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Stickhandling / On ice

Skate-to-stick recovery

Move a puck from beside a skate back into stick reach using a small skate touch followed by a blade collection.

10U · 12UIntermediate6 minutes1–1 players
Original drill diagram
Skate-to-stick recovery: player positions and movement 1StartExit
Close-up: 1 remains in place for the base task. The lower dot starts beside the left skate; the short arrow shows the puck moving forward into blade reach. The long arrow is only the later glide toward Exit. 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 two cones 12 feet apart to mark Start and Exit. Begin at Start in a wide, balanced stance with one puck just outside the left skate. Keep both skates down for the first attempts.
  2. Angle the left skate so its inside face can nudge the puck forward toward the stick. Use a short sliding touch, not a kicking swing.
  3. Collect with the blade in front of the feet and hold the puck for one count. Reset the puck outside the other skate and repeat on that side.
  4. After three recoveries per side, try the same sequence during a slow glide toward Exit, setting the puck beside one skate with the stick first. Return outside the route.
  5. Use six minutes with brief rests. Count recoveries that finish on the blade in front of the feet without chasing the puck or crossing the skates.

Key teaching points

  • Cue: “Small skate touch, ready blade.” Prepare the collection before moving the puck.
  • Keep the skate near the ice and the touch short.
  • Make the puck available ahead of the stance, not directly beneath the skates.

Common mistakes

  • Puck flies beyond reach. Try: reduce the skate motion to a gentle nudge.
  • Player steps on the puck. Try: start it farther outside the skate and stay stationary.
  • Blade is late to collect. Try: place it at the intended receiving spot before the skate touch.

Make it fit the player

  • Easier: practice stationary on one side until three short recoveries finish on the blade.
  • Harder: alternate sides on separate slow-glide trips without stopping for the collection.
Research context & source notes

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

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