Top 6 At-Home Hockey Drills to Play Like a Pro

Looking for ways to improve your kids’ hockey skills at home?

With the proper at-home hockey drills, they can enhance their puck control, skating, shooting, and overall game sense.

In this article, we’ll use our expertise as an NHL-licensed backyard ice hockey rink manufacturer to walk you through the best at-home hockey drills for all ages and skill levels. 

We’ll also share a few pro tips to get the most out of your unstructured ice time and maximize your growth.

6 Best Hockey Drills At Home to Elevate Your Kids’ Game

Each of these drills is meant to improve your little players’ skills on the key aspects of hockey play, including puck control, edgework, passing, shooting and puck protection. 

These are hockey drills for beginners to advanced - all skill levels can benefit. 

1. Puck Control: Stationary Hockey Stickhandling Drills At Home

The foundation of any good hockey player is smooth puck control. 

Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned pro, mastering the basics of stickhandling is key. 

And the best part? You don’t need much space to practice.

Here are some good hockey drills to do at home for stickhandling and puck control:

How to Do It:

• Start by holding the stick with both hands and keeping the puck in front of you.

• Use soft, controlled movements to move the puck back and forth.

• Progress to using only one hand on the stick while maintaining control.

• Once you're comfortable, try faster movements, and challenge yourself by incorporating a few different patterns like figure eights or zig-zags.

Pro Tip: For an extra challenge, add obstacles like cones or small objects to simulate real game conditions. It’s a simple way to practice puck protection while avoiding imaginary defenders.

Here’s a video demonstration of how to practice puck control with cones from YardRink owner Zev Y. and his son, Zayden:  

 

2. Edgework & Balance Drills

In hockey, your edgework determines how well you can accelerate, decelerate, pivot, and stop. 

At home, you can do these drills on any smooth surface, whether it’s your backyard rink or the garage floor.

How to Do It:

• Start with tight turns: Practice C-cuts and circles using both inside and outside edges.

• Once you feel confident, increase the difficulty by doing figure-eight balance work, switching edges between each turn.

• The goal is to maintain good posture and balance while using minimal effort to change direction quickly.

Pro Tip: Practice your edgework with a low center of gravity (bend your knees) and focus on keeping your weight on your inside edges for more precise movements. This will pay off in those tight game situations when you need to make sharp cuts to beat defenders.

 

3. Passing Drills (Even in Small Spaces)

Passing is a skill that often gets overlooked during solo practice sessions. But with a little creativity, you can easily simulate passing scenarios in small spaces. 

Whether you’re using a rebounder, a wall, or the boards of your backyard rink, these at-home hockey drills will sharpen your passing accuracy and timing.

How to Do It:

• Bank passes: Use the boards to practice your bank passes, or if you don’t have boards, try hitting a wall or rebounder.

• One-touch passes: Have a partner (or rebounder) work on quick one-touch passes back and forth.

• Saucer passes: Practice lifting the puck off the ice in tight spaces using a saucer pass — this is especially useful in games with tight checking.

Pro Tip: Don't just work on your forehand passing. Add in backhand passes to your routine as well — the more versatile your passing game, the more dangerous you become on the ice.

4. Shooting Drills (Quick Release and In-Strides)

As a hockey player, being able to shoot quickly and accurately can make the difference between scoring and getting shut down. 

These hockey shooting drills at home are perfect for improving your release time and accuracy in tight spaces.

How to Do It:

• Quick release: Use a rebounder, or have a friend toss you a puck, and work on getting a shot off in less than a second. Focus on getting the puck on net, even when you're off-balance.

• Shooting in stride: If you have a backyard rink, use it to practice shooting while you're skating at full speed. Work on shooting from different angles and distances.

• Catch-and-release: A variation of the quick-release drill, but this time, receive the pass, catch it on your stick, and shoot in one smooth motion.

Pro Tip: To take it up a notch, practice shooting with your backhand, as this adds another dimension to your game and can throw off goalies who are expecting a forehand shot.

 

5. Small-Area Games: 1v1 and Puck Protection

Sometimes, the best way to practice hockey is to simulate real game conditions — and nothing mimics game pressure better than small-area games. 

Since roughly 80% of puck time occurs within three feet of the wall, practicing in tight spaces is one of the most valuable ways to mirror real gameplay.

(This also reinforces why it’s important to have a backyard rink that plays like a professional rink. YardRink’s 18-inch-tall panels are filled with water and frozen to deliver authentic board play. They’re the lightest in the industry when empty and the sturdiest when frozen. And, because the tarp goes on the outside of the walls, it doesn’t interfere with sticks or puck movement.)

These at-home hockey drills focus on puck protection and battling in confined spaces, which are crucial for success during a game.

How to Do It:

• 1v1 mini games: If you have a friend or sibling around, challenge them to a mini-game in a small space. Focus on protecting the puck, making quick decisions, and getting shots off in tight quarters. You can also mix in king-of-the-hill puck protection, where each player battles to maintain possession. This is great for building strength, balance, and real-game competitiveness.

• Puck protection drills: Work on maintaining possession by protecting the puck along the boards or in open ice. Practice using your body to shield the puck and maneuver around opponents.

Pro Tip: The tighter the space, the more your skills are tested. Small-area games improve agility, decision-making, and confidence with the puck, all of which are transferable to full-ice situations.

6. Hockey Goalie Drill At Home: Reaction Saves

Quick reflexes and strong tracking skills are essential for any goalie. This drill helps you react to unexpected shots, improve hand-eye coordination, and stay square to the puck.

How to Do It:

• Use a soft ball, tennis ball, or foam puck to avoid injury.
  

• Have a partner gently toss or roll the puck from different angles in front of you.
  

• Focus on keeping your body square to the “shot,” moving your hands and feet quickly, and controlling rebounds.
  

• Gradually increase the speed or unpredictability of the tosses as you improve.
  
  

Pro Tip: Work on staying low in your stance and using short, explosive movements. Even practicing this in a small space reinforces the reflexes you need to stop shots in real game situations.

The Value of Unstructured Ice Time to Improving Hockey Skills

Structured at-home hockey drills for kids are important, but one often-overlooked element for improving your kids’ skills at home is unstructured ice time.

The ability to work on their game without the pressure of a structured practice or game situation lets your child focus on individual stick/puck/skate skills, which are key for long-term development.

This time to experiment, fail, and try again in your backyard rink can ignite a deeper passion for the game. Plus, it builds confidence in their ability to handle real-game pressure when it counts. And it is just pure fun!

The Backyard Rink Designed to Build Better Players at Home

With the proper hockey drills, your home can become a training ground for hockey greatness. 

But you need the right equipment to get the most out of your little players’ hockey practice at home.

Realistic hockey play is the number one benefit YardRink ice rinks offer (one of the main reasons why NHL legend Wayne Gretzky said, “I grew up playing backyard hockey. I wish YardRink were around back then!”). 

 

They are uniquely built for serious hockey play, with features including:

• Premium Hockey-Optimized Design: Smoothly curved panels with large-radius rounded corners and a professional rink look—no brackets, straps, kick plates, or foam bumpers required.
  

• Custom Three-Layer Rip-Stop Tarp Sits on the Outside of the Walls: Sewn-in grommets keep the tarp out of the way of pucks, sticks, and skates, allowing the ice to touch the walls for smooth puck movement just like a professional rink.
  

• 18-Inch Tall Authentic Panels: Taller than other backyard rink brands, these panels are filled with water and frozen for real board play; light when empty, extremely sturdy when frozen.
  

• Easy Setup: Quick rink assembly (can be done in about an hour) on any level surface—no measuring or brackets needed.
  

• Minimal Maintenance: Exterior tarp placement allows shoveling or snow plowing right up to the panels without damage.
  

• Official NHL Licensing: You can add your favorite NHL team decals at no extra cost.
  

• Included Puck Retention Nets: Two nets come with every rink to protect property and prevent lost pucks—the only brand to include them.
  

• Premium Performance at a Fair Price: Top-tier design and features without a premium price tag.
  

• Expandable Over Time: You can add straight panels and a larger tarp to increase rink size as your kids’ skills grow on the ice. This is helpful for tighter budgets (which might be a better fit for our Junior Rink or Starter Rink), as it lets you buy the size you need now and expand it as necessary in the future. 

• Extended Skating Season: Our ESD technology lets you add weeks of extra ice time using only a garden hose and a small water transfer pump.

YardRink Testimonials From Hockey Families Just Like Yours

Nothing speaks louder than real results from real families.

See below for how YardRink owners are using their backyard rink to help their kids become stronger, smarter, and more confident hockey players.

“My son is a hockey player and he uses the rink to work on his hockey skills, from puck handling and skating to working on his slap shots. Not only does he use the rink alone to practice, but it’s been great to see him having his friends over and having fun outside. I even bought skates for myself for the first time in years so I can get on the ice when I want!” Mike D., Wyoming YardRink Owner Since 2023

“Our YardRink has not only become a hub for family fun but also a training ground for future athletes. Watching our kids' skating and hockey skills improve daily has been immensely rewarding.” Noemi Hartwell, Canada YardRink Owner Since 2023

“To quote my son Zayden, the YardRink “is amazing!” He may be a great little hockey player, but the YardRink is for all skaters and for those who have a passion to be outdoors. You don't have to be a hockey player to enjoy the YardRink system. You just have to like being outside and spending time with your family. That's what it's all about.” Zev Young, Massachusetts YardRink Owner Since 2022

Have a look at our backyard ice rinks to see if they might be a fit to help your child become a more skilled and confident player (check out our Rink Size Guide if you need help choosing a size). 

And one more pro tip…

Pro Tip: Hockey is all about enjoying the game! Your kids can train seriously and continue learning, but always remember to keep it fun. And take advantage of the social component of backyard hockey — the small, competitive games with friends or family are the ones you remember most!