Poke Check Drill

Purpose

Setup

• Pair up players of similar skill.
• The offensive player gets a puck.

How it Works

1. Coach blows his whistle or says “Go.”
2. The offensive player skates forward while the defensive player skates backward.
3. As they skate the defensive player tries to poke check the puck away from the offensive player.
4. Players go to the blue line and stop. They then repeat the drill back to the goal line.
5. Run the drill for 4-8 minutes or for 3-5 reps.

Coaching Tips

• On the poke check, the defender should be going straight stick to puck. There shouldn’t be any big sweeping motion and he definitely shouldn’t be lunging forward and getting off balance.