Hockey Drills for Atom Level
Here is a great set of hockey drills for atom coaches and players. These drills focus on skating, shooting, checking, evasive maneuvers, team tactics, crossovers, stickhandling, passing and net drives. These drills were produced by the OMHA and are re-published with permission from home town hockey.
Feel free to print off these hockey drills and use them in your practice. You can mix any of the drills for a great Atom practice plan. The drills are added in order, so some may fit well with the ones above or below them.
This first drill is a good warm up drill for atom hockey players.
| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Back alley warm-up |
- Players take off one after another
- Backwards between blue lines
- Two foot jump over each line
- Touch toes, trunk twists, leg kicks
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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This drill is a great way to evaluate the skating ability of your players.
| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 20 minutes |
Atom skating evaluation |
5 minutes at each station
- Station One
- Player performs crossovers around the circle
- Second player goes once first player passes
- Do backwards on second time through
- Use pucks on the 3rd time through
- Station Two
- Players weave through pylons, and goes back in line.
- Next player goes when first gets to 2nd pylon
- Second time through use a puck, 3rd time through do 360′s around each pylon
- Station Three
- Player skates forward to pylon, perform a two foot stop, then proceeds forward to next pylon, etc
- Second time through do it backwards
- Station Four
- Player skates forwards to blue line, backwards to pylon, forwards to blue line
- Second player starts once first player gets to blue line
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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This is a good passing drill for atom players.
| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 minutes |
Pairs Passing – Atom passing drill |
- Players partner up, skate around the ice surface passing back and forth to each other
- after a couple laps, change sides so that both players get to pass on forehand and backhand
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 10 minutes |
Pairs passing 1 on 1 – Atom passing drill |
- Players start out at each end, forming two lines in the corner
- Players pair pass back and forth down the ice between boards and pylons
- At the last pylon the player with the puck is on offence, the player without the puck is on defence and come back down the middle lane 1 on 1
- Put pylons down the middle so players don’t run into each other.
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Shootout |
- 2 lines facing each end of the ice
- Line on left has players down on one knee
- Line on right is player with puck
- On coach’s signal, player with puck skates towards net for shot, player on one knee has to play the back checker and try to catch the puck carrier
- Switch lines after each attempt
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Here is another fun warm up drill which involves stick handling and puck control.
| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Atom Warm up stick handle drill |
Razzle Dazzle
- Players skate around the ice 1/4 speed
- On whistle players stay in confined space moving puck in any direction quickly
- On next whistle players return to 1/4 speed
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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The next drill, and a few more drills a bit further down, focus on driving the net, this is important to teach at a young age. Players need to learn where to go after shooting, or when they are in the offensive zone. By teaching the players to go to the net they will end up scoring more rebounds, and getting more goals.
| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Atom Warm up net drive |
Four corner drill(review net drive skills)
- 2 and 3 reveive passes from 1 and 4 in neutral zone. Execute net drives around C
- 1 and 4 repeat receiving passes and executing net drives
- Alternate diagonal sides
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Checking – Stick check |
Atom Checking Drill
- Demonstrates stick checks (stick lift, press, poke, and sweep check)
- Mark 8 zones for 1 on 1′s (spray paint)
- Players play 1 on 1 keep away with emphasis on checking skills
- Goalie zone with C
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 15 Minutes |
Atom Puck Control Evaluation |
3 Stations
- Station One
- Station Two
- Forward and backward skating (telescoping) while passing and receiving
- Shooting
- Shooting (wrist forehand and backhand) add passive defensive side pressure from C
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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This is a great drill that involved passing, shooting and skating.
| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Combo Skating / Passing / shooting drill |
- 1 Skates around pylon and receives pass from 2
- 1 Completes evasive move on C in the neutral zone and skates to offensive zone for shot
- 2 repeats in the other direction
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Shoot out Competition |
Team Shoot Out Relay
- Move nets to the blue lines
- First team with all players scoring is the winner
- After each goal, player scoring passes puck to the next player in line
- After making saves, goalie can clear pucks away from shooters
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Net Drive Progression – Technical Level |
- Have players skate around pylon protecting the puck
- Goalie zone with C
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Net Drive – Tactical Level |
- Player from corner passes to 0 for “give and go”
- Puck carrier drives with speed, executing net drive at the blueline
- C offers passive pressure
- Alternate sides
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Net Drive – Efficient Level |
- Δ skates to blue line with puck
- Δ passes to 0 and defends 1 on 1
- 0 reads gap on Δ
- Tight gap – Drive outside
- Loose gap – Drive middle
- Alternate sides
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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Here is a great 2 on 2 drill, this is a great tactical drill.
| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
Team Tactic 2 on 2 Atom drill |
Tactical Level Drill: Cross
- 01 and 02 skate circle clockwise then cross before blueline in high slot
- Option to exchange pass
- Δ1 and Δ2 skate forward to blueline, pivot and retreat to defend against 2 on 2
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 5 Minutes |
1,2,3 Principle of Attack |
Assess Trinagulation
- C passes to 01, 02, or 03
- Δ1 and Δ2 skate to redline, pivot and retreat, defending against 3 on 2
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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| Drill Time |
Drill Description |
| 10 Minutes |
Shoot out Competition – Full Ice Drill |
- Pucks clustered in center circle
- On whistle, first player on each team picks up puck and goes on breakaway
- Play until goal is scored, at which time next player goes
- Goalie can clear loose pucks
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| Hockey Drill Diagram |
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I hope these drills will help you out. Don’t forget to subcribe to my posts as I am always looking for more great hockey drills and posting them on the site.
For more drills I recommend the Weiss tech hockey playbook and hockey Drillbook, you can buy them separately, or together as a bundle Learn more about the playbook and drillbook here. If you don’t know Jeremy Weiss you should definitely follow his blog as he is a very smart coach, and he is always sharing new drills for all age levels.
You can also visit the HockeyShare.com Drill collection and Hockey drill software
Pass the puck share on Twitter or Facebook
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Hi my name is Jeremy. I LOVE hockey and I am passionate about improving and helping others improve. My goal is to break every hockey skill down into easy to understand articles and videos. I explain everything step-by-step to help others improve.
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Hockey drills
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
thanks for the drills!
Great drills!