Hockey Glossary: Terms & Definitions for Parents
Every term the coach uses, in plain language. Type a word, tap a category, and share the definition with the parent next to you. Built for parents and new coaches who never grew up in the game.
56 hockey terms
1-on-1
One attacker versus one defender — a battle or mini-rush that shows up everywhere, from drills to game-deciding moments.
agility
Quick, controlled changes of direction and body position in tight spaces.
angling
Steering a puck carrier toward the boards or away from the middle by approaching on an angle with good stick and body position. Angling is about direction — the route you force the carrier to take.
backcheck
Skating hard back toward your own net to defend as the other team heads up ice with the puck, picking up attackers through the middle. The opposite of the forecheck.
backward skating
Skating in reverse with control and speed — essential for any defender facing an oncoming rush.
balance
Holding a stable, athletic base on the edges through contact, turns, and stickhandling.
board battles
Two or more players fighting for the puck along the boards — won with body position and leverage more than raw strength.
body checking
Legally using the body to separate an opponent from the puck — under control, with the right angle and technique. Under USA Hockey's ADM, body contact is taught at younger ages and full checking isn't introduced until 13U (Bantam).
breakaway
An attacker skating in alone on the goalie with no defender between them and the net — the cleanest scoring chance in hockey.
breakout
Moving the puck out of your own defensive zone, under pressure, into a clean exit. Distinct from a regroup, which resets possession in the neutral zone to attack again.
communication
Talking and signalling with teammates to coordinate coverage, support, and plays. The best players are loud.
compete
'Compete level' — the effort and battle a player brings: winning races, battles, and loose pucks. A coach yelling 'compete!' is talking about will, not skill.
conditioning
Hockey-specific fitness — the anaerobic capacity to keep skating hard and thinking clearly late in a shift.
crossovers
Crossing one skate over the other to build speed through turns and on starts.
cycling
Keeping possession deep in the offensive zone by moving the puck low-to-high and along the walls, waiting out the defense to open a chance. Distinct from the rush, which attacks with speed before the defense is set.
decision making
Reading the play and choosing the right option — shoot, pass, carry, or support — at full game speed.
defense (on/off the puck)
When your team does not have the puck. The ADM splits it into 'on the puck' (the defender pressuring the carrier — gap, angle, stick, body) and 'away from the puck' (covering assignments and taking away lanes).
defensive positioning
Holding the right spot relative to the puck, your net, and your assignment in the defensive zone.
defensive zone
The zone you're defending — the end with your own net in it.
deflections
Redirecting a shot or pass into the net with the stick blade at the net-front. Also called a tip.
edge work
Control of the skate's inside and outside edges for tight turns, pivots, and balance — the foundation of all skating.
even strength
Both teams with the same number of skaters on the ice (usually 5-on-5). The default state, as opposed to a power play or penalty kill.
faceoff
A draw between two players to start or restart play at one of the dots on the ice. Win the draw, win the puck.
forecheck
Pressuring the other team in their defensive zone to force a turnover and stop a clean breakout. The opposite of the backcheck.
gap control
A defender's management of the distance between themselves and the attacker — closing the space to take away time and the angle on a rush. Distinct from angling (the direction you force); gap is the distance you keep.
goaltending
The goalie-specific skills: positioning, tracking the puck, controlling rebounds, and moving post-to-post.
hand-eye
The coordination to catch, bat, deflect, and handle pucks out of the air or in tight.
head up play
Carrying the puck while looking up to read the ice, instead of staring down at it. The hardest habit to teach and the most valuable.
net-front presence
Winning and holding the space right in front of the goal to screen the goalie, tip shots, and bang in rebounds. Unglamorous, and where a lot of goals are scored.
neutral zone
The middle of the ice, between the two blue lines, where regroups and transitions are fought over.
odd-man rush
A rush with more attackers than defenders back — a 2-on-1 or 3-on-2. A prime scoring chance, and a coverage breakdown for the other team.
offense (on/off the puck)
When your team has the puck. The ADM splits it into 'on the puck' (the carrier — protecting it and making plays) and 'away from the puck' (everyone else — getting open and creating options).
offensive zone
The attacking end — the zone with the other team's net in it.
passing
Moving the puck between teammates with accurate, catchable passes — forehand, backhand, and saucer — and receiving them cleanly.
penalty kill
Defending shorthanded while a teammate sits in the box. Often shortened to 'PK'.
power play
Playing with a one- or two-skater advantage while the other team serves a penalty. Often shortened to 'PP' or 'the man advantage'.
puck control
Handling the puck on the stick while skating — protecting and moving it under pressure.
puck protection
Shielding the puck from a defender using body position, leverage, and the off-arm. Often described as 'keeping your body between the defender and the puck'.
quick release
Getting a shot off fast, with little wind-up, to beat the goalie and shot-blockers before they're set.
receiving
Catching and settling a pass cleanly, ready to make the next play. A skill of its own, separate from passing.
regroup
Resetting possession in the neutral or defensive zone — often defenseman-to-defenseman — to attack again with speed and numbers. Distinct from a breakout, which is the structured exit out of your own zone under pressure.
rush
An attack moving up the ice toward the offensive zone, usually right off a transition.
rush defense
Defending an attacking rush — using gap, angle, and an active stick to deny the zone entry and the odd-man chance.
rush offense
Attacking off the rush with speed, support, and numbers to create odd-man and entry chances — before the defense is set. Distinct from cycling, which is sustained possession once you're already in the zone.
shooting
The family of shots — wrist, snap, slap, and backhand — put on net.
shot accuracy
Placing shots to hit a target and beat the goalie — not just hitting the net.
skating transitions
Switching forward-to-backward and back without losing speed or balance — the footwork behind defending the rush and jumping into the attack. Distinct from possession transitions, which is about the puck changing teams.
soft hands
Receiving and handling the puck smoothly — cushioning hard passes and making quick, deft moves. The opposite of 'hands of stone'.
speed
Straight-line skating velocity — both explosive acceleration and top-end speed.
stick handling
Working the puck with the blade — dangles, toe drags, fakes — to beat a defender and keep the puck in tight. Closely tied to puck control, with the emphasis on stick skill.
stick position
Using an active, well-placed stick to take away passing and shooting lanes. 'Stick on the ice' is the most common reminder in youth hockey.
stops and starts
Stopping sharply and re-accelerating in any direction — explosive change of pace.
support
Positioning to give the puck carrier a passing option and to recover loose pucks — playing as a connected five, not five individuals.
timing
Arriving and releasing at the right moment — joining the rush, hitting a seam, jumping a route. Early kills the play; late misses it.
transition
The moment a team switches between offense and defense (in either direction), including regroups and quick counters. The team that reacts to it fastest catches the other out of position.
zone entry
Crossing the offensive blue line with possession — by carry, pass, or controlled chip — rather than dumping it in and chasing. Distinct from a breakout, which is your own zone exit.
No terms match that search. Try a shorter word — like gap, rush, or zone.
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How to use this glossary
- Search by term name in the box — start typing "gap," "fore," or "zone" and the list narrows as you go.
- Filter by category to browse a group at once — skating, puck skills, shooting, team play, defense, game situations, special teams, or goaltending.
- Follow the related chips on each card to jump to the terms most often confused with it.
Want the strategy behind the words?
The glossary covers the vocabulary. If you want the ideas behind it — why "offense" means your team has the puck and not just your forwards, what a defender is really doing when a coach yells "tighten your gap," and why coaches obsess over keeping possession on a zone entry — read the companion guide:
10 Strategic Hockey Concepts That Change How You Watch the Game →
From knowing the word to seeing the play
Reading a definition is step one. Watching it happen on your kid's own game film is what makes it stick.
Scout Elite is video analysis built for youth hockey families and coaches. Upload the game, clip the exact moment a gap collapsed or a backcheck saved a goal, and show your kid what the coach was talking about — in plain language, with the picture right there.
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Authoritative sources for hockey terminology, rules, and development:
- USA Hockey's American Development Model (ADM) — the framework behind most "age-appropriate" language you'll hear.
- USA Hockey Official Playing Rules — the rulebook and its glossary of rule terms.
- Hockey Canada Skills Development — free coaching and skill resources.