How do you start the game? How do you start the shift? How do you start a powerplay or a penalty kill? Faceoffs. It takes a lot of practice time to perfect faceoff plays, but it’s a crucial aspect of the game, especially if you are coaching at a level where there is parity. It’s not just the centreman either, it’s a collective of the wingers and the defensemen as well. From the coach’s perspective, it’s as close to a controlled environment we get.
So we’d better have a plan. Have a look at how coach Woodcroft prepares his players for faceoffs.
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Todd Woodcroft
Currently, Todd is the Head Coach for the University of Vermont Men's Hockey team. A frequent guest of The Coaches Site, Todd has over 20+ years experience in the NHL and internationally. Todd began his career with the Minnesota Wild in 2000 and has worked for the Washington Capitals, the LA Kings, the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets. He also spent a year in the KHL as the Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel for Dynamo Minsk.
Todd began his coaching journey as a Video Coach for the Wild and branched off into scouting, ending up as the Scouting Director for the Flames before coming back to his true passion for coaching with the Jets in 2016. He has coached in 7 World Championships and one World Cup representing Canada,Belarus, Switzerland and Sweden. He won a Stanley Cup in 2012 with the Kings and two Gold Medals (Canada, 2004 & Sweden, 2017).
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