After he’s done the backwards crossover he opens up and transitions. At which point he loses a half step. This happens a lot to me, and sometimes I don’t see the benefit of getting into the backwards position in the first place. I’m wondering if I need to work on back skating speed/crossovers so that I can stay in the backwards position as the attacker is going through the NZ. Is it even worth getting in the backwards position if the attacker has more momentum and the gap is tight?
I'll try to make this concise because there's a lot of "if/then" scenarios haha. 1) Crossovers: ideally we want to limit crossovers because you end up committing to one direction and have to finish the movement before you can change directions again. So, the strong side D should get set in a good hockey stance, recover the dots, and then make a decision to hold the dots or pressure the puck. Part of that decision is based on the back tracking from you forwards. 2) Backwards position: this again is situational, but you don't always have to skate backwards. Depending on how the play develops and your gap, you can use forward skating/angling to address the rush. If you use forward angling, its important that your stick leads the way ,and you get your toe caps and hips around facing your end (and net) of the ice. If your gap is tight and the puck carrier can't advance into middle ice, you can take the body immediately and your back tracking F1 should be there to pick up the loose puck. 3) Skating: it's always worth it to be a good skater. I would definitely watch as many NHL games with Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Charlie McAvoy as possible. They are exceptional skaters and use forward angling a ton to neutralize the opposing team's zone exits from their DZone. I'll have more videos for Defenseman coming, now that I am back in season. I hope this helps!
