.” “Skate them to the boards—don’t chase from behind.”
• Watch for: defender’s hips stay between the attacker and the middle of the ice.
• Common issue: kids try to throw a shoulder. Fix: make it a rule: hands down, no extension; if they extend arms or leave their feet, they sit out one rep and watch the correct angle.

End with one clear standard for the next game: body contact is guiding and pinning only—no hitting.

Play cross-ice in one end if you can (keeps reps high). Two teams in different colors. Start each rep with a coach dump-in or a puck placed behind the net.

How it runs: the defending team retrieves, makes a first pass to a teammate (wall or middle), and then attacks the far mini net/full net. If the attacking team turns it over, they immediately become the breakout team and go the other way.

• Constraint to teach breakout: no shots until there’s been one completed pass after the retrieval.
• Cues: “Talk early—‘wheel’ or ‘reverse’.” “First pass, then support.” “If you don’t have it, get to the wall as an outlet.”
• Watch for: the player without the puck moves to open ice instead of following the puck into the corner.
• Common issue: everyone piles into the same corner. Fix: freeze play, physically place one player as a wall outlet and one as a middle option, then restart that rep.

If it’s too hard, go 2v2 with a coach acting as a safe outlet at the blue line. If it’s going well, go 3v3 and add a 20-second shift timer so they learn quick changes.

One easy lap as a group, then bring them to the boards. Keep it short and specific: tell them what improved and what the next practice starts with.

• Ask: “What’s our whistle rule?” “What’s the first pass after retrieval?” Make them answer out loud.
• Reinforce: controlled stops, two hands on the stick to receive, and angling is guiding—no hitting.

End by telling them exactly what to bring/expect next time (water, tape, and we’ll start with stops again).