These guidelines won't do you much good if you're the only one in your team that follows them. You should try to have some sort of basic strategy for positioning and how to move the puck from zone to zone. If you read this post and the one about lanes and the one about offensive postions, you should at least have a basic understanding about where you should be on the ice.

This post is about the prioritys breaking out of your own zone.

Your blue line is the most important line in hockey. Once you've moved the puck over it the oppostion won't be able to score (shouldn't be anyway) unless they bring it in again. If your break out is fast and controlled, you've got a better shot at getting the puck into the opponents zone.

Here's a clip of everything going wrong (scoring from outside blue and a turn over inside defensive zone - the D should have played it to the RW).

Now forgett you ever saw that clip (the worst match, from a swedish point, that I ever saw).

When a teammate's about to gain controll of the puck, all players need to get into position for the clearing play. However, you shouldn't leave the player you're covering unless you're sure a teammate will win the puck.

Positioning:

1) The wings on the wings, curling half way in.

2) The centre cirlces between faceoff circles.

3) D1 with the puck in the corner

4) D2 in front of the net

5) The goalie wathces how the game develops

Now when everyone's in position these are the options for D1, in order of priority:

1. Try to pass the RW.

2. If RW is being challenged, give the puck to the centre.

3. Option number three is to pass it to the LW.

4. Send it over to the D in the corner.

5. The D moves the puck up himself (sicksack to make yourself  harder to check).

6. Use the boards to get the puck into neutral and possibly offensive zone.

When the D got the puck in the corner he should:

1. Give it to the RW (or LW if he's in the left corner)

2. Pass the puck to the C.

3. If the C and RW are being challenged, D2 must make himself open for a pass behind net.

4. Shoot the puck by the boards over to the LW.

5. Bring the puck up himself.

6. Use the boards to get it out of the zone.

DO NOT GO FOR A DIAGONAL PASS, IN FRONT YOUR OWN NET, OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE.