🧠🏒 Scanning the ice is important—but seeing what’s around you is only the beginning. The real hockey IQ comes from understanding what those cues are telling you.
On this edition of Our Kids Play Hockey IQ Talk with Albe, Lee Elias is joined by former NHL defenseman and NHL Sense Arena team member Andrew “Albe” Alberts to break down one of the biggest separators in player development: identifying cues.
A defender hesitates.
A teammate changes direction.
A passing lane opens.
Pressure arrives from one side.
A stick blade turns.
Those little details can completely change what the right play is—and great players learn how to recognize and process them in fractions of a second.
Albe explains what players should be looking for before they receive the puck, once they have it, and even when they’re playing without it.
🏒 In this episode, you’ll learn:
What “identifying cues” actually means in hockey
Why time, space, pressure, and support are foundational reads
How shoulder checks and pre-scanning help players prepare before the puck arrives
Why stick position, body position, speed, and direction all provide useful information
How younger players can begin developing hockey awareness
Why mistakes are essential to building hockey IQ
Why coaches should create drills that force players to make decisions
Why constantly yelling “pass,” “shoot,” or “move it” can actually limit development
How players without the puck still have important reads and responsibilities
How NHL Sense Arena’s multi-object tracking drill can help train anticipation and recognition
One of Albe’s most important reminders for coaches:
Every time you give a player the answer, you take away a decision they could have learned to make themselves.
That means development requires patience.
Players need opportunities to look, read, choose, fail, adjust, and try again.
🎧 Listen now for an inside look at how NHL players process the game—and how young athletes can begin building those same habits one decision at a time.
#OurKidsPlayHockey #HockeyIQ #YouthHockey #HockeyDevelopment #HockeyCoaching #AndrewAlberts #HockeyAwareness #HockeySkills #DecisionMaking #YouthAthletes #NHLSenseArena #HockeyTraining
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