This One Drill Tells Me Everything About a Player

This Drill Tells Me Everything. I Could Pick a Team With It Alone.

Here is the drill setup. I stand on the blue line as the coach. Two players start on each face-off dot. I pass to the left or right side. The players pass D to D in front of the net, skate back behind the net, pass D to D again behind the net, then break out with a pass back to me. Both players skate hard to the blue line, criss-cross, and wait to receive the puck back for a 2-on-0 rush to the net. After the shot and rebound attempt, they race back to me for a 1-on-1 battle on a 50/50 puck I throw into the neutral zone.

That one drill has them playing as teammates, as opponents, as defensemen, and as forwards. I use it at camp. I use it at tryouts. It shows me skills, hockey IQ, work ethic, conditioning, and grit all in about 45 seconds. Most importantly, it shows me what a player does after a mistake. Hockey is a game of mistakes. There is a lot of margin for error, and I want to see how a kid responds when things go wrong mid-drill.

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What I Want to See From Players in This Drill

Communication

I want to hear you before I even pass the puck. Bang your stick. Call for it. Let your teammate know where you are the entire sequence. The players who communicate from the first moment are the ones I notice immediately. Silence on the ice tells me a player is thinking only about themselves.

Clean Passing and Open Hands

Give me an open stick as a target. When you receive the puck, skate with speed and deliver a direct, crisp pass behind the net. Not off the boards. Not bouncing. A clean pass that lets your partner break out fast. A sloppy pass behind the net can kill the whole sequence, and in a game it kills a scoring chance. The details matter.

Speed Through the Whole Drill

I want you skating as hard as you can at every moment of this drill, not just when the puck comes to you. The players who coast between touches are the same players who coast in games. Coaches see that. Skating hard when you do not have the puck is one of the most underrated skills in hockey.

Working Together on the 2-on-0

On the rush, you are moving the puck, reading your partner, and making the right play. If your partner is on their backhand and does not have an optimal shot, you take it. If you are open on your forehand and they are not, call for it. Faking the shot and making the goalie commit is a skill. Use it.

Competing on the 50/50 Puck

After the shot, the drill is not over. You race back to me and battle for a second puck in the neutral zone. Who wants it? Who is skating full speed even when they are tired? Who battles a bigger kid without backing down? That 1-on-1 at the end tells me more about compete level than almost anything else in a tryout.

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What I Do Not Want to See

Feet that stop moving at any point. Hands and hips that are closed and not opening up to make a target. Players who try to receive a pass on their forehand when their backhand is right there and ready. Taking an extra second to get comfortable with the puck is an extra second your partner loses. Do not waste it.

The biggest issue I see is no communication. Zero talking. Players go through the whole sequence in silence. That tells me everything I need to know. Talk to your teammate the entire drill. Where you are, where you want the puck, what move you are making next.

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Talk on the Ice. Every Shift.

I was watching an NHL game with the players mic'd up. They are talking to each other the whole game. Every shift. Non-stop. "I am inside. Outside. Behind you. Left lane. Pass back now. Switch. Criss-cross now." That is what syncing with a teammate sounds like at the highest level. Youth players need to do the same thing.

Think about it this way. If you pull up to the McDonald's drive-through and say nothing, are you getting your food? No. Hockey communication works the same way. Use your voice.

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Talk to Your Player About These Small Details

Tell your kids that coaches notice the small things during a game and during drills. You do not have to score a goal or get an assist to have a good game. Open hands, clean passes, loud communication, competing on the backcheck, battling for the 50/50 puck. These things get noticed. Run this drill with your player and talk about each piece of it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What age group is this drill appropriate for?

I use this drill from roughly squirt age and up. The concept scales. Younger kids may need to slow it down and focus on passing accuracy first before adding the 1-on-1 battle at the end. The communication and compete elements apply at every level.

What does this drill actually evaluate at a tryout?

Passing, skating speed, hockey sense, teamwork, communication, and compete level all in one sequence. I can see how a player handles the puck under pressure, whether they talk on the ice, and how they respond when they are tired and have to battle for a loose puck.

My kid is quiet and shy. How do I get them to communicate more on the ice?

Make it a habit in practice first. Give them specific words to use, "switch," "behind you," "I'm open," and make them say it out loud every single rep. Confidence on the ice comes from repetition. If they practice talking, they will talk in games.

How do I run this drill without a coach on the blue line?

Have a parent or assistant coach stand on the blue line and make the passes. The key is that the person passing varies which side they send it to so players have to read and react. The unpredictability is part of the point.