Ask before explaining
Our defender pinches. Who covers behind?
Reveal coaching answer
The high forward fills the vacated lane. Another teammate must replace high cover before you join low.
WEEK 11 • SCAN — SUPPORT — COMPETE
Above the puck.
Read the next play.
Find the support player. Predict the next job. Watch what changes.
Your mission
Before the puck changes hands, find who protects the middle. After it changes, name that player’s next job.
Our language: Above the puck means useful support toward our own net, ready to help the attack and protect the next play. Keep moving and scanning. Roles can change between teammates.
Each lesson is a 44-second captioned video. Watch together, pause for a player answer, then compare the read. No audio is required.
Lesson 1 • OFFENSIVE ZONE
Who covers the attack?
Support above. Read before you go.
What to watch away from the puck
- Locate F3 and the two defensemen before the pinch.
- F3 replaces the vacated high lane; D2 maintains inside depth.
- A player joining low needs another player covering high.
Open the zone teaching diagram
Gold ring: key support. Red: our team. X: opponents. Black dot: puck. Green route: suggested recovery. F3 means a changing role, not one permanent player.
Apply the read to our team
The application window at 0:27–0:37 uses the Fort Wayne source clip at 0:20–0:30. Find the support players and discuss their options; the clip does not demonstrate every diagram action.
Watch another game example
Buffalo: F3 high and pinch coverage ↗
Opens Ice Hockey Systems. Use your membership if prompted. The lesson timestamps above belong to our captioned teaching video, not this external clip.
Lesson 2 • NEUTRAL ZONE
Where do I recover?
Get inside. Read puck and threats.
Ask before explaining
We lose it. What lane do I recover through?
Reveal coaching answer
Recover inside, toward our net and the threat. Keep moving; use your stick to remove the next passing option.
What to watch away from the puck
- Identify our net, the puck carrier and the inside threat.
- The first recovery strides take away useful ice.
- See the puck and opponents; keep skating into a supporting role.
Open the zone teaching diagram
Gold ring: key support. Red: our team. X: opponents. Black dot: puck. Green route: suggested recovery. F3 means a changing role, not one permanent player.
Apply the read to our team
The application window at 0:27–0:37 uses the Fort Wayne source clip at 0:14–0:20. Find the support players and discuss their options; the clip does not demonstrate every diagram action. The final frame holds briefly for discussion.
Watch another game example
Landeskog: reload and track inside the dots ↗
Opens Ice Hockey Systems. Use your membership if prompted. The lesson timestamps above belong to our captioned teaching video, not this external clip.
Lesson 3 • DEFENSIVE ZONE
Who supports the battle?
Pressure with support. Protect our net.
Ask before explaining
Our first defender is beaten. Who helps?
Reveal coaching answer
The inside layer helps; net-front cover stays. On a recovery, become outlets. Do not leave before control.
What to watch away from the puck
- Separate the player pressuring the puck from the inside support.
- If pressure is beaten, the second layer helps.
- Net-front protection remains; outlets develop after a secure recovery.
Open the zone teaching diagram
Gold ring: key support. Red: our team. X: opponents. Black dot: puck. Green route: suggested recovery. F3 means a changing role, not one permanent player.
Apply the read to our team
The application window at 0:27–0:37 uses the Fort Wayne source clip at 0:06–0:14. Find the support players and discuss their options; the clip does not demonstrate every diagram action. The final frame holds briefly for discussion.
Watch another game example
Minnesota: defensive layers and exit support ↗
Opens Ice Hockey Systems. Use your membership if prompted. The lesson timestamps above belong to our captioned teaching video, not this external clip.
Defensive-zone detail: Above the puck does not mean abandoning the net to skate toward the blue line. Stay on the defensive side of the threat, support inside and keep net-front coverage.
Sources & references for our learning resources →
Coach’s seven-to-eight-minute session
Opening, 45 seconds: “Our adjustment in Game 2 was above the puck. Good support helps us attack again.” Explain the mission and point out our net.
About two minutes per lesson: Watch the situation, pause before the answer, let a player point and predict, then show the diagram response and team application. Finish each with “What changed? What is your next job?”
Closing, 30–60 seconds: Ask three players for one action each: support above the attack; recover inside; support the battle while protecting the net.
On the ice: Keep the play alive after a shot, recovery or turnover. Observe the same player changing jobs. Use brief questions, then replay the problem.
Weekly evidence
- Useful above-the-puck cover exists before possession changes.
- After a change, players recover inside or become usable outlets.
- Players recognize and exchange jobs without a coach’s prompt.
Coaching references and approach
- USA Hockey: 12U Join, Read and React — recognize offensive/defensive support and change roles.
- IIHF Coach Education Framework — four game roles, including offense and defense away from the puck.
- Hockey Canada Development 1, transition section — continue from offense to defense and back rather than ending every rep at the shot.
- Finnish–Swedish game-format study, IIHF — use varied small games to increase involvement and repeated decisions.
This instructional sequence is Coach Faulkner’s North Stars adaptation. The references support the teaching approach; they do not prescribe one shared national system. IHS clip selection is based on its published coaching descriptions; external action timestamps are not asserted.