How Ice Hockey and Inline Hockey Develop Smarter Players

CoachThem Teammate Nick Turcotte returns with another player development breakdown, this time exploring how ice hockey and inline hockey can work together to build smarter, more adaptable players.

Nick is the Director of Hockey Operations for the Turcotte Development Program (TDP) and has spent over two decades developing players from youth hockey through the professional level. His coaching focuses on building strong habits, decision-making skills, and game-like awareness that translate across different hockey environments.

In this session, Nick shares how ice and inline hockey can support one another through small-area games, puck possession, spacing, communication, and quick decision-making under pressure.

These concepts are especially valuable for coaches looking to help players improve their hockey IQ, creativity, adaptability, and ability to make better decisions at game speed.

 

 

Defense: Your Job is to take away lanes, reach & retrieve loose pucks & move them to the players on the offense on the other side. Refrain from panicking and chucking the puck away.

Forwards: Focus on retrieving loose pucks and moving the puck around and shooting when not challenged, especially when there’s traffic in front an people driving to the net. Diamond & Square & moving between the two shapes are super important.

Group Instructions: The only rule is you can’t go passed the middle line in the ice. One side starts with the puck 4 on 2. The game is up either 2 or 1. The loosing team will go red-line to blue-line twice. Make sure you play both positions.

*Can also be done as: 5-3, 4-2, 3-2, & 3-1*

 

TDP BU & MSU Set-up Rotation

 

• Communicate and move with the puck carrier
• Try to find pockets of space to occupy and demand the puck
• There will be a leader running the offense while play is going on

 

Diamond to Square O-zone Movement Possession Set-ups

 

• Use stop and starts to change directions or reset & start again
• 18 ft - 38 ft apart: the goal being getting inside the dots
• Communicate often
• Retrieve loose pucks & reload into set up
• Anticipation of the puck carries actions
• Touch passes, banks to low support, & wraps to low support

 

Operating & Coaching Both Ice Hockey and Inline Hockey

 

“TDP offers both ice & inline hockey in the form of training, travel teams, intramural leagues, & try hockey events. With that being the case we handle players of all calibers from first day of hockey to 8+ hours weekly for years. Our goal no matter the player is to provide them with the proper tools for their toolbox.", notes Turcotte.

Managing multiple teams requires careful scheduling, clear communication, and strong organization. Turcotte notes that working closely with his administrative director, supporting families, and assistant coaches is essential to building a reliable support system.

Because both ice and inline hockey rely on individual skill within a team environment, it is important to involve all coaching aids. A large part of the development process is spent explaining, demonstrating, and correcting everything from player approach to decision-making.

To maximize reps, players are given access to tablets during practice and are encouraged to take creative action. Strong structure and positioning create more high-result options with less risk of turnover, while also giving players the best chance to retrieve the puck if possession is lost.

“Using CoachThem allows for visuals aids that are both specific to the sport,skills or concept. It also allows for continuity between both sports. Like all sports played at the highest level the players without the puck generate the options to break structure with skating, puck handling ,or passing to create openings."

Inline hockey is played 4 - on - 4, with no offsides, icing, or checking at any level from U6 to pro. Because inline hockey has fewer players on the surface, each player gets more time in possession of the puck. The rules also create a fast-paced environment that feels like a small-area game played in a larger space.

 

Cross-Pollinating Drills Between Sports

 

Turcotte regularly adapts drills from one sport to the other, noting that many drills, systems, structures, and skills can be transferred between ice and inline hockey. He also sees strong crossover potential with other hockey disciplines, including floorball and innebandy in Europe.

Ultimately, the more time players spend in hockey situations, whether through odd-man rushes, set-up offense, or fast-break opportunities, the better they become in those moments. As players get more comfortable, their decision-making speed improves, and they begin to understand how their skills can create support, fit within a team’s structure, and contribute across ice, inline, roller, and innebandy environments.

“Athletes do not rise to the level of their goals, they fall to the level of their habits.” often attributed to Greek philosophy and the principles of disciplined repetition.

Turcotte’s coaching philosophy is built around consistent habits, station-based practices, and small-area games that force players to think and react under pressure. Whether on ice or inline, players rotate through stations focused on skating, puck control, passing, shooting, spacing, and decision-making in game-like environments.

A major part of the TDP development model is the crossover between ice and inline hockey. Players who compete in both environments develop stronger adaptability, creativity, spatial awareness, and processing speed. Inline hockey promotes pace, deception, and offensive reads in open space, while ice hockey reinforces timing, structure, and positional play. Together, they help create smarter and more complete hockey players.

Through the TDP Library and Wolf Development Model, player growth is evaluated beyond goals and points. The focus is placed on vision, intuition, athleticism, mindset, pace control, communication, and high-percentage decision making under pressure.

The TDP Decision-Making Model is built through interconnected pillars designed to create complete athletes:

• Technical Skill Development
• Athleticism & Movement Efficiency
• Vision & Spatial Awareness
• Intuition & Hockey IQ
• Mindset & Character
• Time & Pace Processing
• Communication & Team Awareness
• Adaptability Under Pressure
• Competitive Problem Solving

TDP also emphasizes core decision-making concepts including:

• Percentage-based decisions
• Manipulating defenders and creating space
• Understanding rink geometry and timing
• Processing progressive variables under pressure
• Execution consistency at game speed
• Positioning with purpose and pace control
• Developing creativity within structured concepts

CoachThem helps organize and communicate these concepts by allowing Turcotte to build practice plans, create station diagrams, and structure development progressions for teams, academies, and private training. This creates a consistent teaching framework across all levels of development while giving players and coaches a clear understanding of the “why” behind the training.

 

 

About Nick Turcotte

Nick Turcotte is the Director of Operations for the Turcotte Development Program, bringing over 20 years of experience training hockey players from beginner to professional levels. He specializes in stickhandling, edge work, passing, shooting, and video analysis, with a focus on building strong fundamentals and confident athletes.

As a CoachThem Teammate, Nick shares insights on skill development, practice structure, and effective training habits to help coaches run more efficient, impactful sessions.

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Written by Nick Turcotte in collaboration with the CoachThem Team