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How to Defend With Angling
As a coach, the most common mistake I see AT ALL levels is a player's inability to angle and identify how to use their stick to close the gap. Even at the NHL level, nearly all goals are scored from a fumble of the puck OR a poor angle on the opposition. In many cases, a bad angle will open up the ice, create odd-player rushes and cost a team on the score board. A perfect example of this is shown below with Tampa Bay Lightning forward, Yanny Gourde.
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Although there are many things to pick apart in this example, we want to focus on the inability to stop the play in the neutral zone, before any offense could be generated. With proper stick positioning and a quality angle, this play would have ended at center, but instead, it opened up ice for Washington to own and take full advantage of.
Regardless of a player's position, developing proper angling skills is one of the most important things they can do. Starting at the mite level, it's vital that these skills are learned early, with the habits being reinforced throughout their entire hockey career.
My tried and true keys to a successful angle are:
1. Stick positioning
- When angling a 1 vs 1, a defender's goal should be to take away the center ice and force their opposition into "bad ice", ensuring there is no opportunity for a cut back. In defending a cutback, the defender should drag their stick behind their body while closing the gap and then quickly shift to "stick on puck" to completely take away the play.
2. Quiet feet
- Avoiding unnecessary crossovers and lower body movement is a huge key to angling. Keeping a strong base and using a powerful inside edge will allow players to quickly change directions if need be. At the more skilled levels of hockey, offensive players will wait until defenders cross over and then make a cut in the opposite direction, leaving the defender vulnerable to be beat.
3. Contact through the hands
- The last step of the angle is separating the puck from the player. If your league has body contact, hitting through the hands is a sure fire way to force a loose puck and gain possession. Without body contact, the defender can finish the play off with a strong stick on the puck, knocking the puck free for your team to control.
When performed well, a successful angle is a thing of beauty. Below Erik Karlsson demonstrates a textbook performance against his now team, San Jose Sharks. Karlsson uses his stick and body position to take away the center of the ice and as he closes his gap, cuts off the play with a solid hit, removing any scoring chance.
With those key points in mind, here are 5 of my go-to drills to reinforce the skill of angling. Do the work and take your player's game to the next level!
1. Karlsson's Angle 1 vs 1
- The drill starts when X2 skates down the wall with the puck trying to score on the net
- X1 reacts to X2 and angles the player down the wall away from the net
- X2 is NOT allowed to cut back on the other side of the pylon
2. Burn's Angle 1 vs 1
- Coach dumps a puck into the corner for X1 to retrieve
- X1 can skate right into the zone, but X2 has to skate wide around the tire before cutting across zone and angling their opposition
- Play out a 1 vs 1
Burn's Angle 2 vs 2
- Coach dumps a puck into the corner for X1 to retrieve
- X1 and X2 can skate right into the zone, but X3 and X4 have to skate wide around the tire before cutting across zone and angling their opposition
- Play out a 2 vs 2
3. Doell's Angle 1 vs 1
- X2 pass the puck cross ice to X1
- X1 skates with the puck up and around the tires trying to beat X2 back to the net
- X2 skates to the middle of the ice, mirrors X1 and tries to angle them back to the wall
4. Doughty 1 vs 1
- F skates down the wall, around the bumper and then drives the net for a shot on goal
- D skates forwards, pivots around the bumper and then skates forwards and angles F
5. Marchand's Stick Battle (Game)
X and
O and stick handle pucks in circle, while trying to knock the other player's puck out of the circle
Whoever still has the puck will play offense, exit zone and go in on a 1v1
Alternate sides of the drill
Whoever still has the puck will play offense, exit zone and go in on a 1v1
Alternate sides of the drill
Valley Forge Minutemen Forward Christian Seasholtz was on a breakaway late in the season on an imposing goalie. He made a quick deke and created an opening to bury the puck on the 5’11 Jr. Flyers goaltender. No thought, just quick twitch muscles, and muscle memory. Christian attributed the quick decision-making and hand speed to his countless hours of training off the ice. Christian’s hockey journey started because he was inspired to play by some of his family members. He has a family who played for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers and teams in the OHL and NCAA. In November 2020, Christian Seasholtz became a Project Hockey Member. His learning curve was short, as he quickly made PH part of his daily routine. He does the PH workouts 6-7 times a week. “PH has become part of my daily routine and I usually DO THE WORK around 10:25 am each day.” Online schooling has made it easy to incorporate hockey training into part of his daily schedule. PH was a great opportunity to break up the school day while improving his hockey skills and staying disciplined to a routine.