BreakOuts: Center Support
At all levels of the sport, every team wants to break out and exit the defensive zone as quickly and cleanly as possible. But while much of the focus rightly keys on the retrieving defensemen, perhaps the most important player is actually the center.
Why? The center patrols the middle ice. By positioning alone, this means a center’s role is as a connector who can facilitate play.
Centers fulfilling their role well require four foundational pieces:
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Awareness
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Communication
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Positioning
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Timing & Speed
Awareness / Scanning
As with everything else in hockey, awareness is a key first step. Centers must look for where their teammates are and simultaneously identify where the pressure is coming from.
Once this information is gathered, centers can effectively act to help their team break out.
Related: Scanning for information.
While this section has the fewest words, it is simply the most important element.
Talk / Communication
Communication is critical to initiating great breakouts. Defensemen and wingers can be under a lot of pressure when trying to breakout - communicating as to who is open helps relieve that pressure
Here are some examples of how centers can help answer some critical questions:
How much time and space?
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Yelling “time!” if they have time or “one!” if they have forecheck pressure. As an aside, your team should probably be fluent in a number of one-syllable words (rim, chip, wheel, wall, etc.).
Where is pressure coming from?
Centers can either tell where pressure is coming from
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Yelling “Pressure wall” or “middle pressure” or “On you”
Or centers can tell their teammates where to go with the puck
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Yelling “Go wall” or “Go middle” or “Skate”/“Wheel”
Positioning / Spacing / Routes
Good defensive positioning leads to a clean breakout and starts the rush up ice on a positive footing. Centers should be in the… center! A center’s job is to patrol the middle of the ice in the house/home plate.
Author, Greg Revak coaches with the University of Akron and University School (Ohio). He is a writer for Hockeyarsenal.com and contributor to Deke University.
When not at the rink, Greg can be found breaking down videos and writing about player development on twitter @CoachRevak. Use Greg's Code: HOCKEYIQ for $25 off your purchase of a SuperDeker!