Essential Training Tools
From my own experience and being around some of the best hockey players in the world, I consider the below training tools to be home essentials for any ambitious developing hockey player.
Plyometric Box
Build explosive speed and balance with the plyometric box. I linked the padded one as hitting your shin on a hard surface is not fun. This gives you some room for error and allows you to push yourself to failure. As a certain height becomes easy you can buy additional heights to connect on top of each other. The NHL combine tests players vertical jumping for a reason (wink face).​
Slide Board
Build explosive lateral power, balance, and conditioning with this exercise that highly correlates to the hockey stride. Very similar to the NHL combine pro agility test (wink face).
​​
Angled Plyometric Box
One of the best exercise for an explosive, powerful stride. Closely resembles the on ice hockey stride. Great tool to build mobility, explosive power, and balance in your skating stride. Closely resembles the NHL combine pro agility test (wink face). You can buy a single angled box or buy a pair for continuous jumping back and forth. Will need to be placed on a slip free surface.​
Stationary Bike
Having a stationary bike that can offer resistance can be a great tool to build leg strength and leg conditioning as well as aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. The NHL combine has the Wingate test for a reason (wink face).​
Wrist Roller
Great for developing hand, wrist, forearm, and shoulder strength. Essentials muscles for stick handling, passing, and shooting.​
Perfect Pushups
Great body weight exercise to develop the upper body muscles for shooting, puck control, passing, pushing opponents out of areas, and taking and giving hits.​
Portable Pull Up Bar
Another great exercise tool for developing muscles for handling and shooting the puck. There is a reason pull up strength is tested at the NHL combine (wink face).​
Hockey Net
Consistently shooting daily with the correct form can lead to a lethal shot. I put this net with the backstop to hopefully save some holes in the drywall or time spent chasing pucks. Any net will do.​
Weighted Pucks
100 shots a day with these weighted pucks will have a tremendous effect on your shot over time if done consistently.​
Light Pucks
If you are a younger player you can use these for shooting practice or for an overspeed drill to improve shot quickness. You can fire these off as fast as you can right after shooting the weighted or regular weight pucks to build a quicker release.​
Regular Pucks
Follow up your weighted puck shooting with regular weighted pucks to build an even more explosive release. Key here is overspeed training after the weighted puck shots. A circuit you can do for example would be 5 weighted shots followed by 5 regular pucks, shooting with as much explosion as possible to build a fast, powerful release.​
Shooting Board
A good surface to shoot off that will closely simulate the ice surface is key for shot training at home. This will also protect the bottom of your stick from wear and tear.​
Net Target
Very durable net attachment with 6 and 7 hole below the goalies blocker and glove. A lot of goals now days are scored in these 6 and 7 whole areas so this shooter tutor makes for a great shot accuracy tool.​
Weighted Stickhandling Balls
Just like the weighted pucks this is great for building your puck handling strength and technique. Follow up 10-20 seconds with the weighted ball to 10-20 seconds with a lighter weighted ball.​
Grip Trainer
A strong grip is crucial for shooting, puck control, and defending. Especially top hand strength. Many NHL teams test grip strength during their player development camps. Can be easily done while relaxing watching tv.​
