louis st. laurent barons hockey academy monthly themes / focus

Louis St. Laurent BARONS

HOCKEY ACADEMY

MONTHLY THEMES / FOCUS

COACHES MESSAGE

I would like to take the opportunity to welcome every student athlete to another exciting year with the Louis St. Laurent Hockey BARONS Academy. This year’s ice sessions will focus on technical skill development along with tangible “next level habits” and details (hockey sense, situational awareness, puck pursuit skills, what the player does without the puck, support with and away from the puck, pressure with and without the puck, puck protection, time/space/positioning, gap control, reading pressure, offensive and defensive structure, transition, undetermined possession, read and respond awareness to situations with and without the puck as well as positional awareness in those situations) to compliment your current individual skill set. Along with Above the Crease Goaltending the ice sessions will include technical and tactical elements relating to goaltending, skating, puckhandling, shooting, checking, passing, angling, stick emphasis and positioning.

The ice sessions will involve the concepts of 'pressure with the puck' as well as 'pressure without the puck' both offensively and defensively and will include the concept of structure relating to position specific emphasis reinforcing the Defensemen, Forward and Goaltending“ habits required for the next level“ whatever that may be for all of our student athletes. At the end of every session we will run confined area situations to promote ‘decisions with and without the puck,’ ‘the concept of time and space,’ ‘intellectual and physical skills,’ and ‘essential hockey skills where the game becomes the teacher.’ Anatoli Tarasov, the famous Russian Coach said that “the greatest gift you can give to your players is to teach them to coach themselves so that they can act independently of you, the coach.”

We require an “open mind” from everyone of you to be receptive towards improving yourself as a player.

Coach Dan, Coach Jamie, Coach Jaret and I owe it to every student athlete to be “insistent” on proper habits while at the same time task each of you with having an exceptional work ethic. Our coaches will be extremely prepared and our challenge to you is to approach each session with the mindset of “doing everything better than you have ever done it before” … every drill … every repetition … every save … that is how you “Win Forever” and that is how you can make the Louis St. Laurent BARONS Hockey Academy an unbelieveable opportunity for you towards preparing and achieving your goals in hockey and in life.

Coach Blair, Coach Dan, Coach Jaret, Coach Jamie

INDIVIDUAL REQUIRED HABITS FOR FORWARDS EMPHASIZED

1. After shooting always follow your shot to the net to look for the rebound.

2. Stop at the net always and stay above the crease - your stick on the ice always looking for a second opportunity.

3. When checking always keep your stick on ice to influence the puck carrier and take away passing lanes. As you approach your check, keep your stick on the puck with “eyes up” and “play through the man.”

4. After all checks, work hard to come off on the defensive side of the man.

5. When tracking back through the middle, skate to the defensive side of the man (“ass on gloves” principle). Never reach or hook or focus solely on the puck.

6. Offensively when breaking out or when on the transition - run ‘deep routes’ to gain time and space away from pressure (come back ‘low and controlled’).

7. Check your shoulder on all breakouts and transitions before receiving a pass as well as in the offensive zone in order to read pressure:

Breakouts: Know where the forechecking pressure is coming from and how much time you have. Know your breakout and transition options. If the puck is outside the ‘dots’ in the defensive zone, the options are ‘D to D’ / ‘Over Pass’ and if it is inside the ‘dots’ the options are ‘Turn up / Wheel / Reverse Pass.’

INDIVIDUAL REQUIRED HABITS FOR FORWARDS EMPHASIZED CONTINUED

Offensive Zone: See where your teammates are early so you know where your potential passing options are in the offensive zone.

A. Offensive Support: Make yourself available ‘over and over’ again for the puck. Create ‘2-on-1’s’ by moving to support the puck carrier (‘2 around the puck always’).

B. Attack the offensive blueline with outside speed by moving your legs through the Neutral Zone - ‘if your legs are not moving through the neutral zone you are ineffective.’

C. Offensively, the second man must ‘drive hard’ to the net to provide ‘pressure without the puck.’ The second man is looking to create ‘net front pressure/presence.’

D. The second man in the offensive zone provides ‘pressure without the puck to the net.’

E. Move the puck often (Remember Alexei TARASOFF's Active Puck Concept).

F. Pass the puck hard and get used to taking hard passes on both your forehand and backhand.

G. Talk on both offence and defence. Players who talk on the ice generally have a better understanding of the game: eg. “chip, deep, middle, time, pressure”…

H. Make offensive blueline decisions early: ‘pass it, carry it in or cross dump it in, chip … - use redline as an early guide.’

INDIVIDUAL REQUIRED HABITS FOR DEFENSEMEN EMPHASIZED

•Get back hard for all pucks - never, ever ‘coast’ back.

•Always check your shoulder behind you when going back to retrieve pucks (‘inside - outside’ if possible) so you can read the forechecking pressure and to determine your breakout options.

•Make the simple play always as it is most often the best play.

•When playing the puck carrier defensively ‘keep your feet under you’ along with your “Eyes Up” and “Stick on Puck” and “Play Through the Man” versus ‘reaching.’

•After a breakout pass to your partner in your own zone (“Over” / “Reverse”) always return to the net front.

•Try and keep your ‘skates up ice’ as much as possible to read pressure and to know where your options are when you get the puck (‘think one play a head’).

•When Pinching “always check your inside shoulder for support” before leaving the blueline. Remember to keep your “Eyes Up” / “Stick on Puck and beat your man out of the zone on the defensive side. Close off the boards if possible.

•On breakouts follow the play up aggressively to be part of the play and to have your gap tight if there is transition back towards your own end.

•On point shots in the defensive zone, look to get early position at the net and ‘box out’ the opposition from getting to the net front.

INDIVIDUAL REQUIRED HABITS FOR DEFENSEMEN EMPHASIZED CONTINUED

•On point shots in the defensive zone, look to get early position at the net and ‘box out’ the opposition from getting to the net front.

•In the Defensive Zone “deflect the play to the outside. Protect the good ice (middle) by using the dots as a guideline.

•Pass the puck hard always.

•Talk! Help your partner by being an “out.” Let your partner know what options are available … “time, over, reverse, rim, move it, etc.”

•Never carry the puck to your partner or your pass option - “move it early.”

•Talk on both offense and on defence. Players who talk on the ice generally have a better understanding of the game: eg. “chip, time, middle, pressure, man on,”…

ON-ICE SESSION FORMAT

0745 to 0800 hours Individual Skills

0800 to 0830 hours Technical Skill Development

0830 to 0900 hours Habits and Tactical Skills

0900 to 0930 hours Small Area Competition

0930 to 0945 hours Flood/Life Stories

TECHNICAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT (Stations)

30 minutes

THEME TACTICS AND HABITS

30 minutes

SMALL AREA GAMES COMPETITION / FUN

30 minutes

TACTICAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: Offensive Tactics Puck Protection “1 on 1” “2 on 1” “2 on 2” “3 on 2” Point Shooting (‘Sprinting’) Single Drive “Jumps / Bumps” - D Support Single Delays “Push Puck Protection” Reading the Offense Reading the Defense One Timers / Fake Shot / Pass “Give / Gets” Puck Protect (Tripod / Small Area / Boards) “Push Puck Protection”

TACTICAL DEVELOPMENT FOCUS CONTINUED:

“5 Star Hunt Positioning” Golden Bear Drive Sequence Power Play Options (High and Low Individual Tactics) Defenseman Agility Transition Routes Support With and Without the Puck Attacking the zone with outside speed - Middle Drive / Attack

Triangle / Triple Drive ‘Sprinting’ Net Drive (‘Hip Pocket Principle’) Delay (High an Low) Push (High and Low) Push (High and Low) ‘Jump and Bump’ Escapes “Inside/out and Outside/in” entries “Activating”


‘2 on 1 - low pad rebound’ “Joining the Rush” Transition ‘D to D and Up’ Transition with ‘Jump and Bump’ Agility with ‘Jump and Bump’ Option Transition with “Chip” Breakout Transition Tracking Transition 2 on 1 Tracking 4 Blue Transition 3 on 3 Neutral Zone Transition Low and Controlled Support off the Transition ‘Look Offs’ Support / Supporting with Deep routes ‘Quick Ups’ Lane Responsibilities Tracking Responsibilities Re-groups / Countering


‘Coming back to the puck’ ‘Jackhammer Support’ ‘Saving Ice’ ‘Joining versus Leading’ ‘Taking Ice’ ‘Finding Ice’ “Tracking” Responsibilities “Backside Pressure” “Activating into the rush” “Chipping Pucks” “Defending the 2 on 1” Drive with Support Delay with Support “Jackhammer” Support “Soft Dumps” / ‘Rims’ “Joining versus Leading” the Rush “Changing the Point of Attack”


“Long Cycle” “Net Cycle” “High Cycle” “Chasing the Tail versus Cutting off the Head” 3 on 2 - ‘middle drive importance’ “Chipping pucks / area passing” Delay review Pressure driving the net with and without the puck Re-directs / Deflections “Soft Slot” awareness Confined area support Chip Retrievals Net Front options offensively and defensively Reading and Responding Confined Area Puck Protection

SKILL DEVELOPMENT THEMES - FEBRUARY

TECHNICAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOCUS:

Day 1 Individual Player Skills Testing

Day 2 Individual Player Skills Testing

Day 3 Stick Handling/angling- boards

Day 4 Stick Handling/angling - boards - open ice

Day 5 Stick Handling/angling - boards - open ice

Day 6 Quantum Speed/Skating


Day 8 Passing/angling

Day 9 Passing/angling – Open ice

Day 10 Passing/angling – D-zone

SKILL DEVELOPMENT THEMES - MARCH


Day 1 Shooting - puck protection - 1 on 1



Day 4 Puck handling - 2 on 1





Day 9 Passing - fwd and Dmen split

Day 10 Passing/Puck Protection

Day 11 Shooting/Puck Protection

SKILL DEVELOPMENT THEMES - APRIL


Day 1 Shooting/ Net Drives - delays

Day 2 Puck handling/Net Drives – delays




Day 6 Puck handling- 3-0 triangle

Day 7 Passing - 3-0 triangle

Day 8 Passing - 3-0 mid drive

Day 9 Passing - 3-0 mid drive

Day 10 Shooting - 3 on 2

Day 11 Shooting - 3 on 2

SKILL DEVELOPMENT THEMES - MAY


Day 1 Puck Handling - Angling

Day 2 Puck Handling - Puck Protection

Day 3 Puck Handling - Cycling

Day 4 Passing - Cycling

Day 5 Passing - Transition

Day 6 Passing - Transition

Day 7 Shooting - Transition

Day 8 Shooting - Defending 1 on 1 small area

Day 9 Shooting - Defending 2 on 1 small area

Day 10 Puck handling - Defending 2 on 2 small area

Day 11 Puck handling - Defending 3 on 3 small area

DEVELOPMENT THEMES - JUNE

• Getting ready for Spring Hockey Camps• Getting ready for the summer / next season focus• Individual Player Testing

DEVELOPMENT FOCUS:

Day 1 PEEL CUPDay 2 PEEL CUP Day 3 PEEL CUP/Individual Skill TestingDay 4 PEEL CUP/Individual Skill TestingDay 5 Teacher vs Hockey Academy Game

louis st. laurent barons hockey academy monthly themes / focus

Documents

coach jaret

coach dan

puck protection

puck carrier

coach blair

puck pursuit skills

coach jamie individual

famous russian coach