Hockey drill

Corner Passing Game (Possession)

A 4-on-4 possession game with four squares: score points by completing a controlled pass to a teammate in a square. For U9 and U11/U12 players.

Category: Odd man rushes
Levels: U9 · U11/U12

Hockey drill diagram: Corner Passing Game (Possession)

2on2
4on2
half-ice
getting open
marking
passing
odd man situation

How it runs

This is what your players need to understand before the puck moves.

This is a 4-on-4 possession game that can be set up in any zone.

Set up four squares as shown in the diagram. Each square has one player (one per team), and players must stay inside their square.

The two remaining players from each team play 2-on-2 inside the main area.

The goal is to maintain possession and complete passes to a teammate inside a square. Each clean pass received inside a square counts as one point.

A team can keep possession and accumulate points until the other team intercepts or takes the puck.

A coach stands just outside the zone with pucks. If the puck leaves the area, the coach immediately plays a new puck into open space to keep the game going.

Coach Steve's take

This game hides a lot of learning behind simple scoring. Players learn to get open, to defend and to protect the puck without you having to say it. Your job: keep the pace high by putting a new puck in play quickly. If one team dominates, change the teams instead of stopping to explain. And remind them that the players in the squares matter as much as the others.