Video Vault - Quick Release & Pucks to the Net
Quick Release & Pucks to the Net
It is common in youth hockey for players to hold on to the puck too long in scoring situations or at other times when they want to make sure that they generate as much power as they can on their shot or to make what they think is the perfect play. This happens frequently when the players receive a pass on the rush and are in a position for a quality scoring chance and when they are at the point thinking that they have to shoot it really hard to have a chance to score.
Younger players may be able to get away with this when the goalies aren’t big enough to cover much of the net and when defensemen aren’t quick enough or good enough skaters to shut down opportunities and shooting lanes – or big enough to make a player pay physically for taking too long to get rid of the puck.
As players move up the ladder and compete against bigger, older, faster and just flat-out better players, this is a habit that can be hard to break and lead to many missed opportunities as well as a lack of production.
When facing bigger and more-talented goalies, every extra millisecond a player takes to shoot the puck means he or she will have less open net at which to shoot, and telegraphing shots by staring at the puck on your stick and pulling the stick back to get a little more velocity on a shot are key indicators netminders work off of to know what you are planning to do and shut you down.
Likewise, there is no time to take that extra touch or make that extra move against better and quicker defensemen when you get the puck in prime scoring position. Forwards have to get the puck off their sticks quickly if they hope to score or make passes to open teammates for scoring opportunities.
Similarly, when defensemen have the puck at the point, the longer they hang on to it and the bigger wind-up they take when shooting allows defenders to jump into shooting lanes and block shots. Blocked shots have become a huge part of the game and can lead to a loss of possession or even and odd-man rush for the opposing team.
Understanding this and starting to develop these skills and habits before they become essential will allow for a smoother transition to whatever level a player wants to play as he or she advances. Unfortunately, many players don’t realize this until they get to a level at which their production and value to the team suffers because they aren’t able to adapt quickly.
It takes time for all players to adjust and get comfortable when they move up to a new level, so those who are more prepared and can adapt quicker are the ones who figure to have the smoothest transition and become key players that coaches will count on. Others may be used in lesser roles or even get scratched – or worse – at the junior level.
In addition to potentially enhancing a player’s personal production, being able to get more pucks to the net is just sound hockey strategy. With each level you move up the hockey ladder fewer goals are scored on pretty bar-down snipes and blasted slappers from the point.
One study of international hockey indicated that as many as 40 percent of all goals at that level were scored on rebounds, while at the NHL level goaltenders stop about 95 percent of the first shots they see compared to about 78 percent of the second and third shots they face. Nearly 40 percent of all NHL goals are scored from directly in front of the net from 15 feet or closer.
On top of that, between 2009 and 2019 the number of slapshots taken in the NHL dropped from nearly 17,500 to about 11,600. Per team the number of slappers dropped from an average of 583 to 375, with the highest team total falling from 922 to 593 and the highest individual player total dropping from 163 to 115.
Being able to get shots off quickly and get pucks to the net are key traits of successful hockey teams. So don’t keep getting your stick checked, your shots blocked and hitting shinguards with your slappers. Take a look at the clips below and work on developing a quicker release and getting pucks to the net!
Just like huge wind-up slapshot blasts from the point that go straight in are becoming rarer, so are full wind-up blasts that bounce in off a defender or teammate or are deflected in on purposes. As the numbers mentioned earlier indicate, slaphots in general simply are going the way of the dinosaur.
Defensive players are sso quick and athletic these days – and shot-blocking has become such a big part of the game – that it’s become nearly impossible to take all the time necessary to wind up and still get a puck through to the net without it hitting a body in a position to block it or shinguards or whatever else might be in the way. And if the puck does get through to the front of the net it’s likely to be whizzing past a maze of bodies and very hard for a teammate to deflect intentionally.
You’ll see in this this video of deflection goals that for the shots from the point, the players either get the puck to the net very quickly with a flick of the wrists or maneuver themselves with their heads up at all times so they know when they have a clear path through which they can fire the puck toward the goal.
More often you’re seeing the big wind-up used as a decoy to get defensive players to commit to going down to block a shot, with the d-man holding onto the puck a bit longer and then just threading it through to the goal in hopes of creating a rebound or deflection opportunity. Sometimes players will wind up and realize that there is nowhere to shoot and instead fire the puck wide but directly at a teammate for a possible deflection or off the back boards in hopes of getting a friendly bounce. Many times, even if they do draw the stick back to shoot, the backswing is abbreviated with the main being to just get the puck through to the goalie.
Brooks Orpik winds up on one of the goals in this clip and fires it at Sidney Crosby in hopes of something good happening. Likewise, Jarri Kurri shoots way wide for Wayne Gretzky’s stick on what turns out to be a deflection goal.
You will see evidence of everything described here in the above clip. You’ll also notice that some of the goals seem lucky, but good things happen when you get pucks to the net. All of the options on display in this clip are better than winding up or blindly shooting pucks that get blocked and turned around for transition opportunities against your team.
The best way to eliminate this from your gam is to work hard on improving your footwork at the point, getting in the habit of receiving the puck with your feet moving and head up and getting the puck on your stick as quickly as possible in a position that you are a threat to pass, shoot or skate with it. Developing the habit of moving the puck into this type of “triple threat” position, to steal a term from basketball, as quickly as you can after you receive it will make you a better player all over the ice.
Catch the pass and move the puck and stick to a position off to the side of your body and slightly in front of your skates, with your head up, as quickly as you can. This way you can shoot, pass or drag the puck and walk toward center point with it. That will keep the defense on its heels and give you a little more time and space to work with.
Duncan Keith does a great job here of keeping his feet moving and his head up, winding up and faking shots twice to get the defense to commit, before finally getting the puck to the net for a goal. He shows great patience and vision to not just fire the puck into bodies. Also notice the abbreviated backswing when he finally wants to take the shot in a hurry.
In this clip Cody Ceci utilizes a fake shot from the point, then keep his head up and moves his feet into a position where he has an open lane to the net. Notice how he just makes sure he gets it through instead of taking the time to wind up for the best shot that he can take. The end result is a goal.
Notice on the goals from the point that the main objective is getting pucks through to the goal, and each time good things happen. You often create your own luck in hockey by playing hard and smart. Not one of these goals is the result of a blasted shot from the point.
Here you see a great example of a point man using a fake shot then keeping his head up and feet moving to find a lane to the net that results in a rebound goal.
This is a really good example of using the fake shot from the point to suck in the defense then passing to a player with an open shooting lane who gets the puck to the net for a rebound goal.
Auston Matthews scores four different types of goals showing his quick release and how he can move the puck into a position where he can snap it quickly and accurately before a goalie is ready without having to use his legs or take time to wind up or draw the puck back.
For goal number one he kicks the puck to a space where in one motion he can get off a quick backhander with good pace on it before the goalie can slide across and set up. Notice how there is no stickhadling or dragging the puck back to generate power. He takes the stick right to the puck and gets rid of it before the goalie is ready.
On the second goal he simply stops the puck with the back of the stick blade and doesn't play with it, instead leaving it out in front so that he can shoot before the goalie expects it. Had he tried to flatten it or pull it back for more power, that would have shown the goalie he was shooting and given him time to get set and cover that short-side post. Instead, again Matthews leaves the puck in front of his body in a position where he can pass or shoot and gets rid of it before the goalie knows what he's doing and can make sure he is set.
On the third goal he once again shoots the puck from a spot right in front of his body, kicking his leg and using his core – along with the strength of his wrists and forearms – to generate power. He has to reach and drag the puck over on his backhand, but instead of pulling it all the way back to be able to use more of his body to generate extra power, he decides to get rid of it quickly from out in front to have more net to shoot at.
The fourth goal, while an extremely high-level play to be able to knock the puck down and shoot it that quickly, again shows how Matthews values the quick release over generating more velocity. He knows that the only way he could score against a world class goalie like Carey Price is to release the shot either when he's not expecting it or before he has time to get in proper position to make the save – or both. Here Matthews knocks it down, keeping in front again, and fires it right away before Price can get across to make the save. He doesn't worry about getting the puck flat or in perfect position to get his best possible shot off. Matthews shoots it while it's on edge while he still has daylight to shoot at.
Notice on each of these plays that Matthews was dealing with either a goalie who was not quite set, opposing players who were converging on him or both. He understood that waiting even an extra millisecond to make sure the puck was flat or get it to a better position to get off the best possible shot likely would mean that his opportunity to score would be shut down. Too many young players hang onto the puck in high-scoring areas and try to make sure everything is perfect before shooting. With each age group and level of play you move up, the longer you hold the puck the harder it will be to score goals – or make strong, accurate passes for that matter – since time and space decrease as you move up the ladder.
Auston Matthews' quick release is on display here as he receives the puck and fires a shot past the Sharks goalie with just two quick touches. Even though the pass is not perfect he taps it to space in front of him instead of trying to catch it and pull it back for a stronger shot. That allows him to quickly fire the puck before the goalie can react.
If you want to see a guy who is a pure goal-scorer, watch Matthews score all 40 of his goals. The first thing to notice is that out of those 40 goals, he actually takes time to set up, pull the puck back and really lean into the shot maybe two or three times total.
Also notice how many types of goals he scores – shots off the rush, rebounds, deflections, tap-ins after he’s worked to get open. He rarely stops moving without the puck, works hard to find openings in the defense and isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas and battle for position and pucks. If I had to estimate, I would say that at least half of his goals are rebound or deflections with probably 75 percent or more coming from within five feet of the goal.
Talk about the ultimate quick release!
Here Mikael Grandlund takes a pass coming through the neutral zone and doesn't even appear to be a scoring threat. He has a wing with him and seems likely to kick the puck wide and drive the net. Instead – perhaps sensing that Darcy Kuemper is really not set and expecting a shot – without drawing the puck back to alert the goalie or defenseman, he just fires a quick shot that surprises and eludes the netminder for a goal. High hockey IQ play here. Get it to the net before they are expecting it and you never know.
Phil Kessel is famous for his quick release, and you can see why in these two clips. In both situations he is joined by teammates on the rush and uses this to his advantage. Look how he keeps the puck in front of him so that it's in a position where he can pass, carry or shoot and looks off the D and goalie to keep them honest. Kessel doesn't show his hand or tip off what he might do, which keeps the goalie guessing and allows him to score with quick shots that the netminders aren’t completely prepared for. Notice that at no point does he draw the puck back to make it look like he's shooting. He keeps it out in front and uses his core and leg kick, along with the strength of his wrists and forearms, to generate velocity.