Deep Dive: Ryan O’Reilly Puck Protection
In the video above, Topher Scott from the Hockey Think Tank
gives us a comprehensive breakdown of a goal that was generated by Ryan
O’Reilly’s puck protection skills.
Puck protection is often an
undervalued skill, but is so important to maintain possession and create
scoring opportunities for your team.
Key Points
Beat the defender to the puck with good body position.
Stay low with your knees bent, chest up and use your shoulder to
lean into the defenseman which allows your stick to be further from your
body giving you more room to protect the puck.
The boards are your friend, use them to self chip to allow for better positioning and separation from the defender.
