Improve anticipation and puck movement with this fun and competitive drill. 4v2 in small area. Coaches split the zone into two halves with a row of cones. 4 offensive players and 2 defensive players must stay in the same half zone. The same setup in the other half zone. Offensive players look to create passing and shooting lanes in order to score. Defensive players look to take away lanes, steal the puck and pass puck into other half of zone to one of their four teammates who then try to score. Players change positions/teams when instructed by coach. Players take turns on offence and defence. This drill can also be done in only one half of the zone with no second..

Teach your D to step up and close the gap with this effective drill.   The drill starts at both ends at the same time. On the whistle, F1 skates forwards and D1 skates backwards as they exchange passes as though performing a regroup. F2 follows behind, receives a pass from D1 and headmans the puck to F1 driving wide into the offensive zone. F1 and F2 play 2v1 against the D at the other end. After D1 completes the regroup he must step up, close the gap and defend the 2v1 against the forwards who started at the other end.   D's should work on getting up ice quickly so they can match the forwards' speed. D tries to get his stick in the passing lane and pr..

Make sure your players enter the zone with speed, puck control and a plan   A great drill to get your players skating, passing and thinking. Drill starts on whistle from both ends simultaneously. Players 1 and 2 swing past far blue line as shown. Player 6 makes pass to Player 2 and joins rush. Player 2 headmans the puck to Player 1.   Option 1: Player 1 drives wide with speed and shoots while Player 2 drives to net and Player 6 is the high man.   Option 2: Player 1 passes to Player 6 as Player 6 enters zone to shoot. Player 2 goes to net for screen and rebound.   Option 3: Players 1 and 2 crisscross for drop pass. Player ..

Protect the puck and support the puck better with this surprisingly fun and effective drill.   Divide your players into teams of 3. Two teams of 3 play team keep-away in the zone. They are not trying to score but to complete 5 consecutive passes to a teammate without turning the puck over.   If the defensive team gains control they try to complete 5 passes. Each time there is a turnover the pass count goes back to zero. The coach counts the number of completed passes.   When one team completes 5 passes they win. Losing team must do 10 pushups. If neither team completes 5 passes all players do 10 pushups. Depending on how many players are part of..

In our Coaching Insights posts we highlight and comment on useful and relevant coaching stories in the media. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a link to the original article.   This is an interesting article about building confidence in young players. One thing they mention is the importance of skillful repetitions:    "Precise, constructive, and encouraging individual feedback is essential... as well as dividing each skill into a progression of smaller cues."   It's very important to give players the correct information early so each rep they perform helps build good habits. Small group training is an ideal setting for skill acquistion..

How do you, as a coach, help your players become stronger skaters? It's a question all coaches (and parents) wrestle with because it's such an important skill.   When performed well, skating is an efficicent blend of power and technique. If there is a weakness in either of those two areas there's room for improvement. Issues like inconsistent work ethic or limited practice time can be a problem but let's assume your players are hard workers and have ample ice time. What then?   In this article we look at 3 common weaknesses that often prevent youth players from developing into smooth, powerful skaters. We'll also look at how those issues ..

In our Coaching Inisghts posts we highlight and comment on useful and relevant coaching stories in the media. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a link to the original article. This is a great read about the importance of focusing on the details. It is about the coach of the British Cycling team but the lessons are applicable to coaches in any sport—hockey coaches as well. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the article. “When Sir Dave Brailsford became head of British Cycling in 2002, the team had almost no record of success: British cycling had only won a single gold medal in its 76-year history. That quickly changed under Sir Dave’s leadership. At the 2..

Our Rebound And In series of posts highlight interesting and relevent stories that have been previously posted (but are just too good not to read again). Bronko Hockey founder Dion Del Monte took part in a discussion regarding youth player development in this article in the October/November 2011 issue of Chill Magazine. Del Monte was one of six experts asked to discuss a range of issues that youth players and their parents face as they progress through their minor hockey careers. Other panelists included Ian Taylor, OMHA Director of Development Programs, and former NHLer and standout coach Ken Strong. ..

In our Coaching Inisghts posts we highlight and comment on useful and relevant coaching stories in the media. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a link to the original article. An interesting article about Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello. He discusses the importance of day to day preparation! He has some great insights for anyone looking to build a winning environment. This quote sums up the article best: "You should come to work each day with the maximum commitment and maximum drive. I don't worry about the end result. We are competing against ourselves to be the best at what we do." -Lou Lamoriello     Read the full article here: For MapleLeafs GM Lamori..

The Bronko Belt is a valuable tool for players and teams because of its versatility. It can provide a range of real benefits to players who train with it consistently while allowing coaches the flexibility to create practical and effective practice plans.   The way you use the Bronko Belt with your team will depend on a number of different factors including the age and caliber of your players, the availability of practice ice, the length of your season and the number of games you play. Below we discuss how coaches at different levels can use the Belt to train their teams.    ►GETTING STARTED, SETTING GOALS   Before we discuss training optio..

The Bronko Belt’s patented design distributes an adjustable amount of training weight evenly around a player’s center of gravity without compromising that player’s ability to skate, shoot or stickhandle normally. The low profile fit of the Belt means players and teams can train with the Belt in a wide range of drills. Depending on the type of training done, players can experience improvement in a number of areas that directly impact their performance on the ice.  ►Single leg strength and deep knee bend Leg strength—single leg strength, in particular—plays a large role in the development of proper stride mechanics.  For young players in particular, inadequate ..

The Bronko Hockey logo makes a surprise cameo appearance on CBC's police drama series, Cracked. The distinctive logo appears briefly in the background of an early scene during the first season's eight episode, The Thump Parade. Filmed in part at the MasterCard Center for Hockey Excellence in Toronto, the episode centers on an ex-hockey player's efforts to help the police unit featured in the show to apprehend "a cold, manipulative criminal." Turns out the logo was questioned by police but later released. On a more serious note, the episode touches on the issue of concussions in hockey and the potential lasting effects of brain injuries. A link to the episode on CBC's website is pr..

Bronko Hockey's head instructors-- brothers Dion, Dan and David Del Monte together with father, Sam-- were featured in an article in the October/November 2013 issue of Chill Magazine. The article, by long-time Globe and Mail hockey columnist Dave Shoalts, looks back at the history of the family from Sam's arrival in Canada as a young boy to his sons' careers in minor hockey, Major Junior, the NCAA and eventually professional hockey in Europe.  The four share their experiences living, travelling and playing in Europe and relate some of the ups and downs to expect when considering the career paths they chose. The entertaining story looks at some of the successes and challenges..

Bronko Hockey founder, Dion Del Monte, returned to Latvia this June as a guest instructor at the Skrastins and Bartulis Hockey Camp. Over 100 players aged 7-17 participated in the camp this year, with players from Finland, Sweden, Russia and Belarus joining Latvian players at the two week camp.  Players trained both on- and off-ice daily under the direction of professional instructors from Canada, US, Sweden with Latvia. A rotating crew of Latvian national team players and KHL players from the area dropped in each day as well to offer advice, give tips and sign autographs. "The camp offers players a chance to train with players from other countries and to work with som..

The Oakville Rangers Minor Midget AA team capped a strong season with a run to the 2012/13 Finals of the OMHA playoffs. Although the team had typically performed well during the regular season, the Rangers had suffered disappointing early exits from the playoffs in recent years. New Head Coach Brian Stamegna was charged with building a team that could compete come playoff time. “We had talent but I knew we needed to play better as a team to be successful in the playoffs,” said Stamegna.”To do that we needed to create an environment of commitment and accountability.” Player changes were made heading into the new season and a comprehensive new program was implemented. New on-ice sy..