Ice and off-ice training program for hockey players 2026

Summary: The article shows how to build a training program for hockey players that combines on-ice training with off-ice training, including running, strength, mobility, and technique. It is aimed at players and parents who train several times a week but lack a clear structure between sessions. You will get a weekly structure, concrete exercises for home and the garage, and a stick routine before on-ice training.

It is October, the season is underway, and you have three on-ice training sessions a week and a game on the weekend. Between sessions, you do a little running when you have time, a few push-ups in the living room, and often nothing at all. After five weeks, you notice that your legs give out in the third period and that your shot hasn't gotten harder since last spring. You are training, but not in a way that builds on what you do on the ice.

A training program for hockey players does not need to be advanced, but it needs to be organized. On-ice and off-ice training—that is, training off the ice with outdoor running, strength, mobility, and technique on plastic—serve different purposes and should not compete for the same evenings. We often see players doing too much on the wrong days and too little on the days that would provide the most benefit, and the plan is never written down.

In this guide, we will build a week that you can follow all season long. You will get a basic structure for how on-ice and off-ice sessions are distributed, how to warm up and build strength at home, how to train shooting and wrists without the ice, and how to prepare your stick before on-ice training. Each section highlights equipment that makes the plan easier to follow, so that the program works in the garage, the living room, and the ice rink. We conclude with questions we often receive from players and parents.

How to build the week: ice, off-ice, and rest

Start with the calendar, not the exercises. Write down the week's on-ice training sessions and games, and fit the off-ice sessions into the gaps, so that you never train your legs hard the day before a game. A simple basic structure for a player with three on-ice training sessions and one game looks like this: a strength session early in the week, a shorter off-ice session with running and technique mid-week, and at least one full rest day before a game. The sessions do not need to be long. Forty-five minutes with full focus provides more than two hours without a plan.

Each session has three parts: warm-up, main part, and cool-down. The warm-up is the part that is most often skipped and the one that provides the most protection. Use Minibands to activate the hips, glutes, and shoulders before the main part. The set has five minibands with different resistance levels, so you can start light and change bands when the exercises feel too easy. Do two to three exercises with the band around your knees or feet, and then move on to the main part. Five minutes is enough.

Balance and stability belong in the warm-up, not just in rehab. Use the Balance Board to train balance, coordination, and stability in the ankles, knees, and hips. Stand on one leg on the board for thirty seconds per side while handling a puck with your stick, so you get balance and technique in the same exercise. Start with two sets and increase only when you are steady.

End each session with a short cool-down and write down what you did. Date, exercises, and how it felt are enough. After four weeks, you will see the pattern yourself: which sessions gave you energy, which made you stiff before getting on the ice, and where you need to make changes. A program you never read about is a list, and a program you follow up on becomes a tool.

Plan your rest as carefully as your training. A rest day before a game and a relaxed day after the game are part of the program, because it is during rest that the body builds up what you have trained. Players who skip rest usually notice it as heavy legs on the ice, even though they have trained more than everyone else.

Off-ice training: running, strength, and mobility without the ice

Off-ice training is the foundation for endurance and explosiveness, and it can be done almost anywhere. A good off-ice session starts with ten minutes of easy running on a soft surface, continues with hill intervals or short sprints, and ends with strength training. Woods, gravel roads, and hills train the feet, ankles, and hips in a way that asphalt rarely does, and that is exactly the stability you need when you are standing on your edges.

If you want to add resistance without changing exercises, there is a weighted vest. Use the Weighted Vest PRO 10 kg Normal to make squats, lunges, and push-ups harder. The vest has adjustable weight from 1 to 10 kg, double Velcro straps, and a removable phone pocket, and the Normal model is best suited for heights from 178 cm. Start at the lowest weight and increase only when your technique is as good with the vest as it is without. Do not wear it during sessions that are meant to be light.

Strength at home can be built with bodyweight and bands. You can do this with Minibands when you want to train your hips and glutes, which control the direction of your legs in the skating stride. Place the band just above your knees and do side steps, squats with an outward push, and bridges. The five resistance levels allow you to gradually increase the load during the season without changing equipment.

Mobility is the third part. After each off-ice session, take ten minutes for your hips, groin, and lower back. The person who skips mobility is the first to notice it in deep positions on the ice, when the hip does not reach down and the stride becomes short. Make mobility a fixed part of your cool-down, not something you do when you have time left over.

When hill sprints are going well without extra weight, you can make them harder. Use the Weighted Vest PRO 10 kg Normal to add resistance to one exercise at a time, such as hill sprints, and leave the other exercises as they are. Add one thing at a time: first more running, then more weight, and finally higher speed. If you change everything at once, you will never know what gave results or what caused pain.

Off-ice technique: shooting, passing, and wrists

You will quickly lose your technique if you only train on the ice. Spend fifteen to twenty minutes off-ice after your strength session or on a quiet evening, and you will get hundreds of repetitions that the ice never has time to provide. This is where the difference between two players at the same level is often built.

Use the Plastis Hockey Shooting Board to train shooting, passing, and stick technique off the ice all year round. The board is made of thick, durable plastic, is available in 100 and 120 cm, and has a built-in handle, so you can carry it to the garage, yard, or basement. Lay out ten pucks, shoot wrist shots with a focus on shifting your weight from the back leg to the front leg, and collect them. Five sets of ten shots give you fifty repetitions in ten minutes.

You can do this with the Plastis Hockey Shooting Board when you want a fixed pattern for your technique. Shoot the first set at a relaxed pace with full focus on the movement of your hand and hip, the next set with more speed, and the last set at a marked target for precision. Increase the pace only when every shot is accurate. A shot that is trained quickly and sloppily will also be quick and sloppy in a game.

Shooting also builds wrist and forearm strength. Use the Heavy Hockey Puck 250 g to build strength in your wrists and arms, with an orange 250 g puck made of durable rubber that works both on-ice and off-ice. Stickhandle with it for five minutes before you shoot regular pucks: your wrists will be tired when you switch, and the regular puck will feel light and fast. Gradually increase the time with the heavy puck, so you will notice the effect on your shot and puck control after a few weeks.

Keep track of quality, not just quantity. Film a few shots from the side once a month and compare them with the previous month. You will quickly see if your weight transfer has become clearer or if your hand is still lagging behind, and then you will know which exercise the next session should focus on.

On-ice training: the stick, the blade, and the pre-session routine

On-ice training gives you what you cannot practice at home: speed, contact, and decision-making under pressure. This is also where the equipment matters most. A stick with worn tape on the blade and a heavy hand on the shaft takes away some of what you have built up at home, and this can be avoided with five minutes of preparation.

Use Howies Cloth Tape to tape the blade before on-ice training. It is premium cloth tape from the USA with 68 threads per inch, and it is available in white and black. Start at the heel and work toward the toe with even overlap, press it down with your thumb on each pass, and finish with the end of the blade on the underside. Change the tape when the surface has become smooth or the edge lifts, and do it before the session, not during the break. Cloth tape goes on the blade and the knob, but never on the shaft, where the grip is built with a different type of tape.

Build a fixed routine on the ice. Start with ten minutes of warm-up with easy skating and mobility, continue with technique drills at a relaxed pace, and save the speed drills for last, when you are warm but not tired. The person who does the speed drills first and the technique drills last trains their technique on tired legs and learns incorrect movements.

Bring what you have trained at home to the ice. Use the Heavy Hockey Puck 250 g to warm up your wrists on-ice with a few minutes of stickhandling before the session, and then switch to a regular puck for technique. Your hand is already activated, and you avoid starting cold when the first passing exercise begins. Plan the session in three blocks and write the blocks on a piece of paper in your bag: ten minutes of warm-up, thirty minutes of technique, and fifteen minutes of speed. When you know what the next block is, you do not waste time thinking between exercises, and the coach can immediately see that you have a plan.

End the session as carefully as you started. Wipe down your equipment and write down one line about how the session felt: shooting, feet, breathing. After a month, you will have a log that shows how on-ice and off-ice training work together, and then you can adjust the week instead of guessing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many off-ice sessions per week should a hockey player train?

It depends on how many on-ice training sessions and games you have. For a player with three on-ice training sessions and a game on the weekend, two to three off-ice sessions are often enough, including one longer strength session and one to two shorter sessions with running, technique, or mobility. Never do the hardest leg session the day before a game, and make sure at least one day a week is completely free. It is better to start with fewer sessions that you actually complete than with five sessions that you drop after two weeks. Use Minibands to warm up before each session, because the bands' five resistance levels allow you to adapt the activation to your daily form. Write out your sessions for the week ahead and check that the total of on-ice, off-ice, and games gives you at least one rest day. Adjust after two weeks based on how your legs feel on the ice, and add sessions only when the ones you have are working. Take it as a rule of thumb and adjust based on how your legs feel after two weeks: if you are sluggish on the ice, remove a session.

How do I warm up at home before on-ice training?

A good warm-up at home takes ten to fifteen minutes and should make you warm, mobile, and activated. Start with five minutes of light movement, such as skipping or jogging in place, and then move on to activation. You can do this with Minibands for the hips and glutes: side steps, squats with an outward push, and bridges, two sets each. Finish with balance. Use the Balance Board to stand on one leg for thirty seconds per side, with a slightly bent knee, so that your ankles and knees are ready for load. Do the warm-up in the same order every time, so that it becomes a routine you do not need to think about. Remember that the warm-up on the ice is in addition to, not instead of, the one at home. If you are stiff after school or work, add five minutes of mobility for your hips and groin before activation. If you only have ten minutes, this is the minimum: five minutes of movement, three minutes of bands, and two minutes of balance—better than nothing.

How do I start with a weighted vest in hockey training?

Start light and use the vest for one session a week. Use the Weighted Vest PRO 10 kg Normal to make basic exercises such as squats, lunges, and push-ups harder, with adjustable weight from 1 to 10 kg. Set it to the lowest weight for the first week and do the exercises with exactly the same technique as without the vest. Increase the weight only when the movement is solid, so that you gradually load your muscles and joints. The Normal model is best suited for heights from 178 cm, and the vest should fit tightly against the body so that it does not bounce. Adjust the Velcro straps until the vest stays still. Avoid wearing it during running sessions until you have gotten used to the weight, and never use it during light sessions or the day before a game. If you feel pain in your knees, back, or hips, take off the vest and ask your coach or doctor to look at your technique. Note the weight and exercises in your log each session, so that you can take a step back if your body protests. Increase by at most one kilo at a time, and never on two exercises at once.

How do I train shooting at home without the ice?

You need a smooth, hard surface, a few pucks, and a target or a wall that stops the puck. Use the Plastis Hockey Shooting Board to get a surface where the puck slides as it should and where stick technique, passing, and shooting can be trained all year round. Choose 100 or 120 cm depending on the space. Lay out ten pucks, shoot them with wrist shots, and collect them. Do five sets and change the focus each set: technique, weight transfer, speed, precision, and finally a free set. If the board is on grass or gravel, place a stable surface underneath so that it does not move. Limit the session to twenty minutes, because quality beats quantity. Write down how many shots hit your mark, so you can see the improvement from week to week. It is a good idea to film from the side once a month. Photograph the board's placement and your target, so you can set it up exactly the same way next time and compare the results fairly. Count the hits in a small table.

How do I strengthen my wrists and forearms for harder shots?

The wrists are best trained with regular resistance in the movement pattern you use in your shot. Use the Heavy Hockey Puck 250 g to build strength in your wrists and arms. The orange puck weighs 250 g and is made of durable rubber, and you can use it both on-ice and off-ice. Stickhandle with it for five minutes, do about ten wrist shots at a relaxed pace, and then switch to a regular puck to feel the difference. Gradually increase the time over several weeks, and stop if you feel pain or stiffness that lingers the next day. Combine it with mobility exercises for the wrist and forearm after the session. Do not start with the heavy puck early in the week if you have a game on the weekend, but instead use it during a relaxed session where you have time to rest afterward. Plan three short five-minute sessions a week instead of one long one, because regular resistance provides more even development for the wrists. Place the puck visibly next to the shooting area so that you do not forget it.

How do I train balance and stability in my ankles?

Balance is built by standing on one leg in varying positions. Use the Balance Board to train balance, coordination, and stability in the ankles, knees, and hips, at a normal difficulty level. Start with thirty seconds on each leg, with a slightly bent knee and your gaze forward. Move on to handling a puck with your stick or throwing and catching a ball while staying on one leg. Do the exercise before strength training or as part of the warm-up, two to three times a week. The board can handle up to 200 kg, and the handles also make it possible to use it for push-ups and dips. Place it on a flat, non-slippery floor and have a wall or chair within reach during the first sessions. If you increase the time or difficulty, do one variable at a time so that you know what works. Write down the time you can hold on each leg, and move on to the next difficulty level only when you can hold for one minute without losing your position.

How often should I change the tape on my stick during the season?

Change it when the surface has become smooth, when the edge lifts, or when you notice that the puck hits the blade differently. For a player who trains three times a week, this often means taping before each session or every other session. Use Howies Cloth Tape to tape the blade before on-ice training, because the tape with 68 threads per inch is made to last game after game without re-taping. Start at the heel, work toward the toe with even overlap, and press it down on each pass. Change it before the session so that the tape has time to set. Tape the knob with the same tape, but never the shaft, where the grip is built with a different type of tape. Keep a spare roll in your bag and check the tape with your thumb before going out on the ice, so you do not have to change it in the middle of the session. Check that the tape lies flat along the edges, because that is where it lets go first when the puck hits the blade. Always tape on a dry blade and let a new piece of tape sit for a few minutes before going out, so that it has time to set.

How do I plan the training during the season compared to the pre-season?

During the preseason, you build a foundation: more running, more strength training, and higher intensity. During the season, you maintain your level with fewer and shorter off-ice sessions, as games and on-ice training already take a lot of energy. You can do this with the Weighted Vest PRO 10 kg Normal by keeping one weighted strength session a week and doing the rest of the exercises with bodyweight. Reduce the volume, not the technique, during weeks when you have multiple games. Write down how your legs feel on the ice and cut back on the off-ice sessions if you are tired in the third period. Prepare the equipment once a week. Use Howies Cloth Tape to re-tape the blade after the heaviest sessions, so that the stick is always in good condition when you need it. Put up a short checklist on the refrigerator and check off the week's sessions, so you can see what was done and what needs to be adjusted. Plan a lighter week every four weeks: maintain the technique but reduce running and weights by about a third, so the body can recover.