Purpose
Defenders learn to take the puck away from an offensive player.Setup
- Pair up players of similar skill.
- The offensive player gets a puck.

How it Works
- Coach blows his whistle or says “Go.”
- The offensive player skates forward while the defensive player skates backward.
- As they skate the defensive player tries to poke check the puck away from the offensive player.
- Players go to the blue line and stop. They then repeat the drill back to the goal line.
- 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.