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10 Hockey Warm-up Drills Kids Actually Enjoy

The best warm-ups do not feel like warm-ups. These ten get every player skating, handling the puck and passing from the first whistle, with no long lines and no standing around. Each one is animated, so you can see how it runs before you put it on the whiteboard.

Age: U7–U13Ice: Half & full iceDrills: 10

At a glance

#1Half Ice WarmupSkating & passing

#2Practice Half Ice Warmup - U7-U11Edges & give-and-go

#3Progressive Puck Control WarmupPuck control

#4Half Ice St. LouisPass & shoot

#5Criss Cross Apple Sauce PassingPassing in stride

#6Edges & Crossovers Momentum DrillPower skating

#7Gates of Dean ParkGame warm-up

#8Road Runner Passing + Goalie Slide PremiumPassing + goalie

#9Crossover Circles net in middle PremiumCrossovers

#10Coach Keep Away Passing PremiumPassing game

#1 · Skating & passing

Half Ice Warmup

An obstacle course of crossovers, backwards skating and quick passes to the coaches, finishing with a shot. Run both ends at once and nobody waits.

Crossovers and backwards skating
Quick passes in motion

▶ Watch it animated

#2 · Edges & give-and-go

Practice Half Ice Warmup - U7-U11

Get low around the cones, give-and-go with the coach, shoot. Simple enough for U7, still useful at U11.

Get low around the cones
Keep your feet moving after the pass

▶ Watch it animated

#3 · Puck control

Progressive Puck Control Warmup

A multi-stage warm-up where the puck-handling gets harder at each stage. Kids like "levelling up", and it keeps the good ones challenged.

Give-and-go with the coaches
Puck control at full speed

▶ Watch it animated

#4 · Pass & shoot

Half Ice St. Louis

Skate over the blue line, take a feed from the other line and go to the net. Every rep ends with a shot, which is why kids never complain about it.

Skate hard over the blue line
Opposite line feeds the pass

▶ Watch it animated

#5 · Passing in stride

Criss Cross Apple Sauce Passing

Players cross through the middle and pass in stride. Add pucks one at a time until it is organised chaos: that is when they are really paying attention.

Call for the pass
Receive the puck in stride

▶ Watch it animated

#6 · Power skating

Edges & Crossovers Momentum Drill

Half-stops at the cones and explosive crossovers without ever coming to a full stop. Turn it into a race and it stops feeling like skating drills.

Half-stop at the cones, keep speed
Explode into backwards crossovers

▶ Watch it animated

#7 · Game warm-up

Gates of Dean Park

A small-area game where you score by passing through gates. Use short shifts as a warm-up: it gets heads up and legs moving faster than any line drill.