Players who want to improve in hockey may think about putting more velocity on their shots, passing more accurately and learning how to stickhandle with flair, but none of those factors will really help unless you are a strong and powerful skater. To become a consistently productive player, you need to do power skating drills.
Pushing the Net
This is a drill to do at the end of practice every day. Your coach will blow his whistle signaling the end of practice. As your teammates skate off the ice and go into the locker room, you can see the Zamboni warming up and getting ready to come out on the ice. Use this time to build your power. Release the net from the magnets holding it in place and drag the net over to the side of the ice. Skate as hard as you can while pushing the net to the opposite end of the ice and then skate back with it. Then push the net off the ice so the Zamboni driver can do his job. This will increase your skating power and endurance.
Circle Drills
Build power and turning ability by skating in circles. Have players lineup at the five circles on the ice. There are two in the offensive zone, two in the defensive zone and one at center ice. On your whistle, all skaters will move counterclockwise around the circles five times. Then they will reverse field and skate in five clockwise circles. Then they will skate five backwards counterclockwise circles and five clockwise backwards circles. This will improve your power and agility on the ice.
Gutbusters
This drill has been done by hockey players for many generations at the insistence of their coaches. Start off at the end line and sprint to the near blue line and then back to the end line. Then sprint to center ice and back, the far blue line and back and then the opposite end line and back. Take a two-minute break and repeat. This will help build skating endurance and power.
Four-Shot Drill
Start off at center ice. The coach will blow his whistle to signal the start of the drill and hit his stopwatch. The player will skate to the far face-off circle on the right side of the ice and take a slap shot. He will sprint back to center ice.Then he will skate to the far face-off circle on the left side and take a slap shot. Skate back to center ice at full speed. Then do the same for the pucks sitting in the other two face-off circles. Repeat the drill if any of your shots were not on goal. Do this drill everyday to build explosive speed and power.
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