The swing is the regroup you use when the first wall is covered. The puck goes D-to-D across the ice while the forwards swing back toward the puck, curl, and leave with speed on a new side.
Reading the diagram: D1 has the puck and moves it across on the dashed line to D2 — that pass alone shifts the whole forecheck. The forwards do not stand still waiting for it. F1 swings back toward the middle of the ice and curls hard up the strong side, arriving at the blue line at full speed. F2 holds high on the far side so the swing has somewhere to go, and F3 curls underneath as the safe short option and the second wave.
The swing buys speed at the cost of a second. That second is only affordable when the forecheck is passive or late. Against hard pressure, the quick up is the better read.
What to look for
- D-to-D first — the cross-ice pass moves the entire forecheck
- Forwards swing back toward the puck and leave with speed, never flat-footed
- One forward stays high so the swing has a target
- Curl underneath gives a safe short option if the lane closes
Coaching cues
- D-to-D, then read
- Swing low, leave fast
- Time the curl to hit the line at speed
- Somebody always stays high
Common mistakes
- Swinging so deep the forwards lose all speed
- Nobody high — the opponent's D steps up and kills it
- D holding the puck while the swing is already finished
- Two forwards curling into the same lane
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