You might know what a winger is if you play hockey or if you follow the sports world, but what exactly is a hockey winger? Let’s dive into the definition and roles of a hockey winger to get you up to speed on the game!
Table of Contents
Key Role:
The key role of a hockey winger is to cause havoc on the ice by scoring goals and setting up other players for scores. They are usually the team’s biggest weapons, and for good reason – they can score at any time and from anywhere on the ice. They are highly specialized athletes who play a physically demanding sport and have some of the most dangerous moves in all of hockey. They are quick and agile skaters who love to shoot the puck and never get tired of hitting the net.
Short-Handed Ice Winger:
Every team has a short-handed ice winger, whose only job is to create havoc on the ice by scoring goals and setting up other players for scores. They are usually used when one of the team’s regular forwards or defensemen is removed from the ice because of injury or bad play. On teams with a lot of offensive firepower, the short-handed ice winger might be called a power play specialist or a sniper.
Hockey is a game of physicality, and the short-handed ice winger is an example of this. They are usually smaller than their regular counterparts and faster, which allows them to get the puck more often and to shoot faster as well. Since they want to be used only in short-handed situations, these players usually don’t have the greatest defensive game, either, which is why they are commonly referred to as snipers.
Long-Handed Ice Winger:
On the flip side, there is a long-handed ice winger, who is just the opposite of a short-handed one. Their main job is to protect the puck and their teammates on the ice by blocking shots and clearing the ice of any obstacles. The biggest challenge for a long-handed ice winger is taking a hit to the head or neck while protecting the puck. If a player gets hit in the right spot, it can cause them to lose their balance and end up on the ground, unable to continue playing. The game might have to be stopped to ensure their safety, which is why long-handed ice wingers are usually not used unless one of the team’s top scorers is injured or removed from the game.
Even though they have a different job in hockey, the long-handed and short-handed ice wingers have one important thing in common – they move the puck faster than everyone else on their team. On a team with a lot of offensive firepower, the short-handed ice winger might be able to change the gameplay by quickly moving the puck up the ice to the net. The same goes for the long-handed ice winger on a defensive line. The physical nature of hockey means that the faster the puck moves, the more damage it can do.
Offenses And Defenses:
Hockey is a “skill-based” sport, which means that the better you are at a certain skill, the more points you will score. To start things off, there are two ways to score in hockey – you can either score a goal or set up a teammate for a goal. A player’s position on the ice determines the type of havoc they can cause and the opportunities they have to score. The farther up the ice you go, the more open spaces there are for your team to shoot at. When a player is farther up the ice, it takes them longer to get the puck back, which means their time alone in the offensive zone is longer as well.
If you’re on defense, your first job is to prevent the opposing team from scoring by taking out the puck-carrier. Setting up your team for a goal is also important, as it gives your goalie a break from facing shots all game long. If you want to be the best hockey player you can be, you have to develop the skill of setting up your teammates for goals. Once you can do that, the world is your oyster.
Even though offense and defense are opposite positions in hockey, they have one very important thing in common: they are both physical positions in the game. The more you can do on defense, the more shots you will face and the more goals you will be able to prevent. Plus, your teammates will have more faith in your ability to protect them on the ice.
Special Roles:
Aside from the positions already discussed, there are also special roles that a hockey winger can play. These are usually assigned based on a player’s specific skillset and how they can help their team. The most common special roles are: