Nobody wants to be the worst person on the team. You are probably searching for ways to become a better player and teammate. Well, here is what we think makes a great forward in beer league hockey.
To become a better forward in beer league hockey you need to understand positions on the ice and your role, focus on becoming a strong skater, learn to skate with the puck with your head up, always keep your legs moving, back check, work on breakouts with your team, keep your stick on the ice, pass the puck, and lastly, don’t be afraid to take a good shot.
Continue reading and we will talk in-depth about each one of these things and why we think they make you a better player and teammate in beer league hockey.
Understand Positional Hockey
To become a better forward in beer league hockey you first need to understand positional hockey. This means understanding where you should be on the ice and what your responsibilities are.
As a forward, there are three positions that you can be; Right-wing, center, or left-wing.
A center is the more defensively responsible forward position. You should also be a fairly strong skater to play this position well. As a center, you are down low in your own zone protecting the slot area and rotating into where defenders used to be if they needed to leave their spot to make a play in the corners or behind the net.
As a center, you are also a large part of the breakout. You should either be skating the puck out or making a pass to one of your streaking wingers.
A good center in beer league hockey skates well, plays defensive hockey, helps in the transition game, and can win a damn faceoff!
Wingers in beer league hockey are responsible for scoring, attacking the net, and protecting the point defensively.
A good winger will have a solid shot and understand skating in the offensive zone. They should know how to use their body to protect the puck and attack the center of the ice.
It really helps to build some chemistry with your linemates. If you are all on the same page and understand the jobs that need to be done by each position you can assess the plays as they happen and support each other.
Focus On Becoming A Better Skater
The whole game is played on skates, if you want to become better at beer league hockey you better learn how to skate. It’s like trying to play football and not really being comfortable while running.
If you become a better skater your whole game gets better.
Focus on learning your edges.
What helped me skate better is understanding how my skate blades actually worked. Each one of your skate blades actually has two blades on it. Your blade is hollowed out in the middle creating a c like shape.
There are a ton of videos about understanding your edges and I highly suggest watching them. Do not skip the edge drills in practices. If you don’t go to practice you should find out when your local rink has stick and pucks. Go there and practice a few edge drills. You are never too good for the basics. PRactice your c cuts, forwards and backwards. Practice the slalom, forward and backwards.
Getting good with your edges will help every aspect of your game. A strong skating forward is one that is hard to defend. If you can change your attack speed and direction and stay deceptive you are going to blwo by defenders.
Here are some basic skating drills that I’ve found really helpful:
Keep Your Head Up
Skating with your head up will help you in so many ways. One so you don’t smash into somebody on the ice potentially injuring yourself and others.
The other benefit is that you will make more plays happen. It will help you see the ice better and know where to pass.
Skating with your head up is a habit you develop. It gets easy the more comfortable you are skating with the puck. Take a few laps around the ice during warm-ups just skating with the puck.
Feel it on your stick.
Try to look around while you skate with the puck. Start to build some confidence while caring the puck.
While you’re at home you can also practice this. Use a sticking handling ball or a tennis ball and stick handle while you watch tv.
Focus on keeping your head up and feeling what the ball feels like on your stick.
Don’t skate with your head down staring at the puck, hoping not to lose it. Instead, skate with the puck with your head high and make better plays!
Back Check
Did you just turn the puck over? I better not see you look to the sky and standstill. That is the most annoying thing to see in a teammate. If you made a mistake, skate back and get your puck.
Heck, even if it’s your teammate that made the mistake, you need to have their back. Skate back and get that puck.
Nobody wants to see lazy forwards that don’t skate back and put pressure on their man.
This is beer league hockey, Most of the time you just need to skate at the person and apply a little pressure. Your presence will make them feel like they are being rushed.
If you get into the habit of constantly back-checking your defense will thank you, and most likely buy you a beer or two after the game.
A great forward will always backcheck.
Anticipate Puck Movement
This, among many other things, is what makes the great, great. They skate to where the puck is going to be instead of where it is at now.
One of Gretzky’s famous quotes is: “ I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”
If you can not anticipate where the puck will go next you are always chasing and this is a recipe for disaster.
I have seen it on teams that I have played on, sometimes as a group, we would just get focused on the person with the puck, mesmerized, all watching and skating towards them instead of understanding that one person needs to take that guy and the rest of us need to grab a person and defend the next movement with the puck.
This involves raising your Hockey IQ a bit, but you can do this by watching clips on youtube, you don’t have to be on the ice
Work On Breakouts With Your Team
This is a team exercise but understanding where you should be on a breakout will help tremendously. If you can have a set play with your other forwards and know what each other is doing you will really take it to most other beer league hockey teams.
As a froward here are two set break out plays that you can use. Depending on what side you guys end up with the puck.
If you are on the right-wing and you get the puck as the right-winger, you should see your center curling towards the center to support you and give you a passing option. If they are covered your other winger should be rolling across the top to also give you an out.
The same play will work on either side.
This is a great breakout play that works amazingly in beer league hockey, especially in the beginner-level leagues.
Keep Your Stick On The Ice
If you have spent any time around the ice rink you have probably heard these words yelled by coaches or teammates.
“Keep your Effing Stick on the ice!!!”
I can’t tell you how many times I have missed a pass because my stick was off the ice by an inch or so. I’ve seen so many new players that are in the right spot, the pass comes their way and they just miss the pass altogether because they didn’t get their stick on the ice fast enough.
If their stick would have been on the ice they would have just tap it into the net.
Keeping your stick on the ice will always keep you ready. You never know when the puck will bounce your way. It’s always best to be prepared.
Pass The Puck
Have you ever played with a puck hog before?
Don’t be that asshole.
It’s different if you are playing a pick-up game. Sometimes it’s fun to go coast to coast.
But, Hockey is a team sport. The best teams I have played on were not always the most skilled but the ones that played the best hockey together.
A team that passes the puck well and makes smart plays is difficult to beat at this level.
Practice passing in warms ups with a buddy. Get the feel for catching and giving good passes.
Passing the puck well is also a lot easier if you skate with your head up.
Don’t Be Afraid To Take The Shot
If you are in a prime scoring area don’t pass the puck! I get it, you want to be a team player, you don’t want to be selfish, and didn’t we just tell you to pass the puck?
Yes, all of that is true but if you are in a prime scoring area or have a clear lane to the net, the best thing you can do for your team is put a puck in the net.
Don’t pass on your opportunities to score a goal.