10 Things Coaches Notice in Tryouts - And How to Train For Them

Presented by: NHL Sense Arena

Tryouts can be stressful for players and parents alike. 

Players who look great in games may start rushing. Those that dominate stickhandling start forcing plays and turning the puck over. Goalies who looked unbeatable during the season start second-guessing themselves and missing reads. 

Despite your skillset and results throughout the season, tryouts can expose bad habits and can cause even the most confident players to underperform. Showing well when being evaluated requires strong habits, consistency, and a complete skillset.

Most coaches have seen their share of players come through the rink, and they can quickly tell who understands the game, and who’s still figuring it out. Sure, some kids may be great skaters or have a great shot, but if they don’t know how to do the little things that show they truly understand the game, they’ll stand out for all the wrong reasons. 

“Controlling the controllable” is the best thing players can do - but what can actually be controlled?

Here are ten things coaches tend to notice during hockey tryouts that you can train for right now.

1. Who Looks Comfortable With the Pace?

Coaches notice who looks calm and doesn’t rush with the puck. 

Drills move quickly, time and space disappears, and everyone on the ice is trying to impress. While some players start rushing the puck or panicking when pressure comes, others look like they’ve been there before. When they get the puck, they are able to calmly, smoothly, and confidently make a decision. To an evaluator, this reads as a player who can perform under pressure, and who doesn’t panic when the pace of the game speeds up.

That kind of comfort usually comes from seeing a lot of fast-paced situations. More practice and game reps means more reads, and more decision-making practice. The best players process quickly and act confidently.

2. Who Scans the Ice Before the Puck Arrives?

Good players check their shoulders before they receive or retrieve the puck. This allows them to understand where pressure is coming from, where teammates are, and what their options are.

Players who don’t scan the ice take longer to make decisions once the puck is on their stick, leading to forced turnovers, bad reads, or missed opportunities. They’re reacting instead of anticipating. 

The best players look around before the play gets to them. Coaches love playmakers, and they notice the things that lead to better decisions such as shoulder checking, constantly scanning the ice, and strong vision, all of which lead to better plays. 

3. Who Makes the Simple Play vs. Doing Too Much?

Tryouts are competitive, and everyone on the ice is trying to stand out in their own way. Unfortunately, this leads to many players trying too hard to make a play, which ends up becoming bad decisions. 

The ones who try to dangle through three defenders or fire a shot from the blue line while missing a better passing option will stand out, but not for the reasons they’re expecting. 

Coaches almost always prefer the player who makes the simple play. They will appreciate a quick, smart pass, proper support, good positioning on and off the puck, and setting up the right plays - not the most flashy ones. 

4. Who Can Handle the Puck Confidently (Without Staring at the Ice)?

Every hockey player knows how to stickhandle around cones in their driveway. And the older players begin to understand how to effectively carry a puck while avoiding dangerous contact and opening up opportunities for a pass or shot. But many players, even at advanced levels, spend too much time dangling with their head staring firmly at the ice vs. scanning the entire environment around them. 

Players who keep their heads up and control the puck at the same time stand out because they see everything happening around them, which leads to better reads and more playmaking. It shows they’re comfortable enough with their hands that they don’t need to stare at the puck. 

Training with cones or even some stickhandling training aids can build the bad habits that show up on the ice. Players can train better stickhandling awareness by adding visual pressure to their reps. Tools like the newest mixed-reality drills used in DanglePro, where you stickhandle a real puck while reacting to moving obstacles, can build not just handspeed and skill, but heads up awareness as well. 

5. Who Understands Space?

Hockey is a game of time and space. While some players instinctively move into open ice, support teammates, and stay in good positions, others drift around aimlessly or chase the puck.

Coaches want a team full of players who see the full picture, even without the puck, and are constantly moving to be in the right position on the ice. Players who understand spacing make the game easier for everyone else. 

You may ask, “if I’m only thinking about moving without the puck, I’ll never have a chance to show my ability with the puck!” The truth is, your ability to find space without the puck will result in you receiving more passes, thus opening up more opportunities to make plays and be involved.

6. Who Stays Composed After a Mistake?

Let’s face it, mistakes happen constantly during tryouts, just as they do in games and practices. Everyone on the ice has a bad pass, missed assignment, or for goalies, a soft goal. This is true for all players from Mites to the Pros. The difference? How often these mistakes occur, and how the player reacts to them. 

Coaches notice not just the mistakes, but what happens after. Does the player react poorly or emotionally? Do they learn from their mistake or does it keep happening? Do they lose confidence, or shrug it off and persevere? 

Players that reset, stay composed, and learn from their mistakes — especially in high-pressure situations — are some of the most valued athletes a coach can recruit. They keep the team calm and they continue to improve over the course of a season because they don’t get down on themselves or become negative when times are tough.

That’s why many athletes now work on the mental side of performance as much as the physical, using mindset training tools to practice staying focused under pressure. By training mindset, athletes are able to better refocus and stay confident, which shows up on the ice and in many other situations. 

7. Which Goalies Are On Their Angles?

Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about goalies! Goalie tryouts are unique because it's so difficult to determine future success just by looking at goals allowed in a tryout scenario. This is why coaches often look at positioning and angles before anything else. A goalie who consistently gets square to the puck and controls rebounds looks calmer and more controlled. Conversely, one who’s drifting around the crease or reacting late makes every shot feel dangerous - not exactly the feeling you want your coach to have on gameday. 

Modern goalie training is about more than being big in the crease. It’s the details like box control, lateral movement, seeing through screens, anticipating plays, reading releases, tracking pucks and more. The best way for goalies to improve is to see as many shots as possible, allowing them to work on the details that will build consistency and confidence.

8. Who Actually Hustles on Every Rep?

This one sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how quickly players forget it. Tryouts aren’t just regular practice. When you’re on the ice, there are things you can control and many things you cannot. Effort is at the top of the list. A coach who is deciding between two similar players will almost always take the player who tried harder. This behavior indicates a willingness to push yourself, whether that’s in practices, off-ice training, or in games. Coaches want a team of players who will work hard day-in and day-out. 

Winning races, being stronger on the puck, backchecking, winning battles - these are the controllable things that show up in tryouts. 

9. Who Communicates Well?

This one is easy, but oftentimes is most overlooked, especially in younger players. Because of this, it may also be the easiest way to stand out. 

Hockey is a fast game that requires constant communication, on and off the ice. Coaches will notice players that call loudly for the puck when they are open, celebrate positively with teammates after a good play, pick players up noticeably after a mistake, and help organize players on the ice. These actions are the best signs of a leader. 

10. Who Understands the Game?

Coaches know this one when they see it, although it may be hardest to describe. Players who truly understand the game are the ones coaches identify first because they’re the ones who think deeply about it, likely watch hockey in their free time, and can reflect on what it means to be a successful player or goalie. It shows up in those who scan the ice and can see the play before it develops, those who can talk about the game intelligently, and those who show the desire to be involved in the game in any way possible. 

That’s hockey IQ.

And it’s one of the things that separates players who blend in at tryouts from the ones who stand out. Many players now train that side of the game off the ice as well, working through decision-making scenarios and awareness drills so the reads feel familiar when the puck drops. 

You can see more examples of those types of training drills on the NHL Sense Arena YouTube channel.

Focus on what matters, and you’ll find success.

Tryouts will always be stressful. But players who skate hard, make smart decisions, and stay composed usually make coaches’ jobs easier.

And those players tend to stand out more than they think.

Your development and path forward may have unexpected twists and turns, but if you focus on what you can control - like effort, attitude, training, and being a good teammate - you will succeed. Best of luck to everyone trying out.

This article was brought to you by NHL Sense Arena, the world’s #1 VR and MR hockey training tool for players and goalies. Try the new Goalie Mindset Training from Pete Fry to build goalie confidence and resilience. Players can try new DanglePro stickhandling drills with full-ice scanning ability to build faster hands and better awareness. Learn more at NHL.SenseArena.com