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Passing / On ice

Give-and-go window

Pass, move beyond a fixed obstacle, and arrive in a new passing window for a return puck.

10U · 12U · 14U+Intermediate7 minutes2–2 players
Original drill diagram
Give-and-go window: player positions and movement 12
1 passes to 2, skates below and beyond the cone, then receives ahead. The dashed return ends at the future receiving spot. One puck is used. 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: Skates, Hockey protective equipment, Cones, Stick, Pucks

  1. Place a cone 12 feet in front of player 1. Partner 2 stands 10 feet to the left of that cone. Player 1 starts with the puck; the space beyond the cone is the return window.
  2. Player 1 passes diagonally to partner 2, then skates past the right side of the cone without the puck.
  3. After clearing the cone, player 1 presents the blade. Partner 2 returns the puck into that new window rather than toward the original starting position.
  4. Player 1 receives, coasts out, and brings the puck back around the outside. Make four repetitions and swap roles, then mirror the setup if time remains.
  5. Use seven minutes. Count completed give-and-go sequences in which the receiver keeps moving through the return pass.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Pass, move, show.” The second action creates the next passing lane.
  • Partner 2 watches the moving player, not just the puck on the blade.
  • Delay the return until the cone no longer blocks the line between players.

Common mistakes

  • Player watches the first pass without moving. Try: take the first stride as the puck leaves.
  • Return hits the cone. Try: wait for the receiver’s blade to appear beyond it.
  • Return is behind the receiver. Try: lead the skating route by a small amount.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier: player 1 stops in the return window before receiving.
  • Harder: partner 2 takes one lateral step before returning the puck, changing the passing angle.
Research context & source notes

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

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More passing drills · Development guides