Goal scorers get all the glory. When a hockey player carries the puck, dekes, shoots and lights the lamp, they get the highlight, the cool nickname (Saucy Mitts, anyone?). But behind every great goal scored there is, more than likely, a great pass by an unselfish teammate. And becoming a better passer is one of the easiest ways a player at any level can improve their play and, more importantly, make his or her team more complete.

“Most players today are above-average skaters, stick-handlers, and shooters,” says Jeff Sorem, an Edina youth hockey coach. Sorem starred at Edina high school and Yale University and is now widely considered to be the best pond hockey player in the state of Minnesota, a version of the game where good hands and precise passing are at a premium. “But most players are below-average passers. They don’t realize that good, crisp passing is probably the most critical skill needed to build quality team play.”

Here are some tips to help develop puck passing and receiving skills.

Don’t be a puck hog. Unselfishness is an attribute that can be hard to teach. This is because players today are inundated with 1-on-1 highlights.

“Teaching kids to give up the puck is a tough one,” Sorem says. “Moving the puck to a teammate that has a better scoring opportunity should be expected. We teach our kids that the more you give up the puck the more likely you are to get it back.”

Vision. The first step in making a good pass is keeping your head up so you can see clearly where you need to move the puck. Good puck vision means every player practices the ability to see all of the ice and not just the space in front of them. In turn, this will increase puck possession and high percentage passes which naturally lead to more goals.

It’s not all about the passer. When a pass goes awry often the blame is directed entirely at the passer and not the receiver. This mindset overlooks the critical second half of the equation, however.

“The receiver is not on a vacation,” Sorem notes. “We tell our players that it takes two people to make a good pass.”

Catching a pass is a skill all its own. Sorem tells his players that if the puck arrives at a stick length in front or behind them they are expected to reel in the pass. This is an invaluable skill to learn because of the rushed nature of the game where most passes are not perfect.

“The speed of the game is faster than ever and passes are dictated by a lot of things such as sticks in the lanes and defensemen and trying to squeeze the puck thru traffic,” Sorem explains.

A player’s ability to successfully catch a pass that doesn’t arrive right on their stick is critical to team play.  

First things first. Passing should be incorporated into every drill at practice.

“The ability to make a basic, flat pass that doesn’t flutter is low,” Sorem says.

Every drill in practice should start with a hard, clean pass. A bad first pass at practice ruins everything and eventually will lead to a myriad of problems in game play such as sloppy outlet and exit passes.

“A bad first pass is a drill wrecker,” Sorem says.

Start yapping. When combined with increased rink vision, open communication between players is crucial to making a great pass.

“Players have to let their teammates know they are open,” Sorem notes. “Even at the NHL level, the players are loudly yelling for the puck. We tell our players to start jabbering when you get open.”

Oftentimes, players don’t have enough time to get a full visual of the ice so yelling for the puck helps direct the pass.

Put some sauce on it. Learning how to execute a perfect saucer pass can be indefensible skill. Plus, it looks really cool.

It’s all about chemistry. Over time, better puck passing between players creates chemistry and this can be a tremendous intangible to team success. When players routinely give up the puck to their linemates, anticipate how a play will develop, and then instinctively move into the open areas of the ice to receive the puck the level of their play raises substantially.

“The best passer I ever played with was Scott Sanderson. He played at Edina and Wisconsin. We played all the time together outside and just passed the puck so unselfishly that we almost played with one brain.”

Thinking as one, that’s the sign of a great team, and becoming a better passer is a good way to get there.