Wheel/Swing Breakout

The wheel or swing breakout is another quick up breakout method. The puck begins low and is moved quickly around the boards behind the net.

The hope is that the wing, who is becoming the strong side, will recognize the play and move lower in the zone to pick the puck off the boards. Center and now weak side wing, curl up ice, while maintaining good passing angles, to get the puck out of the zone quickly.

Often, the best play after the wing intercepts the wheeled puck is to chip it off the boards around a defender to the breaking center.

For this breakout it is important to communicate that you are firing the puck around to reduce chances of interception. Also, the receiving player needs to put themselves in a positive body position to coral the puck and be able to move it efficiently. If you try to corral it facing towards the boards you may have more difficult moving the puck up ice quickly thus requiring the breakout to fail and the team to start over. If you try to corral it facing up ice, you are in a dangerous position for a hit as well as a low percentage passing angle. Similarly, if you try to face too far down ice, you will have to turn 180 degrees to move the puck up ice efficiently and you can’t see what is coming behind you.