Learn-To-Play Hockey Practice Plan: Stopping And Passing

Start in one end. Everyone free skates inside the zone with lots of space; coaches stand at the blue line and far circle to manage traffic.

On your whistle, players must freeze (stop however they can) and look at you. Do 6–8 freezes while you layer in movements: forward stride, two-foot glide, then gentle C-cuts.

• Cues: “Knees bent.” “Hands in front.” “Freeze and look.”
• Watch for: heads up on the whistle—no one keeps skating through traffic.
• Common issue: kids drift into the boards while gliding. Fix: set an invisible boundary: “No one goes past the faceoff dots,” and restart the rep if they do.

If you have a few very new skaters, keep them near a coach and let them use a gentle snowplow on every freeze. The goal is control, not speed yet.

Set two lanes from the goal line toward the blue line using cones/discs. Put a clear stop zone (3–4 discs) where they must stop and hold still for one second.

Run it as a steady flow: player skates to the stop zone, stops, freezes, then circles back outside the lane to the line. You demo each stop once, then let them work.

• Cues: “Bend first, then push snow.” “Toes in a little.” “Freeze—show me control.”
• Watch for: both skates making snow and the body staying over the feet (no falling backward).
• Common issue: they try to stop by turning sideways and spinning. Fix: go back to snowplow and have them glide for one second before stopping—glide forces patience.

For kids ready for more, let them try a baby hockey stop: one skate leads, slight turn, then bring the second skate to match. For kids not ready, keep the win as “stop inside the zone.”

Water at the bench. While they drink, you move two cones to create turning points and you tell them the next rule in one sentence.

Coach script: “Next block is turns—outside up, middle back. If you pass a cone, you go around it, not through it.”

Send them back out by groups (5–6 at a time) so the first reps aren’t a traffic jam.

Use the zone: place a cone near each faceoff dot and one near the blue line boards on each side to create two looping paths. Split the group so half starts on each side.

Players skate a loop with two turns: one wide turn (big C-cut feel) and one tighter turn around a cone. Emphasize control over speed—no racing yet.

• Cues: “Outside leg drives.” “Lean like a motorcycle.” “Stick on the ice through the turn.”
• Watch for: inside shoulder and inside knee point into the turn (they’re actually leaning, not stepping around).
• Common issue: they take tiny steps and lose balance. Fix: tell them to glide into the turn and make one strong outside-leg push; if needed, move the cone wider for that player’s loop.

To challenge the stronger kids, have them add a stop at the end of the loop before they rejoin the line.

Hand out pucks along the blue line with space between players. Mark a small puckhandling box with four cones in the middle; only 6 skaters in the box at a time while the rest do stationary touches at the blue line.

Stationary group: 20 seconds in-tight (quick hands close to skates), 20 seconds wide (reach to forehand/backhand), repeat. Box group: slow skate through the box doing the same pattern, then exit and switch with the next group.

• Cues: “Soft hands.” “Top hand does the work.” “Eyes up—peek, then back to puck.”
• Watch for: puck stays on the ice and within a stick length; no big slaps.
• Common issue: everyone stares down and bunches up. Fix: one-way traffic through the box and require one head-up look before they leave the box.

If players are struggling, keep them stationary longer and let them tap-tap the puck (forehand/backhand) before trying to move.

Pair up along the blue line facing each other 10–15 feet apart. One puck per pair. If you have odd numbers, make one 3-player triangle.

Start with 10 quiet push passes each (blade flat, sweep), then add “receive and return” where the receiver cushions the puck and passes back immediately. Finish with two steps sideways after each pass to teach moving your feet.

• Cues: “Blade flat.” “Point where you want it.” “Give a target—stick on the ice.”
• Watch for: receiver cushions the puck (soft catch) instead of stabbing at it.
• Common issue: passes hop because they swing. Fix: shorten the distance and require a sweep/push—no back swing. If it hops, they do three perfect push passes before continuing.

For stronger pairs, increase distance a few feet and require them to call the partner’s name before the pass.

Set up one cross-ice rink with two mini nets (or cone goals). Play 3v3 or 4v4 with quick changes (20–25 seconds). Keep extra pucks at center to restart fast.

Rule for the first two minutes: one pass before a shot. After that, remove the rule if it’s slowing them down too much.

• Cues: “Find a friend.” “Stick on the ice—be ready.” “Pass, then move.”
• Watch for: players spread out to give an easy pass instead of following the puck.
• Common issue: one kid carries it the whole time. Fix: tell that player their job is to make the first pass every shift; praise it when they do.

Same cross-ice setup, but add one cone near each corner to create a “turn point.” To score, the attacking team must carry the puck around a corner cone (a controlled turn) before shooting.

This forces turning and edge control to show up in a game without you stopping play to lecture.

• Cues: “Wide around the cone.” “Outside leg push.” “Keep it on the boards side.”
• Watch for: players slow down before the cone and come out under control instead of crashing past it.
• Common issue: they cut inside and miss the cone. Fix: no argument—just a turnover. Put a puck down for the other team and keep it moving.

One easy lap as a group, then gather at the blue line. Keep them standing with sticks on the ice so they don’t sprawl and lose focus.

Ask three quick check questions and get loud answers: “What’s our first stop today?” (snowplow) “What do we show a passer?” (target) “Where do we skate to avoid traffic?” (outside up, middle back).

• Cues: “One word answers.” “Eyes on me.” “Sticks down.”

Finish with one thing you noticed done well and one thing you’ll start with next practice (quick stops into turns). Stick tap for effort, then off the ice.