Get coached
This page explains the principles. It is not a substitute for a qualified coach or your association's programme, and it does not replace medical advice.
USA Hockey's 2009 checking manual lists passing and receiving among the six core hockey skills, with skating, stickhandling, shooting and checking. The teaching points on this page come from Hockey Canada's Coach 1 manual (Version 1.1, 2022) unless another source is named. When and where a pass is legal, including offside, is covered on the offside and icing page.
The key points of any pass
Coach 1 sets out five points that apply to every pass:
- Hands in the dribbling (stickhandling) position.
- Arms out in front of the body.
- Eyes on the target, without necessarily turning the head toward it. The manual's reason is that turning the head tells the opponent where the pass is going.
- Blade square to the target when the puck leaves it.
- Follow-through toward the target.
Passing to a moving teammate
The manual says a pass to a moving player should lead the receiver, so the puck arrives while they are in full stride and they do not have to slow down for it. When a pass to the stick is not possible, it suggests three alternatives: pass to the skates, behind the receiver, or into open space.
A pass is not the end of the passer's job. Coach 1 says the passer normally keeps skating after releasing the puck and moves into a supporting position.
The forehand sweep pass
Coach 1's sequence for the basic forehand pass:
- Bring the puck back beyond the plane of the body, with weight on the back leg.
- Sweep the puck forward by pulling with the top hand and pushing with the bottom hand.
- Shift weight onto the front leg as the puck moves.
- Follow through low, toward the target.
The manual stresses that each player needs a stick that is not too long for sweep passing. Stick length is covered on the stickhandling page.
The backhand pass
Coach 1 calls the backhand pass very difficult and says it deserves special attention in practice. Its key points: the top hand has to move out in front of the body so the blade stays square to the target, and the weight moves from the leg farther from the receiver to the leg nearer the receiver. The manual's long-term goal is a backhand pass made without losing speed, changing direction or turning the shoulders too far.
Board passes
When a defender is between the passer and the receiver, the boards can carry the puck around them. Coach 1 explains this with a simple rule: the puck comes off the boards at the same angle it went in.
Receiving a pass
Coach 1's receiving points:
- Head up, watching the puck come in.
- Blade on the ice as a target, square to the incoming puck.
- Some give in the blade on contact, so the puck is cushioned rather than bouncing off.
- On the backhand, cup the blade and relax the wrists to absorb the pass.
- Either way, be ready to pass again straight away.
USA Hockey's 2009 checking manual adds an awareness point for receivers: shoulder checks before receiving a pass or picking up a loose puck.
Passing in team play
Hockey Canada's 2020-21 guide for defence players shows how these skills feed into team tactics:
- Breakouts: the guide calls breakouts the essence of attacking, and asks defence pairs and the goaltender to agree a shared set of calls for the options, giving quick up, wheel, over, reverse, rim and set as examples.
- Regroups: in the neutral zone the first option is a quick pass up to the forwards, with defence-to-defence passes used to spread the opposing forecheck. Defence players are then expected to join the rush as the second wave.
- Shooting as passing: the guide asks defence players to shoot for teammates' sticks as well as at the net, and Hockey Canada's shooting and scoring guide lists shooting for teammates' sticks and shooting off a pass among its shooting concepts.
More on team play is on the positioning and systems page.