GAGLine
Registered User
- Sep 17, 2007
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Interesting article on the Athletic about USA dmen. The article isn't about Fox specifically, but he is mentioned, so I thought it would be best to post it here.
The curious cluster of elite American right-shot defensemen
The curious cluster of elite American right-shot defensemen
In the United States, for players 12 and younger — Shannon and Cole belong to this segment — there is no delayed offside. If the puck enters the offensive zone while it remains occupied by attacking players, offside is automatic and the whistle blows. Only when players progress to the U-14 level can they tag up at the offensive blue line to keep the clock ticking.
“We’ve really pushed hard, particularly in the hockey department at USA Hockey, to maintain automatic offside,” said Grillo. “Part of that is to really push the narrative in youth hockey of puck possession and forcing our defensemen, once the puck does come back out, to control and maintain the puck in the neutral zone instead of just being able to hammer it back in and tag up like they can at the older levels.”
Just about every peewee defenseman knows how to dump in the puck. It requires a greater degree of awareness and problem-solving for a defenseman 12 and younger to process what to do with the puck when teammates are still in the offensive zone.
They have to possess the puck while the other players scramble to get out. Their partner has to think about spacing to be available for a pass.