Speaking to Forwards This Sunday Morning.

Do you want more ice time?

Do you want to be out there the last minute of the game?

• Take pride in your defense.
• Work just as hard in both ends.
• Good defense creates offence.
• Johnny Gaudreau and Kevin Hayes worked for me a couple of summers ago. They said their game at BC changed and took off as soon as they bought into playing a lot of heavy defense. I’m talking worked their asses off in the defensive zone most especially.
• No shortcuts in Defense. This is for the forwards because D is their secondary job, sort of. You need to backcheck to create your own offense and help out your team. It will change the game. Significantly.
• One of the hardest plays in hockey is when the D wraps the puck out around the wall on the breakout and the Winger has to stop the puck, absorb the hit and make a play. Way easier said then done.
• We work on this play in The Battle Camp A LOT. I’m talking a lot. Mastering THIS SKILL will make you a franchise on your team. I teach this to the forwards over and over and over and over again. We master this play.
• There are a lot of choices  that we will master in this winger’s most frequent and I believe most important game situation.
• If not executed properly with proper choices. You will cause a turnover and ride the pine.
• First option. Stop this wrap. Settle the puck with your stick or skate. Hit your center.
• Second option. Settle the biscuit and skate with it. You might have time.
• Third option. Flip pass out. To your center or to yourself. This is not going a great distance. You may skate up for your own flip pass.
• Fourth option. Stop the puck. Aborb the hit by sticking your butt out and shielding the puck. Not the most fun option.
• Fifth option. Passing it back to your D.
• Sixth option. Eating the puck on the board. And waiting for your teammate to come help you. You are in a 50/50 battle holding that puck away from the other team.
• Forwards. It is never ending. You need to skate hard all the way back. All the way forward. Over and over and over again.
• Conditioning is KEY.
• So obvious when forwards are being lazy and not helping out the D.
• So obvious to scouts. So obvious to trained eyes MOST especially.
• The Battle Camp.
• Yah. Hockey is REALLY hard.

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