U11 Hockey Practice Plan: Breakouts and Passing
U11 is where breakouts start to look like hockey. This 60-minute practice builds from passing in stride to supported breakouts, using the boards, and retrieving rimmed pucks at speed, then finishes with a short, hard backcheck burst.
The plan at a glance
Criss Cross Apple Sauce Passing
Every breakout depends on catching the puck in stride. Start with one puck and build to four or five at once so the pace is game speed by the end of the warm-up.
- Call for it: stick on the ice, target up.
- Catch it moving and pass it on quickly.
3 Player Weave Breakout
A three-player weave that teaches the most important breakout habit: the next player is always in support. If a puck gets knocked away, the support player fills the lane and recovers it.
- Support the puck carrier, never skate away from him.
- Stripped? The next player fills the lane and picks it up.
Bank Pass Breakout
When a defender pinches, the boards are the open passing lane. This drill teaches players to bank the puck past the pinch and skate into the space it creates.
- Read the pinch, then bank it past him.
- Time the pass so the receiver takes it in stride.
Rim Retrieval with Speed
Half the breakouts in a U11 game start with a puck rimmed around the boards. Players learn to keep their speed through the corner and pick it up without stopping.
- Keep your speed through the corner.
- Pick it off the boards without stopping, then attack.
3 Pass Low Winger Swoop
Quick touch passes with the coach down low, then a swoop and a hard shot. It links the breakout passing habits to a scoring finish.
- One-touch passes when you can.
- Swoop low and call for the puck, then shoot hard.
2 v 0 Continuous Backcheck
Hidden conditioning: a 2-on-0 rush with a hard shot, then an immediate backcheck. Short, high-intensity bursts to end the practice.
- Take the pass in stride with your head up.
- Shoot, then turn and backcheck right away.
Also worth a look
Full Ice 1v1 Breakout PremiumA full-ice 1v1 that starts with a breakout under pressure. Breakout + Dump and Chase Premium
Breakout into dump and chase: a full team system drill. Rim to Regroup 2v1 Premium
Rim retrieval into a regroup and a 2v1 rush.
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