75-Minute Middle School Kickoff Practice Plan

Bring everyone to center ice right away with helmets on and sticks down. This is where you set the tone for the whole season: where to line up, how to listen, and how we keep each other safe.

• Cover quickly: two whistles = freeze, no slapshots, keep your head up crossing the middle, and we never skate through another drill lane.
• Cues: “Knee on the ice when I talk.” “Two whistles means you stop.” “If you’re not sure, ask.”
• Common issue: Kids start skating during instructions. Fix: stop, reset, and don’t restart until every knee is down—day one is where you win that battle.

Last 60 seconds: point out today’s flow—skating first, then pucks, then cross-ice 3v3—so they know what’s coming.

Use the full rink. Everyone goes the same direction, no passing. Coach 2 skates behind the group to prevent racing and weaving.

Start with two easy laps, then switch to half-lap segments where you call the movement at the red line.

• Sequence: easy glide → bent-knee stance glide → two-foot slalom (gentle edges) → quick feet for 5 strides then glide.
• Watch for: hands in front of the body and knees bent without leaning forward at the waist.
• Cues: “Athletic knees.” “Hands where you can see them.” “Glide quiet—no stomping.”
• Adjustment: If players are falling, keep them to one lap at a time and use the boards on the turns; if they’re stable, add a longer stance glide down the boards.

End with a 30-second gather at center so you can set up lanes for the next block.

Set two parallel lanes from the goal line to the blue line using flat discs. Split the team in half—one line per lane. Coach 1 demos at the start; Coach 2 stands halfway down the lane to fix stride path.

• How it runs: on your whistle, send a skater every 3–4 seconds. Skater goes 6–8 controlled strides, then long glide to the blue line, peel out wide, and circle back outside the lanes.
• Watch for: push goes out to the side and the recovery skate comes back under the hips (not behind them).
• Cues: “Push to the side.” “Toe stays down.” “Glide and hold your stance.”
• Common issue: kids ‘run’ with short steps. Fix: make them do 4 big pushes only, then glide—count it out loud for them.

Last 90 seconds is your built-in reset: players kneel at center while you pull the discs in tighter for stopping work.

Water at the bench. While they drink, Coach 1 tells them the next skill in one sentence: “We’re learning to stop under control so we can play games safely.” Coach 2 finishes the lane setup.

• Cue to restart: “Helmets on, line up now—lane 1 here, lane 2 there.”

Stay in two lanes, but shorten the distance (hash marks to top of circle). Start with glide to a stop, not speed. Coach 1 at the stop point, Coach 2 at the start sending skaters.

• Progression: glide → two-foot stop facing the boards → reset wide → repeat; once they’re safe, add 3 strides before the stop.
• Watch for: chest stays over skates (no leaning back) and both skates turn together.
• Cues: “Nose over toes.” “Turn both skates.” “Stop—then look up.”
• Common issue: they spin or fall because hips swing. Fix: have them stop next to the boards first and touch the glass after the stop to keep shoulders quiet.

If the group is handling it, finish with gentle inside-edge ‘C-cuts’ in the lane back to the line. If not, keep it strictly glide-and-stop.

Split into three stations across the neutral zone so lines stay short. Rotate on the whistle every 3 minutes (you’ll get three rotations plus quick transitions). Coach 1 runs Station A; Coach 2 floats and fixes hands/eyes.

• Station A: stationary puckhandling—forehand/backhand taps with knees bent (30 seconds on, 15 seconds rest).
• Station B: slow carry through 4 cones/discs—wide turns, puck stays in front.
• Station C: partner push-pass 10–15 feet—receive on the forehand, cushion, pass back.

• Watch for: top hand away from the body and eyes up at least once per rep.
• Cues: “Soft hands.” “Puck in front.” “Look up—find me.”
• Common issue: kids slap at the puck and it bounces away. Fix: stop the station for 10 seconds and show ‘push the puck’ with the blade flat.

Last minute is a controlled collect: pucks to the boards, players to center for 3v3 instructions.

Set up two cross-ice games (one in each end). With 14–16 skaters, run two games at once: 3v3 plus 1–2 subs per team. Shifts are 40 seconds—Coach 2 runs the shift clock so kids don’t stay out too long.

• How it runs: puck drop from coach after every whistle/goal. Change on the whistle—players must tag their team’s cone/bench area before jumping in.
• Rules that teach: no slapshots; if the puck goes out of play, coach spots a new puck immediately; if a team bunches, whistle it and re-start with players spread.
• Watch for: at least one player on each team gets to open ice as a passing option instead of chasing.
• Cues: “Stop-start!” “Find space!” “Pass, then move!”
• Common issue: long shifts and tired kids crashing. Fix: shorten shifts to 30 seconds for 2 minutes, then build back up.

With 2 minutes left, call “last goal wins” to get urgency without turning it into a mess.

One easy lap together, then circle up at center. This is where you lock in expectations for next time.

• Ask two quick questions: “What’s our whistle rule?” “What does ‘nose over toes’ mean?” Make them answer out loud.
• Reinforce: show up on time, bring water, and we’re repeating stops next practice before we add more speed.

Send them off with one clear homework item: practice athletic stance at home (knees bent, hands in front) for 30 seconds at a time.