Increasing Your Offensive Zone Shot Recoveries
Increasing puck recoveries and learning puck recovery tactics
Given that 90%+ of shots don’t result in a goal, having a plan to recover the puck after a shot is a very important part of the game.
Where Are Puck Recoveries Happening?
As we discussed in our piece on “How Do Players Receive the Puck Around the Rink?” shot recoveries, loose puck recoveries, and indirect passes happen mostly net front and along the boards.
Clearly, these are places where rebounds and blocked pucks normally end up. Having a plan to win those pucks is key to puck recovery and sustaining offense. How are teams currently doing this?
Funnel to the Net
The simplest solution teams employ is funneling toward the net. You see NHL forwards doing this constantly. As the puck goes from low to high, watch how the offensive player’s routes start wide and end up converging basically at the net front.
Utilizing Weakside Defensemen
Progressive teams are also asking their weakside defenseman to funnel toward the net.
There are basically three ways to win more loose pucks. (1) Think a step ahead, (2) Be moving faster, and (3) Position well. All are accomplished by activating the weakside defensemen. They are well positioned and thus will be faster to available loose pucks.
Hockey IQ Newsletter favorite Seamus Casey is also deadly with this read. Rather than hanging out on the blueline, he’s always hunting the puck by heading toward the weakside faceoff dot.
What a few progressive teams have implemented is a trigger/cue for their weakside defensemen to move into the offensive zone so when the puck is about to head to the net, their weakside defensemen are already on their way down into the zone for puck recoveries.
Just notice all of the ice where the weakside D (Top of video in white) gives himself a chance and can be the first to recover the puck. While this one didn’t work out, he’s giving himself a chance every time, great process!
This is a simple tactic that individual defensemen and teams can implement to increase their puck recoveries and offensive pressure. More loose puck recoveries, more offensive zone time, more goals.
Further Reading