Introduction

Most players think the path to improvement is just skating harder, shooting more pucks, or getting stronger in the gym. But the smartest hockey players dominate the game in a different way: they think faster, see the ice better, and use proper head and eye mechanics to make the game easier.

In this blog, you’ll learn how to improve your hockey IQ by combining mechanics with awareness. We’ll cover how elite NHL players use small details like head position and dominant eye awareness to gain an edge and how you can train these mechanics step by step into your game.

1. What Does It Mean to Be a “Smarter” Hockey Player?

Being a smarter hockey player isn’t about being the loudest in the locker room or memorizing every play in the coach’s playbook. It means:

• - Anticipating where the puck is going before it gets there.
• - Seeing options that other players miss.
• - Making plays a split second faster than the others.
• - Making the right decisions with the puck quickly and confidently.

Elite players like Sidney Crosby, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon are great examples. They don’t just have speed and strength, they have hockey IQ mechanics that allows them to consistently make the right plays with the puck.

2. Why Hockey IQ Matters More Than You Think

Players with high hockey IQ consistently stand out, where they can make up ground on others even if they aren’t the fastest skaters. Smarter players:

• - Conserve energy by being in the right place at the right time.
• - Read plays earlier, giving themselves more time and space.
• - Make teammates better by putting them in advantageous spots with the puck.
• - Earn more ice time because they've earned the coaches trust.ntrol the g

3. The Mechanics of Hockey Sense

At Train 2.0, we have not only discoverd these plays are mechanics based but also have broken down the “unlearnable” skill of hockey sense into mechanical pieces you can train. When it comes to hockey sense, two overlooked mechanics make a massive difference:

• Head Position: Dominant Eye Awareness

3.1 Dominant Eye Awareness

Just like being right-handed or left-handed, every player has a dominant eye. One eye does most of the “aiming,” while the other supports with depth perception and balance.

Here’s how to find yours:

• Make a small triangle with your hands.
• Look through it at an object in the distance.
• Close one eye, then the other. If the object stays centered with your right eye open → you’re right-eye dominant. If it stays centered with your left eye open → you’re left-eye dominant.

This simple test reveals which eye is your “strong side” for vision. Once you know that, you can adjust how you position your head and the puck to maximize awareness.

3.2 Head Position and Playmaking

Your dominant eye affects how you see passing lanes, shooting angles, and even your ability to make plays behind you. For example:

• A right-handed player with right-eye dominance can easily see passes on their forehand side, but may need to turn their head more to scan their backhand side.
• A right-handed player with left-eye dominance might naturally see the ice in front better, but must adjust head angle to catch plays developing to the forehand side.

Once you learn how to match head position with dominant eye, hockey sense becomes automatic. You stop reacting late and are much quicker to see the play to be made.

4. Off-Ice Strategies to Boost Hockey IQ

Beyond mechanics, you can train your hockey IQ off the ice:

• Watch NHL games with purpose → Study how players scan before they get the puck, making the next play faster and more automatic.
• Review your own video → Notice moments where better awareness could have created an extra option.
• Practice Infinity Flows → When practicing your infinity flows from the Downhill Skating System work on getting that chin to shoulder immediately coming out of your turns.
• Practice pre scan drills → Build the habit of pre scanning pucks coming around the boards to simulate a defender pinching or forechecker providing pressure.