Playoff Habits Prep: Prioritizing Body Position and ROM to improve Wall Play
Winning space, protecting pucks, and extending possession in contested areas
As the season goes on, environments tighten and more plays are decided along the walls than anywhere else on the ice. Time and space become limited, ‘now support’ arrives late, and possession often comes down to who can use their body more effectively in confined space.
Strong wall play requires players to have a high level of awareness first, then understand how their body position and range of motion (ROM) forehand/backhand will allow them to protect pucks while maintaining multiple options to improve the conditions of the puck.
Players who consistently win along the wall understand how to:
Identify ‘Now & Next Support’ options before touching the puck
Keep their body between the puck and pressure
Rely on strong posture, and ROM on their forehand/backhand to create separation
Think about how many times you touch the puck in a game. If we use 35 puck touches as a baseline, a significant portion of those touches will occur within five feet of the boards. Even if that number is only 8 - 10 touches, and it’s likely higher, that represents a large number of moments where puck conditions are either improved or worsened. Players who consistently improve puck conditions along the wall have a noticeable impact on the game because possession doesn’t die when they enter a battle or make a play after retrieval.
Since our focus is Playoff Habit Prep, when we view this through the lens of a playoff series, these individual moments add up. How well a team manages puck touches along the wall often separates the winning team from the losing one.
WHY THIS MATTERS
When wall play lacks structure:
Turnovers occur, leading to quick transitions for the opposing team
Support arrives too late to matter
Teams spend extended time defending
When players use body position and ROM effectively:
Pucks are protected and patience increases
Defenders are forced to reach, lean, or overcommit
Support has time to arrive on usable routes
Plays extend beyond the first contact
The wall limits space, but it also limits defenders. Players who understand how to scan early, widen their base, and use their reach can make the puck feel further away than it actually is.
In playoff games, the ability to extend a wall play by one or two seconds can be the difference between a turnover and a scoring chance.
HOW TO APPLY IT
Scan Early
Before engaging along the wall, identify:
Where pressure is coming from
Where your ‘Now Support’ options could arrive
Which ‘Now Support’ option improves the conditions of the puck the most
Scanning with your eyes to the middle early allows you to choose body position intentionally rather than reacting once contact is made.
Establish Body Position
Your route to the puck should leave multiple decision options open.
Save ice between your feet and the wall
Improved ability to protect the puck
Improved ability to leave multiple decision options open
Lower body posture: hips and knees loaded, wide base
Upper body posture: Quiet, with your inside shoulder to the middle
Key: Bottom hand mobility is is a large contributor to upper body posture holding up vs breaking down along the wall
Strong body position allows your hands to work freely to make plays.
Use Your Range of Motion
Effective wall players don’t stay static.
Understand forehand vs backhand puck touches to maintain proper body position
Slide your bottom hand to adjust to unpredictable pucks along the wall
Slide your bottom hand to improve puck protection when ‘Now Support’ options arrive late
ROM allows you to control and protect pucks along the wall on your forehand and backhand.
Be Patient Until Support Becomes Advantage
Not every wall touch needs to result in an immediate play.
Hold the puck if support is arriving on a better route
Avoid forcing pucks into feet or poor lanes
Release the puck when support enters speed, space, or angle advantage
Direct pass, indirect pass, area pass must considered
Patience under pressure is a playoff separator. There is a time and place to be patient and draw pressure toward the wall, this will create more time and space for passes toward the middle.
WALL PLAY KEYS
Body before puck - win position first
Stay wide and balanced to maintain posture
Use your reach to control pucks and create space
NHL Breakdown
Check out former Anaheim Ducks Head Coach Dallas Eakins discuss the significance of puck touches along the wall come playoff time (start video from the beginning).
Defensemen
Key in on how strong-side defenseman Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild #7) prioritizes awareness and body position before this puck touch behind his net.
Because of his early scan, Faber identifies both the incoming pressure and his potential Now Support options. That awareness shows up immediately in his body language. His eyes, blade, and feet sell a potential pass to the weak side, influencing pressure and buying himself time.
Instead of over skating toward the wall, he keeps his feet off it, saving usable ice. This allows him to handle the puck on his backhand while using his body to create separation between the puck and Anaheim’s F1 pressure. From here, Faber continues to move his feet which allows him to make an indirect pass to his Now Support option up the strong side wall.
Forwards
Key in on Zach Hyman (Edmonton Oilers #18) as he anticipates that he will be needed as Now Support for his teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers #93).
With pressure closing quickly, Hyman recognizes that he must initiate contact early to save ice between his feet and the wall. This awareness, combined with strong posture and body positioning, allows him to stay off of the wall and let the puck bypass him rather than rushing an early puck touch. This is a great visual of how controlling body position can be more valuable touching a puck quickly.
When Hyman does control the puck, the defender has already overcommitted. Hyman immediately moves his feet, escapes pressure, and turns that small advantage into instant separation and a scoring chance.