Nick Turcotte’s Stickhandling Drills for Better Puck Control and Peripheral Vision

CoachThem Teammate Nick Turcotte returns with another skill development breakdown, sharing drills that help players build stronger puck control while learning to keep their head up and read the ice.

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 fundamentals that translate directly to real-game situations.

In this session, Nick focuses on puck control habits that help players rely less on looking down at the puck and more on feeling the puck while scanning the ice.

These drills are designed for players of any age who struggle to handle the puck with their head up consistently. They are especially beneficial for athletes who rely too heavily on looking down at the puck while stickhandling.

 

 

Overall Focus

 

• Peripheral vision development
• Quiet Eye training
• Flow state performance
• Mastery of the three fundamental steps of puck-handling moves

 

Why These Drills Are Valuable

 

These drills help players develop a stronger tactile feel for the puck while using their peripheral vision to maintain awareness of their surroundings. This combination supports entry into a Quiet Eye or flow state, allowing for improved decision-making, confidence, and overall puck control during gameplay.

 

Coaching Points to Reinforce

 

Coaches should emphasize:

• Consistent rhythm in wrist roll
• Proper puck placement on the blade
• Effective weight transfer during fakes and dekes
• Moving the puck into open ice with control and authority
• Receiving the puck cleanly on the opposite side of the stick
• Maintaining head-up posture and becoming comfortable scanning the ice

 

Front Fake

 

• You are pushing the puck to the opposite side you want to go to. (Ex. You want to go left so you push the puck to the right)
• You bend the knee of the leg you are faking to (pushing the puck towards). (Ex. You are pushing the puck right so you bend your right leg)
• Shift your weight to the leg that is bent (Ex. You push the puck to the right, you bend your right leg, your weight has shifted to your right leg)
• Keep your feet spread apart comfortably.
• Stop the puck in front of your foot on the side you are faking to. This should be about 7-8 inches in front of your foot (Ex. Faking to the right you stop the puck in front of your right foot (7-8 inches in front of you))
• Push with your bent leg and use your arms and stick to push the puck to the opposite side (Ex. Your right leg is bent and the puck is in front of your right foot. You need to push the puck wide to the left by shifting your weight to the left.)

 

Side Fake

 

• Dribble on your side. (Lefties dribble at 9 o'clock, righties dribble at 3 o'clock)
• Bend both knees and push the puck forward with your stick.
• Stop the puck with your backhand.
• Righties shift the puck to the left. Lefties Shift the puck to the right. You will end this with the stick in one hand. Righties end in their left hand. Lefties end in their right hand.

 

 

Front and Side Dribble

 

Create with tape or chalk 12, 3, 6, 9 on a clock like THIS picture. You don't want the numbers too close to you or too far away, but a comfortable distance.

• Keep your dribbles close and try to only let the ball move 6 inches or so. Use the heel of the stick (where it curves) to dribble. You don't want to dribble with the blade of the stick.

• Front Dribble: Think of a clock. Stand where the hands of the clock would be in the middle. Where 12 o'clock would be, place your stick and dribble.
• Side Dribble: If you are right handed, you will stand just as you did for the Front Dribble (12 o'clock), but this time hold your stick at 3 o'clock and dribble on the side, continuing to face 12 o'clock while dribbling. ( For left handed players, dribble at 9 o'clock.)

• As you get better and better, try to keep your head looking straight and not at the ground. You will start to use your Peripheral vision to see the numbers.

 

 

Puck Shift

 

Right Handed Puck Shift: Start in the right side dribble. Shift the puck from the right side of the body to the left by pushing the puck to the left, across the body, in front of you. When you do this, the puck will shift to the backhand. The top hand will stay and you will remove your bottom hand from the stick. If it were on the forehand, you would shift the puck from left to right.

Left Handed Puck Shift: Start in the left side dribble. Shift the puck from the left side of the body to the right by pushing the puck to the right, across the body, in front of you. When you do this, the puck will shift to the backhand. The top hand will stay and you will remove your bottom hand from the stick. If it were on the forehand, you would shift the puck from right to left.

 

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.

---

---

Now available on iOS — access your saved practice plans on the go.

Know other coaches who’d love CoachThem?
Join CoachThem Rewards and earn commissions for every referral.

Written by the CoachThem Team, March 17 2026