What You Need to Know About Faceoffs in Youth Hockey

A lot of people are unsure why faceoffs occur in youth hockey and if they’re even important at all. The short answer to that question, however, is that they most definitely are.  

For starters, faceoffs are important because they let a team know what they are facing down defensively speaking. Each team has the chance to size the other up during a faceoff and then to make judgment calls about how to proceed from there.

With faceoffs obviously being so important, what’s the key to having success in the midst of them?

Well, for starters, teams need to be skilled in making active plans and in doing so quickly. They also need to hone their ability to win a draw and need good technique overall. 

Of course, none of that stuff comes overnight, which is something good coaches know and understand. The right coach will prepare your players for the game as a whole, and they’ll naturally get better at faceoffs as a result.

With that said, though, there is certainly nothing wrong to devoting some extra time specifically to faceoffs. After all, they are a real and important part of the game and having good faceoff skills can improve a player’s worth and overall skill level as well.

Coaches can regularly call two players to the circle, have one stand on each side of the dot, and practice faceoffs against each other. Doing this over and over again, perhaps as a beginning or end of practice exercise, is a great way to build in faceoff practice without taking too much time.

Little methods like this of incorporating faceoff practice into regular training can make a big difference.