ICE HOCKEY TRAINING Reading time : 8 min Updated October 14, 2026
Contents
Every federation read puts skating first, and Hockey Canada says it in numbers: 85% of U7 practice time and 75% of U9 go to technical skills, of which skating is the base. The order is the same everywhere: teach the skating, add the puck, and only then an opponent. Before 13, agility, balance and coordination are worked on; speed and acceleration come after.
Skating first
Hockey Canada writes the order in one sentence: teach the skating first, introduce the puck and then, where possible, add a player or players to interact with. Its reasoning is mechanical: the weight shift on the feet that makes dekes and fakes is an edge transition, so skating is the base of puck handling, passing and shooting.
Hockey Canada's skating document distinguishes eight specialised skills: agility and balance, edge control and coordination, forward skating, backward skating, turning, crossovers, transition and quick feet. Each is taught in three stages: “Introduce” at U7 and U9, “Develop” at U11, U13 and U15, “Refine” at U18 and after. Over a season, Hockey Canada's chart splits technical skills into 40% introducing, 25% developing and 20% refining, with 10% of individual tactics introduced and 5% developed.
Agility before speed: “Agility, Balance and Coordination” are worked on in every practice where skating skills are taught at 12 and under; quickness and acceleration are worked on at 13 and over.
The skills, level by level
Hockey Canada publishes a skills matrix per level up to U11. The three columns below follow its lists.
Group
U7
U9
U11
Balance and agility
basic stance, getting up from the ice, balance on one foot, jumping on two feet and on one foot, gliding on two skates then on one skate forward and backward, lateral crossovers
basic stance, balance on one foot, gliding on two skates, gliding on one skate forward and backward, lateral crossovers
all the U7 and U9 skills, forward scissor skate, lateral crossovers
Edge control
inside edge glide, figure 8s forward and backward on inside and outside edges, slalom
figure 8s forward and backward, heel to heel (Mohawk), one-leg weaving forward and backward
figure 8s, heel to heel, one-leg weaving
Starting and stopping
T-start, front V-start, crossover start, backward C-cut start; outside leg stop, two-foot parallel stop, one-leg and two-leg backward stops
front V, crossover and backward C-cut starts; the same stops
the same list
Forward skating
C-cuts left, right and alternating, T-push, forward striding
the same, plus crossunders
forward striding, linear crossovers, acceleration, quick feet, evasive skating
Backward skating
C-cuts, gliding on two skates and on one skate backward
C-cuts, gliding backward, backward striding, one crossover
C-cuts, backward scissor skate, one crossover, backward striding
Turning and crossovers
glide turns, tight turns, C-cuts around the circle, crossovers forward and backward, pivots (backward to forward, forward to backward, open, reverse)
the same, open and reverse pivots
the same
For U13, U15 and U18, Hockey Canada publishes no matrix: only time shares and the general skating document.
The FFHG école de hockey
The federal école de hockey guide (undated in the file read) organises skating for ages 4 to 7 around four fundamentals: movement (déplacement), balance (équilibre), mobility (mobilité) and handling (maniement). It offers 27 sheets, one a week, with a colour code (new, priority, reminder), and each session runs in three parts: start, core, cool-down. The ideal entry age is “between 4 and 6”.
Movement: walking, walking in different directions, pushing and gliding on one skate, passing from one skate to the other, skating on both skates, pushing efficiently, skating while changing rhythm, moving backward.
Balance: standing up, moving while varying the stance, gliding on both skates, bending while gliding, gliding on one skate, stepping over or jumping an obstacle.
Mobility: falling and getting up, snow-plow stop on one skate, pivoting forward and backward, V-start, changing direction (turns), skid stop.
Handling: holding the stick, moving forward while carrying an object, throwing an object with the stick, controlling the puck on the move.
The instructions of sheet 1 are those of shared ice: no more than two or three children at once on an exercise, in waves from one side to the other. USA Hockey's 8U plans begin the same way, with “Getting Up” and “Basic Stance and Walking”, and run to the one-foot snow-plow stop and an obstacle course.
After 11
Hockey Canada's skating pathway inventory, valid for every age, adds skills to the eight lists: shoot the duck, slalom pulling a partner, exaggerated stride, jump stride, tight turns “diving into the turn”, 360s and crossovers high and low, and a four-pylon race. Hockey Canada publishes no skills matrix beyond U11, and the “Refine” stage at U18 and after has no published list.
The drills of this guide
Each skating drill names, in its coaching points, the helmet, face protection and neck protector rule of each federation: it differs from one federation to another (see the contact and kit guide).
skaterskating
Balance, stance and glide
A first-skates station: players stand, balance and glide on the spot and over short distances, in the order the federations teach it.
Drill detail
Set out
One sixth of the ice per group (20 x 15 m on a 60 x 30 m rink) · no pucks · a chair or a partner’s hand for the youngest
What it trains
The first steps on the ice, in the order the federations teach them: getting up, basic stance, balance, gliding on two skates and then on one. Falling and getting up is part of the exercise.
Published frame
Falling and getting up is a lesson, not a mistake: let each child do it and go again (FFHG École de hockey).
How it runs
A first-skates station: players stand, balance and glide on the spot and over short distances, in the order the federations teach it. It builds the basic stance and the confidence to fall and get up before any puck or stick work. One small area per group (the FFHG École de hockey works on a sixth of the ice, 20 x 15 m on a 60 x 30 m rink); no pucks; a chair or a partner's hand for the youngest. Take one step at a time: getting up from the ice, basic stance and marching, balance on one foot, gliding on two skates, then gliding on one skate forward and backward. Players go in waves across the width, a few at a time, and falling and getting up is part of the exercise.
Players
1 or more
Coaching points
Teach the skating first, then add the puck, and only then an opponent (Hockey Canada). Agility, balance and coordination are worked in every practice where skating is taught at 12 and under (Hockey Canada). Falling and getting up is a lesson, not a mistake: let each child do it and go again (FFHG École de hockey). Hockey Canada's U7 and U9 lists and the FFHG École sheets (ages 4 to 7) teach the same order: stance, balance, glide. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Glide on one skate, then add the first strides and turns in the order of Hockey Canada's U9 list.
Easier
Stay on two skates with a chair or a partner's hand for support, as the FFHG École sheets do, and keep to the stance and the two-skate glide.
skaterskating
Edges and figure eights
An edge-control pattern: players skate figure eights and slaloms on the inside and outside edges, forward and backward.
Drill detail
Set out
The face-off circles of a zone as a track · markers for the slalom · no pucks
What it trains
Edge control: skating figure eights forward then backward, on the inside edge and then the outside edge. Hockey Canada ties it to the weight shift behind fakes and teaches it before the puck is added.
Published frame
Both feet and both directions: forward and backward, inside and outside edges. A stick and a puck are added only when the pattern is clean (Hockey Canada).
How it runs
An edge-control pattern: players skate figure eights and slaloms on the inside and outside edges, forward and backward. Hockey Canada ties edge control to the weight shift behind dekes and fakes, and teaches it before the puck is added. A free area or the face-off circles as a track; markers for the slalom; no pucks. Skate figure eights forward, then backward, on the inside edge and then the outside edge; add a slalom through the markers. From U9 add heel to heel (Mohawk) turns and one-leg weaving, forward and backward (Hockey Canada edge control lists).
Players
1 or more
Coaching points
Both feet and both directions: forward and backward, inside and outside edges. Skating before the puck: add a stick and a puck only when the pattern is clean (Hockey Canada). Agility, balance and coordination in every practice at 12 and under; quickness and acceleration from 13 (Hockey Canada). Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Carry a stick, then a puck, through the figure eights; skate the pattern on one foot (one-leg weaving).
Easier
Skate wide circles on two skates on the inside edge only, using the face-off circle as the track before the markers.
skaterskatingmarker
Starts and stops
A starting and stopping pattern: players learn the starts and the stops hockey uses, in the order Hockey Canada lists them for U7 to U11.
Drill detail
Set out
A lane or a zone per group · markers for the start and stop lines · no pucks
What it trains
The starts and stops hockey uses, in the order Hockey Canada lists them for U7 to U11: it is how a player changes speed and direction in a small area.
Published frame
One start and one stop per round: quality first, then the signal and the speed. Both sides and both directions.
How it runs
A starting and stopping pattern: players learn the starts and the stops hockey uses, in the order Hockey Canada lists them for U7 to U11. Starts and stops are how a player changes speed and direction in a small area. A lane or a zone per group; markers for the start and stop lines; no pucks. Starts: T-start, front V-start, crossover start and backward C-cut start. Stops: outside leg stop, two-foot parallel stop, then one-leg and two-leg backward stops. On a signal, start, skate to the marker and stop, then go back the other way.
Players
1 or more
Coaching points
One start and one stop per round: quality first, then the signal and the speed. Both directions and both sides: left and right, forward and backward. Falling is part of learning to stop: let players get up and go again; the FFHG École teaches the snow-plow stop on one skate before the skid stop. Agility before speed at 12 and under (Hockey Canada). Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Add a stick and then a puck; chain a start, a crossover and a stop in one run.
Easier
Practise the stop alone at walking pace: the snow-plow stop on one skate, then sliding.
skaterskatingskating backward
Stride, turn and cross, forward and backward
A skating circuit on the face-off circles and the lanes between them: forward striding, backward skating, turns and crossovers in one run.
Drill detail
Set out
The face-off circles of a zone and the lanes between them · markers · no pucks
What it trains
A skating circuit in one run: forward striding, backward skating, turns and crossovers, following Hockey Canada’s lists for U7 to U11.
Published frame
The same skills on the circle in both directions: the weak side gets as many turns as the strong side. Keep the speed low until the technique holds.
How it runs
A skating circuit on the face-off circles and the lanes between them: forward striding, backward skating, turns and crossovers in one run. It follows Hockey Canada's forward skating, backward skating, turning and crossover lists for U7 to U11. The face-off circles of one zone and the lanes between them; markers; no pucks. Forward: C-cuts left, right and alternating, T-push and striding. Backward: C-cuts, gliding and backward striding. Turns and crossovers: glide turns, tight turns, C-cuts around the circle, crossovers forward and backward, and pivots (backward to forward and forward to backward, open and reverse).
Players
1 or more
Coaching points
Run the same skills on the circle in both directions: the weak side gets as many turns as the strong side. Hockey Canada introduces these skills at U7 and U9 and develops them at U11 and U13: keep the speed low until the technique holds. Skating first, then the puck, then an opponent (Hockey Canada). Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
At U11 and U13 add linear crossovers, acceleration, quick feet and evasive skating (Hockey Canada U11 list), then the puck.
Easier
Glide turns on a wide circle, forward only, on two skates.
Agility and quick feet
An agility circuit for 11- and 12-year-olds: scissor skates, lateral crossovers, quick feet and evasive skating through a pattern the coach changes.
Drill detail
How it runs
An agility circuit for 11- and 12-year-olds: scissor skates, lateral crossovers, quick feet and evasive skating through a pattern the coach changes. Hockey Canada puts agility, balance and coordination before speed at 12 and under. A zone with markers laid out as a slalom and a few gates; no pucks. Chain forward and backward scissor skates, lateral crossovers, quick feet and evasive skating around the markers. On the coach's call, switch the skill or the direction without stopping.
Players
1 or more
Coaching points
Agility, balance and coordination in every practice at 12 and under; quickness and acceleration from 13 (Hockey Canada). Evasive skating is skating, not contact: players avoid each other and the markers. Skating first, then the puck, then an opponent (Hockey Canada). Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Add the puck, then a passive defender (the order puck, then opponent).
Easier
Run the pattern at a set pace and keep to two skills.
skaterskatingmarker
Acceleration and quick feet
A short block on acceleration and quickness. Hockey Canada moves the emphasis from agility to quickness and acceleration from age 13, and lists acceleration, quick feet and linear crossovers among the skating skills of the Develop stage.
Drill detail
Set out
A lane along the zone or the length of the ice, with start and finish markers · no pucks at first
What it trains
Acceleration and quickness: short efforts from different starts (T-start, crossover start, from a glide), each one a real start, to the marker.
Published frame
Quality over volume: stop the block when the starts slow down. No contact: races are run in separate lanes.
How it runs
A short block on acceleration and quickness. Hockey Canada moves the emphasis from agility to quickness and acceleration from age 13, and lists acceleration, quick feet and linear crossovers among the skating skills of the Develop stage. A lane along the zone or the length of the ice, with start and finish markers; no pucks at first. Short efforts from different starts (T-start, crossover start, from a glide): quick feet at the start, linear crossovers, then full acceleration to the marker. Walk back to recover; start again from another start.
Players
1 or more
Coaching points
Quality over volume: stop the block when the starts slow down; each start is a real start. Hockey Canada works quickness and acceleration at 13 and over, after agility, balance and coordination. No contact: races are run in separate lanes. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Start with the puck, then race a defender to the marker (1 on 1).
Easier
Shorter distance, longer walk-back, and start from a glide only.
Advanced skating circuit
A circuit of the skills in the skating pathway's inventory: exaggerated stride, jump stride, tight turns diving into the turn, 360s, crossovers high and low, slalom pulling a partner, shoot-the-duck and a four-pylon race.
Drill detail
How it runs
A circuit of the skills in the skating pathway's inventory: exaggerated stride, jump stride, tight turns diving into the turn, 360s, crossovers high and low, slalom pulling a partner, shoot-the-duck and a four-pylon race. Hockey Canada puts the refining stage at U18 and beyond. A zone with four pylons and a slalom lane; a partner for the pull; no pucks at first. Run the stations in turn: exaggerated stride, jump stride, tight turns diving into the turn, 360s, crossovers high and low, slalom pulling a partner, shoot-the-duck, then a four-pylon race. Rotate so every player runs every station.
Players
2 or more
Coaching points
The refining stage polishes skills already learned; it does not introduce new ones (Hockey Canada: Introduce U7 U9, Develop U11 U13 U15, Refine U18 and beyond). Skate the circuit forward and backward, on both sides. No contact in this circuit: the partner pull is a slalom task, not a check. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Carry a stick and a puck through the circuit, or run it against the clock set by the coach.
Easier
Take out the partner pull and the 360s; keep the crossovers and the tight turns.
Simon says on skates: agility, balance and coordination
A calling game on the ice from the USA Hockey 8U beginner practice plans, listed there as « Agility, Balance, Coordination (Simon Says) ».
Drill detail
How it runs
A calling game on the ice from the USA Hockey 8U beginner practice plans, listed there as « Agility, Balance, Coordination (Simon Says) ». The coach calls movements and players do the ones called with « Simon says ». A small area of the ice for the group, no pucks; in the USA Hockey plan this is a 7-minute station for a group of 6 to 8 players. The coach, as Simon, calls movements from the plan's lists: marching, bending and twisting, sitting and standing, gliding on two skates. Players do only the movements called with « Simon says ».
Players
6 to 8
Coaching points
Groups of 6 to 8 stay in the same area for the whole practice in the USA Hockey 8U plan. Agility, balance and coordination are worked in every practice where skating is taught at 12 and under (Hockey Canada). Falling and getting up is part of the game. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Call a movement and a direction together (marching forward, then gliding backward).
Easier
Call one movement at a time, always with « Simon says ».
Skating tag and signal games
Tag and signal games on skates for the youngest. The USA Hockey small-area games handbook lists Freeze Tag, Forward/Backward Team Tag, Cops and Robbers, Red Light Green Light Yellow Light Blue Light and Musical Pucks for 8-and-under, on a third of the ice.
Drill detail
How it runs
Tag and signal games on skates for the youngest. The USA Hockey small-area games handbook lists Freeze Tag, Forward/Backward Team Tag, Cops and Robbers, Red Light Green Light Yellow Light Blue Light and Musical Pucks for 8-and-under, on a third of the ice. One end or a third of the ice for the whole group; sticks are not needed; pucks only for Musical Pucks. Pick one game and play a short round, then change. Freeze Tag: a tagged skater freezes where he or she is. Team Tag: skate forward or backward as the coach calls. Red, Green, Yellow and Blue Light: the coach calls a colour and each colour is a skating action the group has agreed (for example red to stop and green to go). Cops and Robbers and Musical Pucks are on the handbook's list as further games.
Players
4 or more
Coaching points
The handbook's stated purposes for this group: skating and teamwork, pivots with the head up, changing direction and skating both ways, stopping and agility, crossovers with the head up. Activity time is a quality factor of a session (ÖEHV): choose the game where nobody waits. Body checking is not part of the game at this age: Hockey Canada penalises it up to U13, Hockey Québec does not permit checking or contact physique in M9 and M11, USA Hockey prohibits it up to 12U, the FFHG bans body charges in U9 to U13 and the SIHF bans them in U9 and U12. Tagging is done with the hand. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Add a stick and then a puck, and ask the group to change direction on the whistle.
Easier
A smaller area, walking before skating, and two taggers only.
Frequently asked questions
When do children skate backward?
From Hockey Canada's U7 list: backward C-cuts and gliding on two skates then on one skate backward. At U9 backward striding and one crossover are added; at U11, the backward scissor skate. The FFHG école de hockey places “moving backward” among its movement sheets.
What about children who fall?
The federations make it a skill: “Tomber et se relever” (falling and getting up) is a sheet of the FFHG école de hockey and “getting up from the ice” is on Hockey Canada's U7 list. The drills in the library let each child fall, get up and go again.
Is there a published skating programme for 13 to 18?
Not as a matrix. For U13, U15 and U18 Hockey Canada publishes practice-time shares (45, 40 and 35% technical skills) and a general skating document; the SIHF asks, at U12, for “hohe Agilität auf den Schlittschuhen”, high agility on skates. The detailed lists stop at U11.
Sources
Hockey Canada: Skating overview (2020-21), U7, U9 and U11 skills pages (read on the video.hockeycanada.ca mirror), practice-time shares by division. FFHG: federal école de hockey guide (27 sheets, stages 4-5 and 6-7 years; undated). USA Hockey: 8U Beginner Practice Plans 1 to 6 (ADM), undated. SIHF: Wegleitung U12-1 (2025/26). Content checked on 14 October 2026.
The generator is right on the session: plan by the players’ age band and the duration, pick a theme. Paak builds a minuted five-block outline (warm-up, two work blocks, a game and a cool-down) from this same library of 44 drills.
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