hockey development

Question
hi, i was wondering if you have any tips to be a better goal scorer..I am 14 and play A Bantam. im a defensive center.  I score goals but not very many.  i dont shoot too much and im more of a passer.  in the offensive zone i play the perimeter(barely take it to the net, just pass to D)  could you please give me some tips to score more goals?  thankyou

Answer
Hi Peter, thanks for getting in touch!

Good job on making the A team, but I am sure you would love to score more goals (who doesn't right#. There is nothing wrong with being a defensive forward, but you also need to know when to drive to the net and pop in those rebounds, or tap in the passes. As a centermen you should be doing a lot of work, leading breakouts from your end, and looking for a pass from your wingers when you are in the oppositions end #remember to help them out in the corner if they need it#

It seems like your most comfortable spot would be 5 - 15 feet in from the blue line, and setting up plays, but don't be afraid to shoot. If your wingers give you a good pass from the corner, hammer the shot on the net, passing is great, but don't give up scoring opportunities when you get them.

Now to answer your question, how to score more goals:

I would practice your shooting, practice one timers quite a bit, because given you like to play the perimeter I bet you get a lot of feeds from the corner. I would practice a good hard slap shot, try to get a lot of power #read up on how to get power from your shot, and then practice) the perimeter is a great place to hammer in slap shots from.

I would also practice some moves that would allow you to penetrate the zone. Sometimes if you get a pass when you are just inside the blue line, a nifty move on the opposition is all you need to get close to the net for a great scoring chance. Practice your toe drag a lot, many times if you get a pass there is a player waiting right there that will skate forwards and try to knock the puck off your stick. If you can perfect your toe drag you will easily be able to get around the player and then try to snipe a goal.

So practice your slapshot, one times, and practice breaking through the opposition and getting a shot on net.

One more thing SHOOT THE PUCK - as the great Wayne Gretzky said "you miss 100% of the shots that you don't take" By shooting more you will score more, and so will your team mates by tip ins, and rebounds.

Hope that help, check out my http://howtohockey.com site for some more info. I have a few articles up, how to score more goals, how to take a slapshot and more. Plus I will be adding some articles like 20 ways to beat the D, and How to improve your slap shot speed.