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StickhandlingFun / Competitive

Puck Control Relay Drill

A simple relay race that gets younger skaters comfortable controlling a puck with their head up at game speed, using team competition to keep energy and focus high.

Age RangeAges 7+
Duration8–10 minutes
Group Size2+ teams of 3–4
SportHockey

Equipment Needed

  • Pucks
  • Cones
  • Sticks

Setup

  • Set two or more cone lanes side by side, each about 30–40 feet long, one team lined up at the start of each lane.
  • Place one puck at the start of each lane.
Puck Control Relay Drill1Cone lanes 30–40 ft, teams race in parallelStickhandle down, around the cone, and back to the next teammate

Instructions

  1. On the whistle, the first skater in each line stickhandles the puck down the lane, around the far cone, and back to the start.
  2. The skater hands off (or leaves) the puck for the next teammate in line, who repeats the relay.
  3. Continue until every skater on the team has gone once; the first team to finish wins the round.
  4. Run 2–3 rounds, mixing up lane order and adding a new stickhandling move (toe drag, forehand-backhand) each round.
Coaching Points
  • Keep the puck close to the stick on tight turns around the far cone — this is usually where control breaks down.
  • Encourage players to look up between touches rather than staring down at the puck the whole way down the lane.
  • A dropped or lost puck means the skater must recover it before continuing — no shortcuts, but keep the mood light and fun.
  • This is an excellent warm-up drill since it combines skating and stickhandling without requiring much ice space.

Variation

For younger or newer skaters, remove the competitive team element and simply have everyone go through the lane at their own pace. For older skaters, add a defender at the far cone for a light 1v1 challenge.

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