Insightful Tips

(Other articles on this website include additional advice for the particular listed topic.)

All forwards after shooting should skate toward the goal but only as far as from where their extended stick can reach the goal line.
Forwards should skate to the net for rebounds with their stick on the ice when their teammates shoot. Do not be just a spectator!
If already in position when teammates shoot, forwards should attempt to screen the goalie or deflect the puck. Avoid doing nothing, except watching, as the shot is taken.
When defending against a fast and talented puckcarrier, contain him (deny him the inside) by maintaining a stick length of protection between you and him (as you poke at the puck) so that he is always on the outside. Be prepared to play the body, but you do not necessarily have to bodycheck him, as opposed to keeping him wide. Bodychecking is great, but it can also more readily lead to losing control of the puckcarrier versus containing him.
When playing defensive zone coverage, forwards should understand how and when to rotate from covering the point to providing help with slot coverage.
When involved in defensive zone coverage, do not stay between the face-off dots and the boards unless you should be the one(s) pressuring the puck there. It is more important to secure the slot than to have multiple players skating in outlying territory without control of the puck and foreign to the coach’s system.

If you are not a star player, you can earn a lot of ice time for yourself by demonstrating that you are a knowledgeable and trustworthy defensive individual who performs many seemingly “small” things very well and always employs full effort.