It’s Nov. 19, 2022, and the Minnesota Wild are hosting the Carolina Hurricanes at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. It’s the second shift of the game. Defenseman Calvin de Haan of the Hurricanes gains control of the puck just inside his own blue line and looks to turn up the ice. 

Over the course of the next 20 seconds, the puck touches eight different sticks on both teams, and no player possesses it for more than a second or two. The end result is de Haan’s partner, Jalen Chatfield, looking to re-start the process inside the Carolina blue line–neither team having gained any ground.

Was it uncoordinated chaos? A failed puck chase? It may look that way at first. But as you peel back the onion, the subtleties of team play at the NHL level start to reveal themselves. 

From Minnesota’s perspective, the Wild deployed a 1-2-2 neutral zone forecheck, with the defensemen staying wide at the defensive blue line and an F3 ready to take away the center zone entry. As the Hurricanes puck carrier stayed wide, the Wild left defenseman, Jake Middleton, moved to deny a clean controlled zone entry at the blue line. The backchecking forward, Mats Zuccarello, backfills for Middleton and the right defenseman, Jared Spurgeon, skates over to cover the strong side net front. 

With the puck now loose down into the corner, Spurgeon jumps on it. He attempts to break the Hurricanes forecheck with a pass up the boards (a “strong side push”). This breakout is stymied by pinching Hurricanes defender Chatfield, but with so many Hurricanes forecheckers deep in the offensive zone on the strongside, the Wild quickly reverse the puck behind the net to an alternative set breakout. That breakout is designed to bypass pressure on the weak side and get a quick transition to a controlled counter strike. However, the Hurricanes are again quick to diagnose the play and break up the exit. The puck drifts out to Chatfield.

When you break it down, it has the grace and coordination of a ballet and the tactics of a chess match. Each move met with a coordinated response. It’s disciplined and instinctual play on the ice. It’s also the product of detailed coaching.

OK, that’s great. But at this point you might fairly be asking why do we care about any of this at all? On that day–and for a period of six-plus seasons from 2017 to 2023–new Seattle Kraken assistant coach Bob Woods was the coach in charge of the Wild defense. And, as we’ll see, how his teams have played in the past can tell us a lot about how the Kraken will defend this year.

Last time, we looked at Woods’ experience and the historical performance of his defenses. In Woods’ introductory press conference, Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said, “It’s always a challenge to coach against a Bob Woods team and so you know you kind of want that on your side.” 

What makes it challenging to beat a Woods defense? We found that his teams don’t win by turning the puck over (seventh-fewest turnovers forced during his Wild tenure) or ratcheting up the physicality (second-fewest hits). Even so, Woods’ Wild defenses forced the opponent to shoot from the outside, smothered opponent chances in the “house,” blocked shots, gathered rebounds, and efficiently broke out of the defensive zone. 

All of this implies a defensive philosophy that guards the middle and works inside-out to the shooter with discipline. Does the tape support that? Let’s take a look at the systems Woods used in Minnesota and early returns on what we’re seeing so far in training camp and the preseason with the Seattle Kraken.

Neutral-zone forecheck

When the opponent has control of the puck in its own end and is looking toward transition, Woods’ Minnesota teams used a 1-2-2 neutral zone defensive forecheck. This is a common system. Seattle used a similar scheme under Dave Hakstol. There will be subtle differences though.

In a 1-2-2, the defense forms into three layers. A single forward at the top near the opponent’s blue line (F1), two forwards covering each half of the ice near the red line (F2, F3) and the two defensemen nearer the defensive blue line (D1, D2).

The goal of the F1 forward is to provide conservative pressure while blocking the center advance. The opponent is forced to commit to one side or the other. This funnels the play toward the F2 or F3 side, who will look to choke off the play at the red line and force the opponent to ice the puck if they can. Failing that, the forward looks to further constrict the advance toward the boards, allowing the defenseman behind to step up at the blue line and disrupt a controlled zone entry attempt.

Whichever side the opponent advances on (e.g., the F2 side in the diagram above), the backside forward (F3 in the diagram above) skates back closer to the center of the ice to take away a center blue line entry while the defensemen stay wide. This allows the backside defenseman to collapse more quickly into defensive coverage. This movement is different from most 1-2-2 schemes.

In the clip above, we see how this works in action. Minnesota’s F1, Kirill Kaprizov, advances in controlled fashion on the Hurricane in possession, forcing a commitment up the far side boards. The F2 defender, Connor Dewar, steps up between the opponent blue line and red line forcing a pass that is easy for the next layer of the Minnesota scheme, defenseman Jonas Brodin, to diagnose and force an uncontrolled dump-in entry. The backside F3, Mason Shaw, dives to the middle to cover the blue line, and the retreating backside D2 is in uncontested position to take control of the puck and break it out.

This preseason, we’ve seen the Kraken deploy this same scheme.

The system gets more conservative when the opponent is able to break the forecheck and attack through the center of the ice with speed. The team then goes to a lock-step retreating 1-2-2 to take away space for passes and the most threatening zone entry. 

As we see in the clip above, this will often concede a controlled entry, but it is intended to keep the opponent to the outside and allow Minnesota to set up its defensive-zone scheme.

Defensive-zone breakout

After watching a good deal of Minnesota Wild hockey under Bob Woods and digging into the data, it strikes me that all of Woods’ defensive schemes are in service of one goal: limiting high-danger chances. Sometimes this means getting aggressive (stepping up to disrupt controlled entries at the blue line is good) but more often it means playing relentlessly disciplined (and some might say “conservative”) hockey.

This extends to the system for getting the puck out of the defensive zone under pressure. Bylsma has expressed a desire to get north quickly, but overzealous zone exit attempts under pressure carry significant risk. As Kraken fans no doubt recall from Season 1, the most dangerous turnovers come toward the middle of the ice in the defensive zone. Woods’ teams avoid the risk of these types of turnovers by defaulting to defensive-zone breakouts that use the walls. In the worst case scenario, a turnover would occur in a position that allowed the Wild to resume their defensive-zone structure.

After recovery of the puck deep in the defensive zone, the first option for the D1 in possession tends to be a pass up the strong-side boards to a support forward (F1). Ideally, the F1 is presented with two options. First, he can continue the puck up the boards, bypassing the forechecker to a second forward (F2) streaking toward the defensive blue line. Or second, he can hit the third forward (F3) who fills the middle of the ice and could take a pass up the middle for center breakout. Then, in an attempt to bolster the speed of the transition, the backside defender (D2) activates into the rush. This system has various names but is often called a “bump by” or “strong-side push.”

Here we see Minnesota attempt a strong-side push breakout along the far-side boards. Defenseman Calen Addison (No. 2) is ready to join the rush if it succeeds, but Carolina diagnoses the bump-by attempt and foils the exit.

If there is pressure on the strong side, an option available to the defenseman in possession is to reverse the puck to his defense partner below the net. Two forwards fly the zone up the backside, and the defenseman targets a pass along the boards to hit a streaking forward.

Here, the goal is to bypass aggressive zone pressure and convert into offense as quickly as possible without risking a pass through the middle of the defensive zone. This is a “reverse”/“counterstrike” variant on the strong-side wall play.

Defensive coverage high in the zone

In Minnesota, Woods utilized a man coverage scheme in the defensive zone in most situations when the puck was off the wall and above the goal line. Based on what we’ve seen in preseason games, it looks like the Kraken will not be utilizing that scheme but instead a version of a 2-1-2 zone defense that bends towards Woods’ principles. To understand what I mean by that, let’s first take a look at what Woods ran in Minnesota and then compare it to what we’ve seen from the Kraken in the preseason.

In Woods’ Minnesota man-defense scheme, a Wild player would track his check around the zone with one eye toward denying passes, but, more importantly, with the aim of staying between his check and the goal to deny clean shooting opportunities.

It sounds simplistic, but few NHL teams actually run this kind of defense because it requires mobility and defensive commitment from all five defensive skaters. The defensemen need to be comfortable tracking to the outside, and the forwards need to be comfortable at the net front, depending on offensive rotation.

In this clip, defenseman Jared Spurgeon (No. 46) ends up near the blue line in coverage. The coverage works and Carolina ends up with a low-danger chance from the blue line.

Most important to Woods’ scheme is that coverage is intentionally loosened higher in the defensive zone. The points are intentionally left relatively “open” because the defense wants to funnel the puck there for shots. When dealing with an opponent in possession near the blue line, the Wild defender stays conservative and approaches in a deliberate straight line with goal to prevent a direct slap shot.

In this clip, you see at about the three-second mark that the forwards in man coverage on Hurricanes point players have compressed down to the tops of the circles. This creates effectively a 5-on-3 scenario, where the only clean option available to Carolina is the low-to-high pass back to the point. Again, the result is a low-danger point shot.

At the end of the day, the goal of the man coverage is not necessarily to take away the puck but to suffocate chances at getting inside. High passing and cycles are fine, as long as there’s nowhere to go inside.

Fast forward to Seattle, and it appears the Kraken will not be adopting this defensive coverage wholesale. Instead, the Kraken will deploy a more conventional 2-1-2 zone defense in situations when the puck is off the wall above the goal line. Basically, the Kraken will deploy two defensemen in front of the net, two forwards (typically the wingers) high, and the center in the middle of the ice with more roving responsibility. The Kraken skaters will then pick up and defend players who come into their zones. (This is also called a “box-and-one” defense.)

We’re dealing with a small sample of preseason games, but the key similarity between schemes to me is to sag off the points and create a number advantage from the circles down in order to force the puck away from the “house” (where high-danger chances come from) and back to the points. Once the puck is on the outside, the teaching point is not to overreact and chase, but stay disciplined to keep yourself between the player in your zone and the goal. Again, opponent possession is OK, as long as the puck doesn’t get inside.

In the clip above, I believe we see (a Connor McDavid-induced) example of what not to do. The Kraken get caught extending their zone coverage too high out to the blue line, which allows for Edmonton to get the puck inside with a pass for a more dangerous opportunity.

By contrast, here, we see a more effective deployment of the condensed 2-1-2 zone coverage from Seattle that forces the puck back to the point where the shot is blocked and Seattle breaks it out of the zone.

So, we see the philosophy is the same as the man coverage scheme deployed in Minnesota. If that’s the case, why not simply use the Minnesota scheme? Three potential explanations occur to me. First, the Kraken have a few larger defensemen who may not be as comfortable or effective tracking a check in man coverage out to the blue line. (Jamie Oleksiak’s highest and best use isn’t blocking shots 40 feet from the net.)  Second, the players or other members of the coaching staff may have expressed greater comfort running a zone scheme that is closer to what Seattle (and Coachella Valley) ran last year. Third, the transition into low zone coverage is a bit more streamlined coming out of the 2-1-2 zone than a man coverage. Let’s get into those coverages in a moment.

 That’s not to say it’s without challenges. Philipp Grubauer gave an insightful comment on this earlier in the preseason, noting the biggest challenge for him is getting comfortable with how coverages work and shift directly in the front of the net because it affects where he can be and which players are likely to be open or available to tip the puck. “It’s getting used to screens, everybody crossing in front of you, tips. Like who is open at what time? It changed a little bit, I think, in the [defensive] zone. So for us goalies, finding a depth is really important and recognizing or reading the game and who is open at what time.”

Low/boards defensive zone coverage

When the puck ends up along the boards below the goal line, Woods’ Minnesota scheme would send the two closest into the corner with the other three covering the goal posts and the slot in a tight triangle zone coverage around the goal. 

The goal is to take away the quick strike at the net front or the high-danger cross-seam pass and instead force the puck around the boards on the outside so the Wild can get back into their man coverage.

As seen in the clip above, the Kraken have run a similar system in dealing with plays in the corner and below the goal line. When the opposition is shifted almost entirely to the strong side, the defensive coverage shifts with it to leave one player net front, one in the slot, and one player further up the boards to intercept an attempted high-low pass.

Likewise, when the puck is contested along the boards above the goal line, the Kraken typically send the center first into the puck battle, potentially to be supported by the closer of the nearside defenseman or forward, with the others rotating into positions to defend the net-front and cross-seam passes.

Working toward “connected” Kraken hockey

Implementing new systems is a process that takes time–not because they’re complex, but because players need to internalize and deploy them instinctually at full game speed. For his part, head coach Dan Bylsma told the media he subscribes to the theory that habits take three weeks to form (which happens to be one day longer than the full run time of camp).

After an error-riddled preseason debut against the Flames on Sept. 22 in which the team gave up 13 high-danger shot attempts, a hoarse Bylsma said, “I think there was a concerted effort to do some of the things we’re talking about,” but “it just wasn’t on the same page. We weren’t at all connected, we weren’t doing it together, and the play was a lot like my voice as a result.”

Forward Tye Kartye was frank that the defensive coverage needed to improve. According to Kartye, this could only come from “trusting everyone [and] making sure everyone’s in their right spot.” “When everyone knows what everyone else is doing and we can all trust it… that’s how we’ll have success,” Kartye said. “It takes a couple of game situations to get into that in terms of understanding the system again and making reads again,” added Grubauer. 

A week later, after the team’s game on Sept. 28, Grubauer had seen tangible progress. “Now we had some time to practice 5-on-5, the power play–which we didn’t have much time [to do] before [the first preseason game]–to get to know the system changes… So now it’s getting better.”

The player- and scheme-level defensive connectivity the Kraken had been seeking was on full display two nights later in Calgary. At 8:12 in the first period, Calgary defenseman Daniil Miromanov possessed the puck, scanning the Kraken 1-2-2 neutral-zone forecheck as he advanced. 

As Calgary approached center ice, the weak-side forward (Ryan Winterton) collapsed toward the middle of the defensive blue line to take away the center drive, keeping Calgary hemmed in along the wall. This allowed Kraken defenseman Josh Mahura to step up and disrupt the blue line entry. With a loose puck to the corner, the other defenseman, Ville Ottavainen, gathered the puck and rapidly attempted a strong-side push exit.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because we saw the Wild doing the same things in the sequence described at the very top of this post. As in that case, the Calgary forecheckers here shut down an attempted exit along the boards causing a contested puck scenario. 

Here, Calgary emerges with possession, so Seattle rapidly springs into their 2-1-2 compressed zone defense. The low challenge by Ottavainen and forward Ben Meyers causes the Calgary forward to take the open low-to-high pass out to the blue line. Calgary defenseman MacKenzie Weegar receives the puck at the point, but all of the low options are covered, and Meyers rapidly advances toward the shooting lane. This leaves Calgary with only one option–a distance shot on net easily corralled by Joey Daccord.

The Kraken worked together stacking strategies to deny a controlled entry and then mitigate virtually all danger after a failed zone exit. It’s not a finished product yet, but the trust and connection is growing. 

“[Woods] is new to the players and that trust and relationship… continues to be built up as training camp goes along,” Bylsma said. But Bylsma is confident it will get there quickly. “[Woods is a] great communicator, great relationship builder on defense.”

If history is an indication, Woods’ Kraken defense should be formidable once it all comes together.