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Offensive Zone Play: Rim Release

When pressured above the circles, we rim the puck hard around the boards to the far side and our far D releases up to recover it.

F1F2F3D1D2RIM RELEASE
F = forwards, D = defence (our five skaters) / Net we are attacking is at the top, our blue line at the bottom / Solid arrows = skating routes / Dashed arrows = puck movement / Black dot = puck

What this is The Rim Release is our pressure escape at the top of the zone. Rather than trying to beat a checker one-on-one along the wall, we rim the puck hard around the boards behind the net-side and send the far defenceman to win it. It keeps the puck in the zone and resets the attack on the other side.

Reading the diagram F1 has the puck high on the wall with pressure arriving. The long dashed arrow shows the puck rimmed around the top of the boards and down the far wall. D2 reads the rim early and the solid arrow shows him releasing up the far wall to arrive at the puck as it comes out of the corner. F2 stays in the slot and F3 holds the puck-side wall in case the rim is cut off.

Key ideas Rim hard and rim flat. A soft rim is an interception; a hard rim gives our releasing D a chance to win a free puck.

What to look for

  • Rim hard and flat around the boards, never soft
  • Far defence reads the rim and releases early to recover
  • Slot forward holds the middle so the reset has an option
  • Puck stays in the zone instead of being forced up the wall

Coaching cues

  • Keep it flat on the wall
  • Go early — do not wait to see it
  • Rim it past the first stick
  • Somebody stays home behind the play

Common mistakes

  • Soft rims that get picked off at the far hash
  • Nobody releasing so the rim becomes a clear for them
  • Both D chasing the rim
  • Rimming into the shins of the far defender
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