SportsWire Stories
60
Votes
|
|
|
Play Defense
My Advice – “Play Defense”
Mike Johnston
Los Angeles Kings
With the new NHL rule changes and a premium placed on defenseman who can skate, move the puck and play a smart all round game, maybe now skilled youngsters will select this position instead of moving up front after a couple of years. Minor hockey coaches should be on the lookout for these attributes in their players and encourage the most skilled players to stay on defense.
I thought this might have happened during/and or following the Orr era but for many years after size was the primary focus in deciding who was going to play defense. A 5 11 defenseman had virtually no chance to be selected in the Junior or professional draft. I believe now this will change. Ideally as coaches we would all like to have size and skill in combination but sometimes we are dreaming. It is tough to find the total package and if I am able to project into the future skill, skating, intelligence, and compete will be the key ingredients scouts and coaches will look for when selecting defensemen.
Whenever I have watched minor hockey try-outs there is always a shortage of defense to select from and an abundance of forwards, especially centers. Parents should encourage their youngsters to try defense, in every association there is a shortage of defense. To encourage kids to play defense select examples of defensemen at the NHL level for them to have as a role models and don’t always focus on who scores the goals in games because then youngsters will want to play up to get verbal rewards from parents and coaches.
Many coaches are adopting the philosophy of getting their defense more active in the rush, much like we do with the Kings. You can only squeeze so many goals from your forwards so if you are looking for more offensive production look for the back end to ship in. Our defense are encouraged to quickly support the attack and get involved offensively when we have possession of the puck. Quality possession is the determining factor in their decision to jump up. By having our defense active this puts a lot of pressure on other teams’ defensive play. Having your defense pinch at the offensive blue line on a pass to the winger is much riskier than having defense get involved in the attack. Apply coverage pressure on the other team and make their coaching staff work. Force them to make decisions on how to handle the extra player on the attack and in the offensive zone.
If the position of defense changes to the profile above then the game will have quicker transition and in the end it will be a more enjoyable position for youngsters to play. So parents encourage your son or daughter to give defense a try. We have enough goaltenders now!
|
Story Added: March 5th, 2008 by Mike Johnston
|
|
|
|
|
Get Connected, Get YourTeam Online!
|
|
