Playing youth hockey is exciting for young players. The Mite Hockey Program is a division of USA Hockey designed for youngsters who are 7- or 8-and-under, depending on the state. The idea is to give the youngsters an introduction to the game, teach the basic skills and emphasize both sportsmanship and having fun while participating.
Skating Drills
To play the game, players must always work on their skating. In this drill, the coach will set up five cones about 8 to 10 feet apart on the ice. The player will skate to the right of the first cone, the left of the second, right of the third cone and continue on in that manner. As the skater goes past the fifth cone, he sprints back to the starting line and the next player takes off. Make sure each player gets two turns skating the cones.
Puck-Control Drill
To have youngsters start to learn about stick handling and puck control, have three players line up next to each of the five primary faceoff circles. Place three pucks in the center of each circle. On your whistle, the players will each take control of a puck and stickhandle around the circle that surrounds the faceoff dot. After each player has made a circle, the players switch positions, skate to a new faceoff area and stick handle around that circle. Keep going until all players have skated and stickhandled around all five faceoff circles.
Passing and Receiving Drill
Give each player on your team a partner and have the partners face each other at a distance of about 10 feet. Player A has the puck on the blade of his stick and tries to make a forehand pass to the blade of player B's stick. Player B then passes the puck back to player A, trying to hit the blade of his stick. Each player makes five forehand passes, then five backhand passes are attempted. After players have completed forehand and backhand passes, have them move 10 feet further back and try to accomplish the drill from a distance of 20 feet.
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