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Cone gate carry

Carry a puck through three gates while choosing the next opening before reaching it.

6U · 8U · 10U · 12UBeginner6 minutes1–4 players
Original drill diagram
Cone gate carry: player positions and movement 12ABC
1 carries the puck through gates A, B and C, then stops beyond C and returns below the course. Each gate is two meters wide; gate centers are three meters apart. The dot marks the starting puck and solid arrows show the player carrying it. 2 represents waiting players. The harder offset-gate variation is not shown. Original schematic; not to scale. Circles with numbers or letters mark players. Other markers and arrows are explained in the caption; some diagrams show puck or ball movement instead of skating. Red arrows show shots. Follow the written setup for spacing.

How to run it

Equipment: Stick, Pucks, Cones, Skates, Hockey protective equipment

  1. Use six cones to make gates A, B and C, each two meters wide. Put their centers three meters apart in a straight line. Start two meters before A with one puck, and leave four meters beyond C to finish. For 1–4 players, one works while the others wait beside the start.
  2. Skate the route once without a puck. Then begin with a puck in front, travel through A, B and C, and let both the puck and the player pass between each pair of cones.
  3. Use small guiding touches rather than sending the puck to the next gate. After each gate, briefly look at the next opening, then look back at the puck as needed. A short glide while guiding the puck is fine.
  4. After C, stop with the puck, then carry it back along the outside of the gates. The next turn begins when the player has returned. If the puck misses a gate, reset at that gate and finish the route without counting the attempt.
  5. Spend six minutes on demonstration and short turns. Count clean gates out of three on each attempt; aim to improve that count before increasing speed.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Puck, then skates through.” Aim the puck between the cones and follow it through the same opening.
  • Cue: “Find the next gate.” Make a brief look ahead between gates; beginners may look down again to guide the puck.
  • Keep touches small enough that the next touch is possible without a chasing stride. If a chase is needed, reduce both the push on the puck and the skating speed.

Common mistakes

  • Puck gets through but the player goes outside a cone. Try: run one gate at a time and finish with both skates through it.
  • Puck is pushed far ahead. Try: pause at each gate with the puck within reach, then restart with a smaller touch.
  • Player stares down and misses the next opening. Try: ask them to name A, B or C before entering that gate; do not require continuous eyes-up handling.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier for newer 6U/8U: use one gate three meters wide. Guide the puck through, stop, then reset instead of linking gates.
  • Harder for ready 10U/12U: move the middle gate one meter sideways while keeping every gate two meters wide. Preview the new route without a puck before carrying through it.
Research context & source notes

Background sources for this drill’s skills and teaching principles.

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