The Hockey Tactics Newsletter

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Why Does Coaching Matter?
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Why Does Coaching Matter?

Plus, TOR's process & how to beat the overload

Jack Han
Jan 24
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Why Does Coaching Matter?
jhanhky.substack.com

Today’s newsletter will be short and sweet, as I am vacationing in Southern California.

Topic 1: The Importance of Coaching

Yesterday, I drove to the Los Angeles Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo to watch a young AAA player who I typically work with via Zoom.

Twitter avatar for @JhanHkyJack Han @JhanHky
Lovely field trip today to the LAK practice rink in El Segundo. Playing hockey in SoCal is awesome because you can show up to the rink in flip-flops and change right into your skates. If I lived here year-round I might never need shoes again!
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January 24th 2022

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During the game, I learned that his coaches employ a relatively old-school approach focused on playing a simple, vertical game and dumping-and-changing late in shifts.

The second part really caught my attention.

On three occasions, my student dumped the puck into the OZ and immediately returned to the bench instead of holding onto the puck, delaying, and maintaining possession until teammates sprinted off the bench and into the play.

All three times, the opposing team retrieved the puck successfully and was able to threaten off the counter-attack.

Valuing possession and understanding the importance of control starts with the coaches.

Beyond “letting players play,” the simple lesson here is “don’t waste pucks.”

Topic 2: The Maple Leafs’ Depth

TSN.ca’s analytics writer Travis Yost published an article about TOR, in which he noted that every single Leafs player is above break-even in 5v5 expected goals this season.

How did the Maple Leafs achieve this?

Having worked in scouting, player development and AHL coaching in the TOR organization, I can give you a simple overview:

  • Scouting: Find players who can make high-end plays

  • Development: Teach players to turn bad pucks into good pucks

  • Coaching: Let players leverage their skillsets while reinforcing the importance of not wasting pucks

Topic 3: Beating the Overload

Yesterday an SHL coach wrote me asking how to create offense against an aggressive overload DZ coverage, what I call a Five-Tight. It’s a very popular DZ scheme on North American small ice, but something more rarely seen on the European circuits.

Excerpt from “Hockey Tactics 2022: The Playbook”

Here are a few things to keep in mind when attempting to diffuse such a compact defensive scheme:

  • It’s important not to force passes from the corner through multiple checks

  • At the same time, only using rims and low-to-high passes means playing into the DZC’s hands

  • The attackers need to find a way to exploit the DZC’s compactness

Here is how CAR and WSH approach the same problem:

Hockey Tactics 2022: The Playbook
Hockey Tactics 2022: The Playbook

Want to know how the rest of the NHL plays in the OZ?

Get The Playbook on pre-sale for 50% off regular price!

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