PW/BT HYBRID DEFENSEMEN

This clinic is designed for hockey players in the Peewee and Bantam age groups, whether they play as defensemen or forwards, who are looking to elevate their two-way game. The focus is on developing essential skills for both ends of the ice—strong defensive play as well as contributing offensively.

What players will focus on:

• Defensive Fundamentals: Learn the key aspects of positioning, gap control, and angling. Players will work on improving their ability to defend against attacking forwards, using body positioning and stick skills to disrupt offensive plays.

• Breakout Techniques: Master efficient and accurate breakout passes, transitioning quickly from defense to offense, and recognizing when to make a smart play up the ice.

• Puck Movement & Passing: Develop crisp passing and puck handling under pressure, critical for both defensemen and forwards when controlling the play in all zones.

• Zone Awareness & Coverage: Understand how to read the play in the defensive zone and identify passing lanes, creating opportunities for offensive contributions while maintaining solid defense.

• Gap Control & Angling for Forwards: For forwards, the clinic will focus on how to better challenge defensemen when attacking, understanding how to close the gap, pressure with speed, and create offensive chances.

• Supporting the Play: Both forwards and defensemen will work on understanding how to support each other in both the defensive and offensive zones, creating a seamless flow of play.

• Skating for Transition: Improve speed, agility, and quick directional changes to facilitate smooth transitions from defense to attack, and vice versa. The clinic will emphasize skating drills that are essential for both offensive and defensive play.