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- 🏒 No Soft Passes Allowed
🏒 No Soft Passes Allowed
How to send the puck with purpose.
You want to make a real impact for your team?
Start with your passing.
Soft passes might feel safe, but they put your teammates in danger and kill offensive momentum.
Passing hard and flat is one of the most undertrained skills in hockey.
And it has nothing to do with skill level.
At Pro Performance Hockey Lab, we train players to pass with the same intensity they have when trying to score.
So let’s break it down.
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Heel to Toe
When you pass, the puck should start on the heel of your blade and spin toward the toe.
This heel-to-toe spin is what keeps the puck flat, like a Frisbee.
Put the puck on your toe, and it’ll wobble through the air.
That’s a turnover, or worse, a trip to the injured list for your linemate.
Elite passing starts with puck control. Once you’ve finished this lesson, check out Unlock Pro Level Puck Handling.
Hard = Safe
It might feel counterintuitive, but hard passes are actually safer.
A fast, flat puck gets to your teammate before the defense does.
A slow one forces your teammate to look down, potentially putting them in a dangerous situation.
Aim for your pass to knock the stick out of their hands.
That’s the mentality.

Final Thoughts on Passing
Flat, hard passes keep your team moving, protect your teammates, and show you’re a player who takes pride in doing things right.
Clean passes are often the difference between a goal and a turnover.
You don’t need to be the flashiest player to stand out, just do the common thing uncommonly well.
When you’re ready to elevate your game, here’s how I can help you:
Elite private training to provide the 1 on 1 attention you deserve.
Spring 2025 clinics for offseason skill development.
Summer Camp 2025 to prepare for the upcoming season.
See you on the ice,
Coach Scott Rutherford
(716) 912-4465