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The Pass STARTS The Play, Not Ends It
One of the easiest traps in hockey is thinking of your involvement in a play as a series of isolated jobs:
Get the puck 👉🏼 Make the pass 👉🏼 Move on.
But hockey doesn't work in clean little boxes.
You don't pass the puck and suddenly become a spectator. The mindset cannot be “I did my job, I passed the puck.” NO.
You passed the puck. Now your next job begins.

Just because you don’t have the puck, doesn’t mean you are done. A lot of skaters tend to get caught up here, we’ve discussed how they start watching rather than participating in the play. And yesterday we discussed how passing needs to have a reason. You don’t just pass to whoever’s available, you pass to who’s ready. In the same sense, you need to be ready for what comes ✨next✨
You passed it. Now what?
🏒 Where did the puck go?
🥅 Where did your teammate go?
🏒 Where did the defender go?
🥅 What did your pass change?
🏒 And, most importantly: What does your team need from you now?
Passing the puck doesn’t mean “Okay it’s their issue now”
Passing the puck means you’re trying to find the best option to give your team an advantage.
The Pass is a transition, NOT an ending.
Let's say you're carrying the puck. You see a teammate. You make the pass. They receive it.
A lot of players instinctively think: Okay, done.
And then they either stop, drift away, or start watching the teammate with the puck. But LOOK at what just happened.
Your pass moved: the puck.
🥅 It may have also moved: the defense.
🏒 It may have created: new space.
🥅 It may have changed: who has pressure.
🏒 It may have opened: a new passing lane.

The entire situation just changed.
So why would your responsibility remain exactly the same?
Often we teach hockey responsibilities as if they’re “fixed” assignments:
I'm a defenseman, so this is where I go.�I'm the winger, so this is what I do.�I passed it, so now I'm done.�My teammate has it, so it's their play.
But hockey is moving. Your responsibility HAS to move with it.

Think of it like a conversation: A pass is like saying something to a teammate. You don't have a conversation by saying one sentence and then walking away. Your teammate responds. You listen. You respond again.
The conversation KEEPS developing.
Hockey is similar.
Pass 👉🏼 movement 👉🏼 response 👉🏼 adjustment 👉🏼 next pass 👉🏼 movement. The puck is moving between players, but the play itself is one continuous conversation. If you pass and then disappear from the conversation? Your teammate suddenly has fewer things to say don’t they?
You gotta keep going. You gotta keep the play alive. And just because you don’t have the puck doesn’t mean you’re not still playing the game.
When your teammate receives your pass, they're now the obvious focal point.
Everyone watches the puck.
You shouldn't.
Or at least, you shouldn't watch it exclusively. Because while everyone else is looking at the player with the puck, you need to be thinking about what comes next.
Maybe you need to:
🥅 support underneath
🏒 move into open ice
🥅 become a passing option
🏒 pull a defender away
🥅 provide an outlet
🏒 move into a scoring position
🥅 cover for a teammate
🏒 prepare for a turnover
🥅 adjust because the play has changed
Your teammate got the puck. That doesn't mean they got the entire play. They got the next decision. And you need to help give them options.
And let’s be realistically honest when we say that you should be asking “what comes next” that’s because your pass actually creates your next job. Imagine you make a pass from one side of the ice to a teammate. The defender follows the puck. Now there's space behind that defender. That space didn't exist before your pass. Your pass created it.
So now you have a decision:
🏒 Do you move into it?
🥅 Do you pull another defender away?
🏒 Do you stay available underneath?
🥅 Do you support the puck carrier?
🏒The pass didn't finish your involvement.
The pass changed your assignment. But it’s your job to pay attention to what that job might be. Because sometimes it’s movement and sometimes your job is to do absolutely nothing with the puck. Which is super important because otherwise players can hear and think, “Okay, so after I pass, I need to immediately do something.”
Sometimes. Yes.
But not necessarily.
Sometimes your best contribution is simply holding your position.
Maybe you're preventing a defender from collapsing.
Maybe you're protecting against a turnover.
Maybe you're occupying a passing lane.
Maybe moving would actually make the play worse.
So “don't stop playing after you pass” does not mean: Move constantly.
It means: Remain engaged with what the play needs.
It means pay attention so you’re the most helpful you can be.
If you’re not, you risk becoming a liability. Think about what happens when you stop:
Player A has the puck.�Player B is open.
Player A passes to Player B.�Player B receives it.�Player A stops watching the play and drifts.
Now Player B has the puck...and only one obvious option.
The defense knows it too.
The original passer could have:
🥅 created a second option
🏒 pulled coverage
🥅 supported underneath
🏒 opened a lane
🥅 provided an outlet
But instead? They became a spectator. And that can turn a good pass into a dead-end possession. Which this is where “support” actually becomes a lot more interesting. We often say: “Support your teammate.”
But what does that actually mean?
It doesn't mean: “Stand nearby.”
It means make their next decision easier.
If your teammate has the puck and pressure is coming, your position should answer: What do they need right now?
Maybe they need an outlet.
Give them one.
Maybe they need a passing lane.
Create one.
Maybe they need someone to pull coverage away.
Move.
Maybe they need someone behind the play because possession is unstable.
Stay home.
Support isn't a location. It's a response to the situation.
Players have to be very intentional about positioning and movement because you can't simply rely on the same movement patterns as standing hockey. So you can teach players: “Don't follow the puck. Follow the play.”
Those are NOT the same thing. The puck might go left. Your job might be right. The puck might move forward. Your job might be behind it. The puck might move away from you. Your job might be to become the next option. The puck tells you where it is. The play tells you where you are needed.
The puck leaving your stick doesn’t mean your shift in the play is over. It means your role might have changed.
🏒 Maybe you become an outlet.
🥅 Maybe you create space.
🏒 Maybe you support the puck.
🥅 Maybe you protect against the turnover.
🏒 Maybe you pull a defender away.
🥅 Maybe you do absolutely nothing because holding your position is exactly what the play needs.
The point isn't to constantly move.
The point isn't to constantly touch the puck.
The point is to stay connected to the play.
Because hockey doesn't happen in individual moments.
It happens in the space between them.
The pass isn't the end of your job.
It's the beginning of your next one.
The pass isn't the end of your job. It's the beginning of your next one.

Available VS Ready
Coaches always tell us, “Get open!”, “Be an option!”, but…what actually happens AFTER you get open?
Because there’s a difference between being available and being ready.
There’s a player sitting on the open ice.
No defender immediately on them.
They’re TECHNICALLY open.
So why didn’t the puck end up at their sticks?
Quite possibly because being open and being ready aren’t the same thing and though they were open they may not have been actively looking or appearing ready for their teammates to then sling the puck their way.

Being available is ONLY the beginning, when coach talks about getting open, they make it sound so easy:
Find space 👉🏼 Get open 👉🏼 Receive the puck
But the truth is, there’s a WHOLE lot happening between “I’m open” and “I’m ready for the puck”
You can be open but:
🥅 be facing the wrong way
🏒 be moving away from the play
🥅 maybe you’re too far to get a safe pass to
🏒 maybe you’re open but you’re being used as bait and don’t even see the pressure coming your way
🥅 maybe you’re moving at a different speed than the puck carrier 👈🏼 makes a bigger difference than you might think
🏒 maybe your positioning just isn’t what the play needs
🥅 or maybe you’re wide open but offering up a terrible passing angle

Yes, you’re ✨technically✨ open, but open for what???
That’s the real question.
Well, one of the real questions you have to start asking yourself. Another is to ask what happens AFTER the pass. Which, arguably isn’t always on the radar for skaters, but it makes a difference.
Imagine you're carrying the puck and you see a teammate sitting in open ice. You make the pass. They receive it. And immediately they're under pressure. They have to stop. Turn. Recover the puck. Look around. Figure out where they're going. By the time they're ready to make a play, the opportunity you thought you were creating is gone.

Was the teammate actually open? Technically.
Was the pass necessarily good? Not necessarily.
Why?
Because a successful pass isn't just: “the puck reached the teammate my Job is done.”
It SHOULD BE “The puck reached my teammate in a way that allows the play to continue”
And if you’re too busy simply making passes without thinking of the aftermath. See how that becomes an issue?
What once was a good play development dies before it really has a chance to grow all because you’re too busy thinking IN the moment rather than thinking about what comes next. And you picked the most available teammate as opposed to the looking for the teammate who is the most ready.
And yes. There’s a difference.
Available says “they’re open!”
Ready says “They know what to do AFTER the pass is made.”

Now, don’t get us wrong, a player who’s ready isn’t necessarily someone who knows exactly what they’re going to do, hockey is far too fluid for that and the mindset that says otherwise will actually derail someone faster than anything else.
No no, we’re not talking about this crazy thought where there’s a teammate who just “KNOWS” what to do the second the puck is at their sticks. We’re talking about the player that is prepared for possibilities.
🏒 They've scanned.
🥅 They know where pressure might come from.
🏒 They have an idea of where their options are.
🥅 Their body is positioned so they can adjust.
They're not receiving the puck and then beginning to think. They’re ALREADY thinking “If it comes here, what happens next. THAT’S readiness.
And as the puck carrier when you’re supposed to be working to develop a play, you’ve got to start paying attention. Don’t just look for who’s open, look at who looks ready.
“How?”
Fantastic question. Part of the answer comes with time and experience, the other part comes from paying attention and asking the right questions. Two teammates can be equally equally open, but their body positioning can tell you a LOT
(Picking your head up has more than one advantage, don’t you see)
Ask yourself:
🥅 Are they facing you or facing away?
🏒 Can they see the puck?
🥅 Are they moving toward the play or away from it?
🏒 Are they already positioned to continue forward?
🥅 Are they going to have to turn completely around to receive?
🏒 Can you build the play by passing to them?
A player who is open and oriented toward the play is generally giving you more to work with than someone who's open but facing the wrong direction. Not always, obviously (hockey loves exceptions) but it's a useful read and it’s useful to look for when looking for the ready player. It also is a good tip and reminder that passing the puck doesn’t make your job done or even successful. As the puck carrier it is your job to make sure you’re looking for the best options. You cannot get upset or frustrated for making a pass to an available skater who wasn’t ready. Part of your job was to check, communicate, or look for the right move. Asking those types of questions, paying attention to their heads and their communication, and also looking around at what’s happening around them, those are all great ways to ensure you’re doing the best you can for your team.

Now, picture yourself on the receiving end of the puck, there’s some things you gotta remember, the first being that your position can be open but still be useless, and it’s up to you to pay attention to that.
Open space doesn’t automatically equal useful space.
You can sit ten feet away from every defender and still be a ✨terrible✨ passing option.
Why?
Because maybe you're:
🥅 behind the play
🏒 too close to the boards
🥅 outside the useful passing angle
🏒 moving away from your teammate
🥅 unable to see the developing pressure
🏒occupying the same space your teammate needs
You're open. But you're not helpful. And that changes how we should think about positioning.
Instead of asking: “Am I open?”
Ask: “If I get the puck here, what can I actually do?”
That makes a world of difference, not just for your play style, but for your team as well. If you at least have an IDEA of what you’ll do if you get the puck, you’re contributing to the team. If you’re waiting until the puck gets to you to decide what to do, well, now you’re slowing things down and giving your opponent time to react or build against you.
“Ready” Doesn't Mean Perfect
This distinction is important.
We're not asking players to magically predict the future. Nobody is going to react perfectly every time.
A ready player can still:
🥅 misread a play
🏒 miss a pass
🥅 get caught flat-footed
🏒 make the wrong decision
🥅discover the pressure came from somewhere unexpected
That's hockey. Readiness isn't certainty. It's preparation. It's giving yourself the best possible chance to respond when the situation changes. Being open gets you an opportunity. Being ready lets you do something with it.
And those aren't always the same thing.
The best players aren't simply looking for empty ice. They're looking for useful ice.They're not simply asking: “Can I get the puck here?”
They're asking:“If the puck comes here, what happens next?”
Because hockey doesn't stop when you receive the puck. That's when your next decision begins.

It’s hockey season y’all!
Practice is THIS Saturday! See ya there 😎

Moving with ✨PURPOSE✨
A player can travel half the length of the rink and accomplish absolutely…nothing.
Another player can move two sled lengths, and completely change the play.
THAT’S the difference between moving and CREATING purposeful movement.
Sled isn’t a game where movement gets points, what your movement ✨causes✨ is what matters.

Imagine you're an offensive player without the puck.
You move toward the puck. The defender follows. You move back. The defender follows. You move across the ice. The defender follows.
Technically?
You were active. You covered a lot of ice. But did you actually create anything? Maybe not.
You haven't necessarily:
🏒 opened a passing lane
🥅 moved a defender somewhere dangerous
🏒 created space for a teammate
🥅 forced a defensive rotation
🏒 changed the numbers
🥅 created a better option
You were moving. BUT the defense never had to make a difficult decision. They didn’t have to look at you twice. They didn’t have to consider you a threat. And that's the important distinction.
NOW, take that same scenario and change ONE thing, instead of simply moving across the ice, imagine you DELIBERATELY move into a position that forces a defender to make a choice.
NOW they have to decide:
🏒 Do I follow
🥅 Do I stay
🏒 Do I pass coverage
🥅 Do I protect the middle
🏒 Do I leave another player
Suddenly, your movement has done ✨something✨you changed the problem the defense had to solve. You forced them to think twice.
And you didn’t even need the puck.
THAT’S movement with a PURPOSE

Here’s the thing: Movement is information.
Every time you move, you’re giving the defense something to respond to. BUT you’re also learning how THEY respond. (Something we tend to forget)
You learn what happens when you move. Maybe they follow. Maybe they stick with the puck handler. Okay, you learned something.
You move again. They switch coverage.
There’s another piece of information.
Now you know something about how they're defending.
So intentional movement isn't only about creating space.
It's also about gathering information.
You're asking the defense a question:
“What are you going to do if I go here?”
And their answer tells you something.
Those answers can then be used to your advantage as the play continues because your movement impacts your team’s movement.
Think about it: How often do you hear a coach say “Get open!” A lot, we’re sure. But what if you being open actually WASN’T the goal?
Sometimes your movement doesn’t need YOU to get open, but rather, that movement has now created the ability for someone else to be open.
🏒 Maybe your movement caused a defender to pull away from the puck.
🥅 Maybe you occupy a lane, that diverts attention.
🏒 Maybe you make the defender hesitate.
Not every movement is designed for you to receive the puck but every movement CAN BE designed to make a way for something to happen.
By this point, we know you’re seeing what we’re saying, and you’re probably thinking “oh so we just keep moving.” And while you ALWAYS do need to be moving, you have to be care that your movement doesn’t become automatic. Don’t start moving just because you’re supposed to be moving…make sure you’re moving to accomplish something.
AND this isn’t just an offensive lesson either, a defender can also move constantly and accomplish very little as well.
You can chase the puck all over the ice.
You can follow players everywhere.
You can be incredibly active.
But if your movement opens the dangerous lane?
You've just worked very hard to make the other team's job easier.😅
Defensive movement needs purpose too.
🏒 Sometimes your job is to move toward the puck.
🥅 Sometimes it's to hold your position.
🏒 Sometimes it's to adjust your angle.
🥅 Sometimes it's to take away a lane.
🏒 Sometimes it's to force an attacker somewhere they don't want to go.
Movement isn't automatically good defense. Instead of chasing or just being all over the defensive end, ask yourself “What am I taking away?” THAT’S how to turn your movement into purpose as a defensemen.

And truthfully speaking from a defensive position if you start asking that kind of question, you’re actually creating pressure for the offense. Because contrary to popular belief, Pressure isn’t simply “Go towards the puck” or “crowd the skater” sometimes it’s as simple as what you can do with the movement you’re making. For example:
🥅 You can pressure a player without immediately attacking them.
🏒 You can change your angle.
🥅 You can close one option.
🏒 You can force them toward another.
🥅 You can make the puck carrier see fewer choices.
Each option requires movement on your part, BUT it also keeps the choice in your hands rather than the opponent’s, and if the choice is in your hands, the pressure is in theirs.

In the end whether you’re on an offensive breakaway or you’re holding the defensive zone you need to understand that EVERY intentional movement should have some sort of a consequence. (A reason for the movement)
Maybe:You moved 👉🏼 defender followed. Great.
Now something changed.
You moved 👉🏼 defender didn't follow.
Also useful. You learned they aren't willing to leave their position.
You moved 👉🏼 teammate became open. Excellent. That’s an open opportunity to make a play happen.
You moved 👉🏼 nothing changed. That's information too.
Maybe that movement wasn't useful.
Maybe you needed to move differently.
Maybe the defense wasn't threatened.
That's how players start learning to evaluate their own decisions and grow confident in their abilities and seeing how their movement impacts the play.

And as we also say: it doesn’t start in a game situation. If you’re learning how the defense moves mid-game (for the first time) you’re going to fail that test. You gotta work on learning how to read during practices and scrimmages and even off-ice training.
Instead of telling yourself you just gotta move more, change your mindset just a little.
Question yourself: “Can you make the defense move?” NOW you’re not rewarding simple movement, now you’re rewarding impact. And if you start rewarding impact in practice by the time a game rolls around, your body is hardwired to look for impact not just movement.
Which, if you think about it makes sense, because you don't get points for how much ice you cover. You don't get points for how busy you look. You don't get points because you were constantly moving.
Hockey rewards what that movement creates impact. If all that matters is movement stats would look a lot different.
The question isn’t “Did I move?”
It’s actually “What changed BECAUSE I moved?”
THAT’S the difference between moving around the ice, and actually influencing it.
MOVEMENT ISN'T THE POINT. IMPACT IS.

We know good behavior when we see it