How to Control the Course of Play Without Touching The Puck: How Elite Players Control the Angles of Play
Smart off the puck pressure and positioning to make the game harder on the opposition and easier on your team.
A quick note before the post: My annual NHL Development Camp thread on Twitter/X is live! It’s packed with insights, highlights, and updates from camps around the league. Check it out here: 2025 NHL Development Camp Thread. Now, onto our weekly piece!
Coaches demand that players try hard and engage physically. Yet we find that trying too hard can sometimes lead to sub-optimal performance.
Cutting the Ice / Keeping Middle Positioning
Rather than rush into a physical confrontation, players can smartly realize that the best option is to back away and make passing a difficult proposition, especially when the puck carrier is flat-footed and with no momentum.
This detail came to my attention when Mitch Marner came into the NHL. He was a smaller player, but his smarts would constantly make the game harder for the opposition despite never confronting the puck carrier and never touching the puck! This small piece of his game is overlooked even by detailed and experienced hockey people.
You’ll often find him setting the edge to force the puck into traffic/teammates or remaining as the last player on the ice during a change on the fly to take away the stretch play. Off the puck, he is elite at dictating the angles of play.
Matthew Tkachuk is often one to mix it up physically, but he’s smart and understands when to keep great inside positioning rather than recklessly rushing toward the puck carrier.
In this clip, we see the puck carrier as the least dangerous option (and the puck carrier knows it, looking to pass), so Tkachuk backs away and cuts the ice in half. He has great stick positioning in the best passing lane that removes the pass option. Only when Tkachuk changes his stick positioning can the player make the pass, which is right into the space where Tkachuk is located for the defensive play.
Being in control and dictating the angles of play, players can make the game difficult for the opposition and force advantageous situations for their team.
Further Reading