The following article is lifted in it's entirety from Hockey's Future, "Home of the #1 Hockey Prospects Site" where it appeared as 'Eagle Eyes'-Puck Movement- on July 1, 1999

Fourth in a series.

Unfortunately many fans and even scouts overlook this essential quality in favour of skating or physical prowess. But these types of skills have value only inasmuch as they result in efficient puck movement,for example a good skater is valuable precisely because he can carry or receive the puck past the opposition. The two main elements of puck movement are, not surprisingly, passing and stickhandling. Let's look at passing first.

What makes a good 'passer'?

I believe that receiving a pass well is actually more important than the ability to make one. How many times have you seen good opportunities nullified because a player can't corral a hard pass, can't move it from his stick to his feet, can't control it unless his body is in perfect receiving position or merely stabs at it because a hit is imminent? A player who can take a pass from funny angles or in his feet IN STRIDE and immediately start moving forward is often thought to be a great skater with 'a second gear' when in fact it is just that he knows how to corral a pass efficiently. Such players tend to be the ones who get a step on defenders or get a lot of breakaways because they are in a position to make something happen as soon as the puck reaches their stick. Defensemen who receive the puck well from their defensive partners often have more time to make a good headmanning decision because they don't have to play with the puck for a few seconds while forecheckers close in and reduce their options.

Let me say it straight here- with almost all the big NHL stars, the quality that they have that sets them apart from ordinary players is not as often skating or shooting skill as it is an ability to corral the puck and thus allow themselves to be in better position and with more time to do something creative with it. Kids! Work on it! Have your friends give you hard passes, into your feet, while in full stride, from funny angles, while your body is turned away from the passer. Learn to take and move ALL kinds of passes, not only the tape-to-tape jobs.

Making a pass:

Making a good pass is more a function of good decision making and an ability to read teammates than anything else. It's no use practicing optimum tape-to-tape passes with a teammate while you're under no pressure in a practice. A good pass is largely a matter of anticipation. This is especially noticeable in defensemen when headmanning the puck. This is the quality that made Jason Woolley and Sergei Zubov so effective in the 1999 Stanley Cup finals. Lesser defensemen chip the puck off the boards into a free for all in the neutral zone which may be ok when you're under extreme pressure but this uncreative option is now used too often and, from a scout's point of view, such a 'safety' play is no substitute for real puck movement. It should be only a panic move, not the default option.

The essential difference here is between that of an 'active' player and that of a 'reactive' one. An active player makes the puck do something according to his will. The reactive player follows the dictation of the puck. At a junior or collegiate level a player who plays a reaction game, unless he shows tremendous potential in another facet of the game, is unlikely to get to the big leagues. Although there are certainly reaction players in the NHL, most, if not all, were active players at a lower level.

In the attacking zone the good passer is thinking about his options before he receives the puck, he knows where the defense is and where his teammates are. If he sees two options it allows him to fake one and use the other or play them as decoys. It also allows him to play with space or paralyze the defensemen or goalie through indecision. I generally do not recommend players who seem to have permanent tunnel vision and always seem to see only one, obvious- and thus easily defendable, option. Even as role players they will find it hard to rise to the next level of competition. When scouts say, "He doesn't use his teammates well", this is generally what they are talking about.

2. Stickhandling:

First and foremost- good stickhandling does not equal dipsy-doodling. It means efficient and progressive puck movement. I bristle when announcers often claim that a player who has circled the perimeter on a power play, killing of valuable time while the D simply stays in their box, is giving them a lesson in stickhandling. Good stickhandling does not equal individual length of puck possession, it's a matter of what you achieve with your skill. Anyone who has watched Alexei Kovalev knows what I'm talking about. While he dances around with the puck he often ignores better options and inevitably reduces his own.

Good stickhandling can often be only one small but significant shift that allows one to get a step on a defender or opens up free ice. My litmus test for rating stickhandling is this: If, through a players stickhandling, he causes defenders to back off and give him space to increase his options, he is a good stickhandler. And this is precisely what a Kariya or Selanne are doing when they stickhandle- it is not a show for a show's sake. They are gaining space and time in order to increase the number and quality of their puck moving options.

3. Other factors

a) Panic Point:

One thing I look for in such players is the length of a panic point. Some players panic and make poor puck movement decisions even when completely unpressured. But snipers like Joe Sakic can keep focus and control until the last possible moment- which usually increases their options and forces defenders and goalies to commit themselves.

b) When to pass/When to skate:

Of course another essential ingredient for puck movement is knowing precisely WHEN to pass and WHEN to lug it up by oneself. All the technical skill in the world won't save a player who skates with it when he should pass and vice versa. Any note to the effect that the player 'makes bad decisions with the puck' should carry a huge asterisk indicating a huge risk.

C) Transition Game

Particularly valuable in my mind are players who play an efficient transition game. Once the opposing team has lost the puck how long does it take for a certain player to do something useful with it. A good passer or stickhandler doesn't just take possession of a loose or stolen puck, he puts the other team back on their heels making them pay for their mistake.

So, let's complete a scout's question checklist for puck movement:
1. Can the player receive passes OF ALL TYPES effortlessly and efficiently?
2. Is the player essentially active or reactive?
3. Does he seem to see a variety of puck movement options?
4. Does he show an awareness and anticipation of teammate and opposition movement? Does he use his teammates (and the opposition) well?
5. Is his decision making (between passing and stickhandling) balanced and effective?
6. Does he use his stickhandling /passing to increase his or teammates' options?
7. Can he make quick, effective decisions in the transition game?
8. Does he have a long panic point?

Some of these questions surely overlap but if the answer is almost always positive you can be pretty sure that you have identified a player who can move up to the next level.