Stickhandling is a technical skill that all players need to master if they are to play at an elite level. Players who have mastered stickhandling and puck control, are more confident when they have the puck , and this will ultimately give them more time and space on the ice. Scouts love to see players who are able to maintain puck control as they are skating at top speed.
If a player can incorporate their stickhandling skills with great skating skills, instinct, timing, and an ability to read & react to a given situation, they can go a long way in their hockey career.
A player faces many one on one battles during a game, and being comfortable with the puck in traffic, will make you more successful. All players should practice their stickhandling and puck control skills as much as possible.
Key Points:
If a player can incorporate their stickhandling skills with great skating skills, instinct, timing, and an ability to read & react to a given situation, they can go a long way in their hockey career.
A player faces many one on one battles during a game, and being comfortable with the puck in traffic, will make you more successful. All players should practice their stickhandling and puck control skills as much as possible.
Key Points:
- keep your feet shoulder width apart
- keep your knees bent
- keep your upper body leaning slightly forward
- keep your head up (read the play around you, you will have more options)
- top hand at the top of the stick
- bottom hand about 20 to 30 cm down the shaft (keeping your hands too close together creates a weak grip, and keeping your hands too far apart limits your range to move the puck)
- keep the blade flat on the ice
- cup the puck in the center of the blade, cushioning it while you stickhandle
- roll your wrists
- slide the blade of the stick along the ice (do not bang it on the ice, there should be little or no noise created by the stick’s hitting the ice)
- the top edge of the stick blade should be slightly over the puck and the toe of the blade should be turned in towards the puck
Players need to practice both their stationary and moving puck control skills. Here are some great practice ideas from Hockey Canada which will help you get to the next level.
1) Narrow: this is a fast, short movement. Move puck back and forth quickly in front of your body, keeping your hand movement as smooth and quick as possible.
2) Wide: this technic moves the puck across entire body. Extend to each side as far as your arms can go. Your bottom hand can come off the stick as you go to your backhand.
3) Practice stickhandling on your forehand on your side, then stickhandle right in front of you, then stickhandle on your backhand on your side (stationary and in motion)
4) Practice stickhandling on one leg at a time (this needs to be mastered)
5) Practice stickhandling with ONLY your top hand. This will give you more strength in your forearm, and help your coordination.
6) Practice stickhandling with your hands together. This will improve your forearm strength
7) Practice stickhandling with your hands wide apart; shift your weight from one skate to the other.
8) Practice stationary stickhandling Figure 8’s, both with two hands and with one hand (top). This will enable you to practice stickhandling on your forehand and backhand in a confined area.
9) Around the Body – Box. Stickhandle around your body by rotating only your upper body. This will develop better puck control and your agility.
10) Around the Body – Triangle. Move puck in triangular fashion around your body, No stickhandling but instead pull the puck.
11) Stick through Legs – practice stickhandling and putting your stick through your legs and the puck around your skate. This develops your hand-eye coordination.
12) Puck through Legs – practice moving puck wide on your forehand and pulling puck through your legs (off your skates if necessary)
13) Practice stickhandling as a right hander and left hander. This will improve your feel for the puck, your hand-eye coordination.
14) Body/Stick Opposite. Practice stickhandling away from your body (great tactic)
15) Practice bouncing the puck on your blade in the air – develops hand-eye coordination
16) Practice the Puck Scoop – the Sidney Crosby Move
17) Practice flipping puck in the air and batting it down
18) Practice stickhandling with 2 pucks – Great drill to develop your hand-eye coordination.
19) Open Ice Carry – Forehand and Backhand (normally for defenseman). Practice stickhandling with only your top hand on the stick, carrying puck forward both on the front (heel) and back (heel) of your blade.
20) Practice weave skating with the puck – series of glide turns, very little stickhandling.
21) Practice Crossover Carries and Stickhandling– 3 consecutive crossovers moving side to side (forward and backward).
22) Crossover Circle Carries and Stickhandling
23) Practice skating up ice and stickhandle the puck behind your body, side to side. This is great for when you receive a pass behind you, and for when you lose control of the puck while you are in motion.
24) Practice skating up ice kicking puck from skate to skate, and puck from stick blade to skate.
25) Practice skating on your heels
26) Practice your stickhandling while performing 360 degree spin from both directions
27) Practice going around pylons on your forehand ONLY (harder than it sounds, basically you never go on your backhand by performing toe drags by always staying on your forehand)
28) Practice going around pylons with only one hand on the stick (top hand). This is a great drill to develop soft hands (try going forward and backward)
29) Practice skating Figure 8’s in Transition (going forward and then backward by performing open and reverse picot on each pylon).
By working on these drills, you will be on your way to becoming a much better stickhandler. On a final note, it is important to mention the fact that all the best stickhandlers in the world have one thing in common - - they can skate like the wind. So make sure you have great skating to go with your great stickhandling.