Hockey is start-stop. Players sprint, stop hard, sprint again. The kid who can stop and reaccelerate the fastest gets to every loose puck first. This drill builds that pattern.
What you need: Full gear, ice rink, two cones.
Setup: Cones at the blue line and the red line (about 25 feet apart).
How to run it:
- Cue: Push, Glide, Recover, Repeat. Add: Stop hard. Push again.
- Skater sprints from the blue line to the red line.
- At the red line, plows to a hard stop using the inside edges (snowplow stop).
- Pushes back hard toward the blue line.
- Stops at the blue line. Do 6 round trips.
What to watch: The stop. A soft stop (gradual deceleration) wastes time. A hard stop creates ice spray and the body sinks low. That’s the move.
If they’re struggling: Use only one stop direction. Build the snowplow on one side first.
If they’ve got it: Add a hockey stop (sideways stop with both blades). Or do the drill carrying a puck.
Gear for this drill (affiliate)
Hockey pucks (6-pack) → — regulation pucks for drills and scrimmage.
Agility cones → — for stickhandling courses and skating drills.
Full hockey gear guide → — all picks by age, sport, and level.
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