Hockey is an ever-evolving game. There are eras of different playing styles that have defined the NHL. Not even going back to the NHL’s inception, the game has changed dramatically since the 03-04 lockout. Pre-lockout was defined as big-body players and low-scoring affairs. Today’s game is the opposite. Size has become to some degree irrelevant and high-scoring outcomes are to be expected. From this unpredictably, what should you focus on now? If you’re a young player, what is the #1 thing you should focus on to make it to the NHL? Is it a physical attribute such as height or weight? What one skill does one need above all else to succeed?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
– Skating Is The #1 Skill
– The Two Aspects Of Skating
– Speed
– Agility And Edge Work
– Summary
While there are many skills/attributes that this could’ve been such as shooting, stick handling, hockey IQ, passing, etc. The correct answer is something quite simple. What do all hockey players do 100% of the time? From the moment they step onto the ice to the moment they step off? Skating. A player cannot be effective on the ice, in any league, whether it’s the NHL or beer league, if they cannot skate better than their peers.
Today’s game is faster than ever. Wayne Gretzky, who dominated the NHL from 1979 to 1999 best attributes were his passing and incredible hockey IQ. While not terrible, skating was never his forte. Fast forward to today’s NHL and arguably the game’s best hockey player in the world, Connor McDavid, #1 talent is his skating ability. He is the fastest player in the league. Other top players like Nathan MacKinnon, Erik Karlsson and Cale Makar possess exceptional skating ability as well.
TWO ASPECTS OF SKATING
– Speed
– Agility and Edge Work
Speed is king. If you’ve ever played hockey before and were on the ice against an opponent that was faster than you. It can make things very difficult. If you’re faster than everyone else, you’ll grab more loose pucks and be more difficult to check. You will have more time to make plays. Hence, you’ll have more time to make a pass or take a shot. The possibilities are endless with speed and that is because of the way the game is played today. Hockey is getting away from hitting and fighting in favour of goal-scoring and skill, and speed is its vessel. Speed allows a player to get more puck touches and to have it on their stick for longer. This means they can make more plays and ultimately be more effective.
Skating isn’t just a one-sided coin, unfortunately. It’s not all about speed. Hockey isn’t played on a straight line so getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible will only get one so far. The other criteria are agility and edge work. An effective hockey player must be able to stop, turn and pivot on a dime and edge work is the base for all of this. Hockey isn’t played on a really large surface so the majority of the time a skater isn’t going in a straight line. They need to be able to skate down the ice fast, and put on the brakes as quickly as possible to alleviate a check or chase down the puck.
Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily in all directions and how this is achieved on the ice is through the proper use of edge work. There are two types of edges in skating. The inside edge which is the edge when you roll the ankle inwards and the outside edge which is when the skate blade is on the outside, happens when pushing out the ankles. When used effectively together proper edge work is critical for crossovers and tight turns.
To make the NHL or any other professional, collegiate, major junior level or any high level of hockey many skills are needed. Skills such as strength, shooting, passing, and hockey IQ among others cannot be overlooked. However, skating is by far the most important tool one can possess. Skating is what a hockey player does the moment they touch the ice and it is an integral part of nearly every action an ice hockey player does while on the ice, so it’s for these reasons that skating is the skill that all hockey players must develop.
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