Puck Acquisition: Creating Better Plays By 'Letting the Puck Ride' Upon Pass Reception
How to make your life easier when receiving passed pucks
Check out our latest Hockey IQ Podcast with Sweden’s Director of Education & Research, John Lind.
A common issue with a player’s first touch is that the receive the puck at the same spot every time. Often the meet the puck in the middle or early part of their body.
A small hint of a great hockey player is when they “let the puck ride” across their body before touching it. The first touch allows for the next touch/play to be made.
This is also another reason why weighting of the puck is important. A hard pass is not always the solution. More on this:
Letting the Puck Ride Videos
Adrian Kempe originally wanted to touch the puck, but noticed that stick checks were incoming. Instead he lifts his stick up to allow the puck to slide into open space.
Marco Kasper receives a pass in his feet. Rather than kicking the puck up to his skate, he redirects the puck across his body into open space where he can protect the puck while finding the open space around an opponent.
Nathan MacKinnon is the king of accelerating into his puck touches where he raises the pace of play to an uncomfortable speed that very few opponents can handle. In this clip we can see where he rather allows the puck to slide to a safe spot where he can recieve the puck and attack.
For the passer, proper pass weighting is critical. For the puck receiver, where to make the first touch is crucial for making the next play. Next time on the ice… trying catching the puck is different spots around your body.
Further Reading
Puck Protection: How to Protect the Puck When Skating Through Contact
Accelerating Into Puck Receptions: Raising The Pace Of Play with Nathan MacKinnon
Winning more puck by establishing “Position before Possession”